What do you think of when you think of a takeaway? So often, greasy, cold fast food comes to mind. But, thanks to a new start-up company that’s just come to Exeter, the days of the cheap and cheerful takeaway may be numbered. Move over Just Eat, Deliveroo is in town.
It was a hungover morning in Freshers’ week when my housemates and I were in serious need of some wholesome sustenance. Straying from the beaten path of our regular takeaway favourites, we had a look at Deliveroo’s website for something different to soothe our aching heads.
We Checked Out Deliveroo for something to soothe our aching hangovers
From browsing the list of restaurants already signed up to Deliveroo’s service it’s easy to see what the main selling point of the company is. The quality and choice of food is pretty impressive. Deliver works with established restaurants, allowing them to offer takeaway options to their customers. So far, the likes of Exeter’s more upmarket eateries like Hubbox, Carluccio’s and On the Waterfront are all available to be delivered straight to your door. You can even get a salad from Forn is that’s the kind go thing you’re into.
But we were in no mood for salad. We settled on Urban Burger and had a look through the menu. The website looks slick and is easy to navigate. Even though you have to create an account with Deliver to place your order, the only information that’s required is your email address and a password, so there’s no need to worry about precious gorging time being wasted on needless admin. I opted for the Big Kahuna (now that is a tasty burger) while my housemates went for two Smoky Mountains. I was surprised to see that the estimated delivery time was only 30 minutes; my heart had been broken by the false delivery claims of Domino’s before, and I wasn’t sure if I was ready to trust Deliveroo’s suave boasts just yet.
Thankfully, I was not disappointed. One and a half episodes of South Park later, the driver had hopped over to our house. The question on my mind now was whether the quality of the food could match what Urban Burger serve in their restaurant. Deliveroo excels here too: as the food is made in the same kitchen as restaurant quality food, you’re actually guaranteed a certain level of flavour that regular takeaways just can’t compete with. Though the chips were a little colder than I’d have liked, the food tasted great and ensured that I wasn’t moving from the sofa for the rest of the day: exactly what you want from a good takeaway, right?
If there’s one thing I can see deterring students from using Deliveroo, it would be the price. We paid £10 each for our food, which isn’t bad, but it’s considerably more than a standard takeaway.
Even though the delivery cost itself is only £2.50, by definition restaurant quality food will be a bit more expensive than Mega Kebab, so if all you want is junk food that Deliveroo might not be with the extra mark-up. Personally, it made enough difference for me to consider using the service again.
If all you want is junk food, the service may not be worth the extra cost