Providing South Africans with the experience and simplicity of ordering food at the touch of a button, the UberEATS phenomenon is spreading around the country. Yet it’s not only the ‘eaters’ enjoying the concept of quick, good food on the go. Local restaurants are also feeling big benefits in all aspects of their business.
Restaurant owners have experimented with the app to find real, rapid benefits. Guy Cluver and Chris Black, owners of Lupa Osteria, Fourways say, “UberEATS is a new app, so we were not sure of the value at first, until the orders started coming through regularly. It’s definitely added to our revenue, especially on quieter early to mid-week evenings, so we can’t wait for it to expand into areas where all our stores can use it and grow together in partnership.”
Many restaurants are reporting a tangible impact on their bottom line. Owner of Junior, Cape Town, Hugo Berolsky says, “We have seen a massive increase in sales, UberEATS has allowed us to increase sales by an additional 20-25% on our gross turnover. Our location doesn’t lend itself to a lot of walk in traffic – so many people don’t know we exist. Uber’s reach has really introduced us to a great new fan base.”
Johannesburg’s Momo Baohaus has seen a 20% increase in takeaway orders since joining UberEATS, while UberEATS orders have added 10% to BGR’s income. This growth gives restaurants the market they need to increase their capacity and create more jobs. Momo Baohaus has hired an extra staff member to deal with UberEATS orders while Junior has increased its baking team in order to keep creating ingredient conscious fast food. Berolsky adds that the platform is giving him the market knowledge and incentive to expand in future, “We’ve been considering more branches and knowing that UberEATS is expanding makes us more confident to launch in these new areas.”
Not everyone can leave their desk or home when a craving strikes. For this reason, UberEATS reaches an untapped market and brings customers to restaurants that would not necessarily be eating in or even collecting takeout themselves. As expected, restaurants like Momo Baohaus, Lupa Osteria and Junior all see a rush in orders in the early to mid-evening. However, business is not only confined to dinnertime. Joshua Cherry of BGR says, “We really enjoy the Monday to Thursday lunch rush. We are getting to that lunch time office worker. Our partnership with UberEATS works so well because UberEATS matches our core value propositions of convenience and great customer experience.”
The market insight allows restaurants an instant snapshot of their most popular items. Lupa Osteria’s Roman-inspired pastas and wood-fired pizzas are proving a hit, while Momo Baohaus’ signature Colonel Bao remains popular. Junior’s customers love the cheeseburger, which is not surprising as UberEATS data has illustrated that this is South Africa’s most ordered dish!
Overall, UberEATS is a welcome development for restaurants. Tim Lai, owner of Momo Baohaus concludes, “It has been great so far. Thanks to UberEATS, we can now do deliveries without having our own drivers. We look forward to optimising the UberEATS experience by making ordering takeaways an experience that is as unique and special experience as dining in our store.”
UberEATS not in your area yet? Your courier will be arriving shortly. UberEATS is now serving the West Coast (Table Bay) and Centurion! UberEATS will now be available in Blouberg, Table View, Milnerton, Canal walk, Century City, Parklands in the Western Cape as well as Centurion in Joburg. In the months to come UberEATS hope to expand even further with more users, more couriers and more restaurants too.
Staff Writer
