We all love a takeaway, but the process can be taxing.

Picture it: it’s Friday night and you’re rooting through the takeout menu drawer. After calling the restaurant and waiting on hold, you begin impatiently waiting for your food. It arrives some unknown time later, only to be delivered by an underpaid and unappreciated delivery driver. You sit down to tuck into your lukewarm dinner, but you’re left with a bad taste in your mouth.

The pandemic shone a light on the importance of supporting local businesses. Whilst restaurants continue to fall victim to the rising tides of restrictions and lockdowns, many independent businesses took to third party delivery services to stay afloat.

Services such as Deliveroo, Just Eat and UberEats grew hugely between 2019 and 2020, with thousands of businesses flocking to sign up during the peak of the pandemic. The majority of people under the age of thirty-five have said that they prefer using third party delivery sites, despite how their fees often financially damage independent restaurants. 

Deliveroo, one of the major players in the delivery market, boasted a 110% increase in orders across the UK compared with the first half of 2020. It now offers takeaways from more UK restaurants and food merchants than any other service.

Third-party services seem like the most convenient option for restaurants and consumers alike, yet business owners still face high transaction fees, order errors and a general lack of control over their consumer experience. Ordering directly through the restaurant would be a better option, but without the sheer convenience of the app, with its order tracking capabilities and clear price breakdown, people aren’t ordering directly anymore.

The average spend per person per year rose by 42 per cent over two years: from £452 in 2019 to £641 in 2021. 32% of consumers say they will continue to order more takeaway after the pandemic, while 31% say they will eat out less in the future.

So with the takeaway trend not slowing down and the use of third party delivery services continuing to increase, how can we enjoy our food more sustainably?

The answer: Foodstuff.

The concept seems almost too good to be true. This delivery service has a sustainable soul, only using cyclists to deliver the orders to be more environmentally conscious. Their riders are paid a fair wage, keeping their employees comfortable despite the current cost of living crisis.

Foodstuff entered the scene intent on combating these issues. Foodstuff founders, Toby and James, created a delivery service without any hidden costs, with completely emission-free delivery all whilst supporting local independent business owners.

Neverbland wanted to help Foodstuff grow their business and embed themselves in new cities around the UK. We facilitated a series of brand strategy workshops, working closely with James and Toby throughout. They were passionate about creating a level playing field for local independent restaurants – championing the little guy without contributing to global emissions.

Learn more about how digital product studio Neverbland facilitated Foodstuff growth here.