Deliveroo:
the unpalatable truth
By Bryony Moore
As the casual dining crisis continues, restaurants are adapting to survive. Many are turning to the help of delivery services such as Deliveroo and UberEats, where the demand is growing.
To cope with the high demand of orders, Deliveroo has introduced ‘dark kitchens’ to help eateries cater to online customers. These hubs occupy a small space branded as ‘Deliveroo Editions’. The latest addition is Tiger Bites, the winner of the BBC's ‘My Million Pound menu’ earlier this year. They deliver Asian-fusion street food to residents across East London, prepared from a metal box, similar to a shipping container, tucked into a side-street in Whitechapel.
Other dark kitchens have reported being set up in car-parks and industrial lots, catering for customers ordering from the likes of MeatLiquor, Busaba Eatery and Mother Clucker. They are small and often window-less, and what goes on inside is unseen to anyone but the restaurant's chefs. The exact location of “Deliveroo Editions” are unknown to the public.
Delivery services like Deliveroo are growing in popularity.
Chains such as Byron, Jamie’s Italian and Prezzo are all suffering after having to close a number of sites across the country. They all offer delivery services via the Deliveroo or UberEats app. Manager at Manchester’s Byron branch, Marcus, who did not want to be fully-named, explains the importance of having a deal with Deliveroo: “Most of our orders during the week are now taken through Deliveroo because all people now want is convenience.” Yet the development of dark kitchens has allowed smaller, independent eateries to cater to online customers who lack resources and restaurant space.
Dark kitchens do however raise the question as to whether they adhere to the same restaurant regulations set out by the Food Standards Agency. The kitchens set up in Camberwell are the first to face criticism. Southwark Council is concerned about noise and congestion complaints by residents, as well as their lack of planning permission, but it looks like more dark kitchens will represent the future as the delivery industry shows no sign of slowing down.