Deliveroo officially launched on Monday (April 23) its second Editions site here in Singapore, located in CT Hub 2 at Lavender.
This initiative is part of the brand’s global expansion plans after it received a boost of US$500 million in investment last year.
Unlike its first Editions at Tanjong Katong Road, this new 3,657-square-foot space is more than just a central kitchen for vendors and a collection point for Deliveroo riders – it also serves as a cosy dining spot for customers!
Yes, you can now expect them to deliver food to you at your tables and your doorstep.
The dining area features three long tables that could seat approximately 20 people shoulder-to-shoulder.
Granted, it’s not a very big space but it has a very relaxed ambience, which makes it a good spot to chill out and have a quick meal.
While customers now have the option of dining in, Deliveroo’s core business will still be focused on delivery.
This explains why its menus, packaging, and selection of on-site restaurants are all optimised for delivery.
Currently, the site is home to seven partnering restaurants, including Kurry Korner, Aloha Poke, Street of Saigon, Da Paolo Pizza Bar, Blu Kouzina, Wolf Burgers and Dosirak.
According to Mr Ashwin, these seven restaurants are selected based on “insights” to help identify cuisine gaps in the local market and predict which restaurants will succeed in a specific area.
Their data have helped them reveal which restaurants performed well in terms of order volume and weekly sales.
Beyond these metrics, Deliveroo recognises that there are “smaller brands that don’t have the expertise that need a push” so they’re willing to “help these small guys out”.
By being in Deliveroo’s ‘super kitchens’, restaurants are able to expand without needing a physical presence in the area, enabling restaurants to expand more easily and at lower cost to reach new customers.
An upgrade from its Katong counterpart, this new site houses eight kitchens, allowing chefs from the selected restaurants to whip up meals on-site.
This allows restaurants to quickly make meals upon order on-site, and expands the range of food available for delivery as customers can usually order only from nearby restaurants.
Essentially, Deliveroo provides the cooking equipment and storage facilities, in addition to its fleet of riders for delivery.
Each restaurant gets its own kitchen space and pays zero rent or utility fees. Instead, they pay a commission fee to Deliveroo in exchange for using the space.
Deliveroo Editions CT Hub 2 also serves as a launchpad for F&B partners to introduce new menus and restaurant concepts that are exclusively available on the app.
Deliveroo works hand in hand with partners to innovate beyond their single brand brick-and-mortar business, trial virtual menus, and then quickly adapt according to consumers’ responses.
“Deliveroo Editions is changing the way we operate by providing us with a platform to experiment with minimal risk, especially in Singapore’s competitive environment where the setup cost is high,” said Streets of Saigon co-founder Jacinta Lee.
“It also enables us to react very quickly to food trends. For example, customers can now opt to try out our virtual menu, SOS Asian Bowls, which is a grain bowl concept, on top of our usual fare.
Ultimately, creating virtual brands enable existing restaurants to increase revenue and customers by offering new or complementary cuisines under new branding.
A virtual brand appears as a separate restaurant on Deliveroo with a new identity, rather than just extra menu items on an existing menu.
This could mean BBQ joints launching Mexican menus, a Greek restaurant offering healthy protein bowls, and your favourite pizza joint delivering a gourmet sandwich selection.
For the first time ever, Deliveroo is also introducing a ‘click-and-collect’ function, where customers within a 100m radius of Deliveroo CT Hub 2 can order directly through the app and opt to pick up the food directly from the site.
With this new option, you can pick up your orders in less than 10 minutes!
Customers can also choose to order on-site and enjoy their meals at the dine-in space. When the food is ready, the site manager will serve the meals to you.
Both of these options allow customers to save on the $3 delivery fee.
Here’s a closer look at each of these restaurants and their offerings:
Dosirak is a modern Korean eatery with a bibimbap focus.
Inspired by its namesake (it stands for ‘lunchbox’ in Korean), Dorisak’s Shake Bibimbaps require you to pour its signature gochujang (red pepper paste) sauce before you shake the box to mix up the ingredients.
Dosirak will also be introducing Korean stews, grills, and fried chicken in the coming months.
Aloha Poké was set up by two couples who experienced the love of poké while vacationing in Hawaii and wanted to bring a taste of it to Singapore.
Back here, the couples experimented with making their own pokés and after numerous iterations, they came up with recipes for its three flagship flavours: Original, Wasabi Mayo, and Spicy.
You can read more about the Aloha Poké founders here and how they raked in $3.8 million last year from selling poké bowls.
Blu Kouzina features many traditional Greek recipes and its sister brand, VIOS, specialises in Mediterranean cuisine.
At VIOS, customers are free to tailor their own bowls, or pick any one of their handcrafted selections.
Blu Kouzina and VIOS are also available at Deliveroo’s first Editions site in Katong, and it saw a 550% revenue jump in just four months after venturing into the delivery arena.
Kurry Korner takes on one of India’s most popular cuisines – Punjabi fare.
Its Chili Chicken, also known as Manchurian Madness, is one of the most popular Indo-Chinese style chicken appetiser that is served in Indian-Chinese restaurants across the globe.
Vegetarian alternatives are also available with the marriage of cauliflower and paneer.
Wolf Burgers is new to Deliveroo Editions, and it’s built on the belief that everyone deserves to have gourmet burgers with premium ingredients at affordable prices.
Da Paolo Pizza Bar is known for its generous ingredients and tasty tomato sauce made from 100% Sardinian tomatoes.
The slowly-leavened pizza dough is hand stretch a-la-munute and then stone-baked to yield a pizza that’s charred and crispy in all the right places.
Da Paolo Green & Grains was designed by its Group Executive Chef Andrrea Scarpa. With a passion for nutritious food and fitness, he ensures that these bowls are full of wholesome ingredients that are minimally processed yet taste, with plenty of gluten-free and vegan options.
Streets of Saigon serves some of the most iconic Vietnamese street food, drawing on secret recipes gathered from Vietnam.
Considered one of the healthiest cuisines in the world, Vietnamese food is popular because it strikes the perfect balance between flavours and textures.
Customers can indulge in the comforts of ‘pho’ in a slow-cooked broth (boiled for 12 hours), or explore a sumptuous spread of Vietnamese favourites like ‘banh mi’ and vermicelli pork.
This new service is a clear win-win, as it benefits the restaurants, customers and riders.
Restaurants can address new audiences, consumers can have greater access to these restaurants, and despatch for riders also becomes more efficient.
For riders, the pick-up experience is more seamless through the introduction of an alert system on the app that lets both restaurant partner and rider know when an order is ready for collection at the site.
This does not only reduce the waiting time for the riders, but for the customers and restaurants as well.
“Our focus has always been about creating the best food delivery experience for everyone. Our super kitchens give restaurant partners new revenue streams, bring new foods to customers’ neighbourhoods and increase the earning potential for riders,” said Will Shu, founder and CEO of Deliveroo.
Mr Shanker added that Deliveroo is investing heavily in its Editions site, as it enables them to “expand the delivery zones of high-perfoming restaurants, reduce their operating costs, and make deliveries even quicker.”
“This will also give more consumers access to the brands and food they love.”
Deliveroo is currently running a promotion that lets you enjoy $8 off your ‘click and collect’ order – simply use code ‘click8’ when placing your order!
And if you intend to dine there, do note the site is only open during lunch and dinner hours.
Deliveroo Editions @ CT Hub 2
114 Lavender Street
Lunch: 11am to 2.30pm
Dinner: 5pm to 10.30pm
Featured Image Credit: Deliveroo
