Despite being only launched a week ago, UAE-based delivery app GoFood is on a new mission, one of transparency.
The business is an app and website run by restaurant owners themselves. It is created for restaurant operators as an alternative to the existing delivery aggregator apps.
“The difference is that we charge the lowest commission on orders, whereas other platforms charge anything up to 35 per cent. We also provide a last-mile option, which isn’t mandatory, but offers a cost-effective solution to restaurants that don’t have their own drivers or think their existing last-mile solution provider is too expensive. They can use our services at a nominal charge of AED10 for the first 10 kilometres and then an additional AED0.50 per kilometre,” explains GoFood CEO, Naveed Dowlatshahi. GoFood is now in the process of signing up with RTA, which will facilitate the last-mile.
Elaborating on how GoFood is on a transparency mission, Dowlatshahi says, “We are also the only delivery app that is completely transparent with customer data. The restaurants have free access to key customer data, including mobile number and e-mail address. At the end of the day, we are merely a facilitator, so it’s only fair that the restaurants have access to customer data.”
Since launch, GoFood has signed up over 2,000 restaurants, with more than 500 in the pipeline. Some names include Subway, 800 Pizza, Chicking and Nando’s as well as home-grown brands Atisuto, Sarj Art Cafe and Caesars, among others. That’s quite an achievement within a week, and Dowlatshahi feels success has been driven by the reasonable commission structure. “GoFood has a far more reasonable commission structure, two per cent for the first 2,000 restaurants that registered on the platform and five per cent for the rest. Since it is directly run by the restaurant owners, delivery fees go directly to them. There is no membership or sign up fees.”
