Deliveroo to launch in Ipswich in October: Sid Tripathi on partnering with food delivery company

One of the top players in the food delivery industry is seeking to hire local delivery riders ahead of becoming online in the fastest-growing city in Queensland.

One of the major players in the food delivery industry will soon be online in the state’s fastest-growing city as part of an ambitious expansion plan into regional Queensland and across Australia.

UK-based Deliveroo will launch in Ipswich on October 4 with the platform seeking to hire delivery riders to join its 10,000-strong network around the country.

Ipswich will be the third new city on Deliveroo’s expansion map for 2021 and it expects that figure to rise to more than 10 by the end of the year.

Deliveroo will launch in Ipswich on October 4.

The company says about 3000 new riders will be brought on board this year in total.

It already operates in 15 cities in Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, Western Australia, South Australia and Canberra.

Heading west, the platform will next launch in Toowoomba on October 11.

The company could not confirm how many restaurants had already partnered with them ahead of the Ipswich launch, or how many riders it will need across the city, but said it was “thrilled” with the response so far.

“We are thrilled to be entering the Ipswich market and hope to support local economic growth through providing jobs and additional revenue streams for local restaurant businesses,” Deliveroo Australia CEO Ed McManus said.

“Riders are at the heart of all we do and without them we would be unable to bring our customers the best food on demand while also helping great local restaurants to grow.

“We are extremely excited to welcome new riders in Ipswich to our growing rider community.”

Essence of Indya owners Sid Tripathi and Chandan Singh. The pair also own Indian Tadka in Augustine Heights.

Sid Tripathi and Chandan Singh own two restaurants in the city; Indian Tadka in Augustine Heights and Essence of Indya just outside the CBD.

They have been operating Indian Tadka for four years and opened their latest venture in August last year.

Mr Tripathi said it had been an incredibly difficult 18 months for small businesses and they had gotten by thanks to the tremendous backing of their local community.

He stressed the need to be adaptable in order to survive during tough times.

Although food delivery companies take a significant bite out of business’ revenue, some up to a reported 30 per cent of each order, Mr Tripathi said they were necessary to meet customer demand.

A Deliveroo spokesperson said the company does not have fixed commission rates.

“Instead we work extremely closely with restaurant partners to determine the fair and appropriate commission rate for each restaurant, based on a range of factors,” they said.

“A significant proportion of our commission goes directly towards improving the service we offer riders, restaurants and customers.

“Predominantly, commission fees cover the fees of riders so they ensure that we can pay riders well, and provide even more support to help restaurants grow their businesses.”

A company infographic showed about 30 per cent of a $30 order plus the delivery fee goes to Deliveroo.

Even before Covid-19, Mr Tripathi had noticed the hunger for delivery was rising but that had exploded during the pandemic with people eager to stay home.

Ipswich is the third new city in Australia where Deliveroo will expand in 2021.

The business used to have two delivery drivers of its own but it became too hard to juggle.

They have already partnered with Uber Eats and Menulog.

“It was very difficult to cover each and every area,” he said.

“If you’re not able to deliver the food in time the quality of the food gets compromised. It’s growing very big in the suburbs.

“On Fridays or Saturdays when the restaurant is very busy you might have a delivery in Deebing Heights and then another coming from Brassall.

“So you need two drivers in two directions. Then another small order comes in close by and they could wait a good hour for them to come back. Then on (weekdays) sometimes they’re not needed. We stopped doing it.”

Mr Tripathi said it was ultimately about meeting the needs of the customer and compared the rise of food delivery platforms to the change from cash to card.

“If I don’t have delivery partners, I’m not able to provide food to (customers’) homes,” he said.

“Yes the percentage is quite high but they’re covering a very big area. It keeps you going in this tough time. The customer is the king and they decided they wanted deliveries.”

If you are interested in becoming a Deliveroo rider you can register your interest here.

Read more stories by Lachlan McIvor here.