Restaurateur creates DIY delivery platform to circumvent the middlemen

The resurgence of COVID has hit hospitality. One restaurateur in central Taipei went further than most in his efforts to stay on top. He built his own delivery platform to get round the middlemen, and relied on small-scale local ordering to reduce wastage. Now he’s delivering as far afield as New Taipei, as takeout demand shows no sign of abating.

A series of piping-hot dishes are arrayed on the table. These customers are happy. But many are still concerned about the ramifications of the pandemic.

Member of public
If we’re going to eat out in a restaurant, then we definitely want one where it feels like they’re doing the health precautions well.

Member of public
Because we used to dine at such restaurants fairly frequently, we know what actions they take to reduce the spread of the virus. That’s reassuring to us. So we have more of a chance to come and eat at restaurants like this.

Tao Yu-lung
Restaurant owner
We only have a third of our old sales. In practice, of course that means we can’t cover our outlays in reality. As for takeaway – to be honest, before the pandemic, we would never rely on takeaway sales. We have so much space in the restaurant, after all.

When a takeaway order comes in, the kitchen roars into life. Freshly made dishes are packaged post-haste and entrusted to delivery riders. Restaurant owner Tao Yu-lung partnered with two major delivery platforms as the pandemic began. But they took a cut of more than 30%, biting into profits. So he built his own platform offering takeaway boxes.

Tao Yu-lung
Restaurant owner
Takeout and delivery platforms take quite a large cut. We can reduce the proportion of that cut dramatically by doing our own publicity - it’s about 30% of the other platforms. That saves us a lot of money.

Eating in was banned during the Level 3 alert last year. There were lots of idle hands in the restaurant. Tao suddenly thought of a chat group he was in with his local neighbors. He promoted his business on the group, and began taking bookings twice a week at fixed times. The preorders told him exactly which ingredients to buy, allowing him to save on wasted inventory. Business was brisk, and his delivery range expanded from just the area round Taipei Main Station to as far afield as Shenkeng and Xindian.

Tao Yu-lung
Restaurant owner
If we get four or five orders, for us that means we can do a one-off service and delivery. As far as our turnover goes, to be honest, it is helpful. It’s equivalent to the takings we’d get from three or four tables of diners in the restaurant.

Business has been tough for restaurateurs during the pandemic. Creating new delivery platforms, designing special takeout boxes, cultivating loyalty in the community – to survive, kitchen experts need to get creative.

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