It is past 11 p.m. But a popular restaurant near the busy Vyttila junction is still buzzing with activity. Amal, an 18-year-old, lifts his helmet visor to say that he was six orders into his target of 13 for the evening.
Nearly one-and-a-half kilometres away, Mathew, a banking professional, is waiting for Amal to deliver his favourite Al-Faham that he has ordered over a mobile app.
“I am starting and will reach the destination in 10 minutes,” said Amal as he mounts his motorbike. But much to Mathew’s delight, the spicy Arabian Al-Faham is delivered at his doorstep in eight minutes.
“I was dead tired to cook after an extended meeting at the bank. Thanks to technology, one of my favourite dishes is on my dinner table without having to drive all the way to Vyttila,” he says.
In the comfort of homes
Like the young banker, thousands across Kochi are now enjoying their favourite food in the comfort of their homes using mobile apps. The number of customers ordering their meal choices online seems to be growing, going by the soaring food delivery platforms tapping into the business potential offered by a cosmopolitan city.
“Our business has grown by at least 25 per cent after we started accepting orders online. Many now prefer to order their piping hot biriyanis or crispy dosas through food delivery apps, especially in view of the traffic snarls in the city during the evenings,” says a manager of a popular restaurant in Kakkanad.
Clientele
The clientele is not confined to bachelors, college-going students or newly-wed couples. Even senior citizens like Subhash Chandran and wife Sheeba, both retired Central government employees, depend on their smart phones to order a traditional lunch from a nearby restaurant. “It’s also helpful when guests turn up unexpectedly,” they say.
For college-going students like Amal, the food delivery process has offered a lucrative part-time job. Niyas, who is pursuing a diploma programme in management, earns ₹10,000 a month and this almost meets his tuition fee, rent and other expenses.
“I have friends who make ₹25,000 to ₹30,000 through this job monthly,” he says.
