Foodora app and service is the Uber of restaurant delivery solutions

By Gadjo Cardenas Sevilla

We've all been there. Running out of time and hankering for a good meal in between meetings or something a bit more special to put on the dinner table when no one has time to cook or prepare a proper meal. Fast-food and deliery services are alright for certain conditions but sometimes you just want to have the food from your favourite restaurant without having to make reservations, dress up and wait to be served.

Formerly known as Hurrier, Foodora is an app that places the menus of dozens of restaurants in the palm of your hand and enables you to order meals which are delivered quickly by dedicated couriers on bikes.

The service has been around Toronto and many other major cities for a while now and it successfully breaches the gap between restaurants who don't do delivery or take-out and hungry consumers who want more variety than what most pizza delivery services have to offer.

I've used Foodora's service from their website as well as from their Android and iOS apps and found the process to be straightforward. I was also impressed by the depth of information available. All the ordering menus are easily accessible and even a restaurant's business hours, so you can order ahead and get in the queue even before some restaurants open.

The Ramen craze has taken over Toronto in a big way with new restaurants opening up to serve up the rich, brothy noodle dishes. The thing is, Ramen restaurants are usually small and have limited seating which results in lines and long waiting times. Here's what I've learned, most Ramen restaurants refuse to deliver or even offer take out. This could be because they want to ensure the quality of their dishes and deliveries can take time.

I was delighted to see that Touhenboku Ramen was part of Foodora's lisr of restaurants. I decided to try out their Black Garlicky Ramen using Foodora. After placing my order, I received notifications when  my order was received, when the courier picked up the order and was on his way and when the courier arrived at my building. 

I was truly impressed at the speed, efficiency and cohesive experience that Foodora delivered. It took around 12 minutes for me to get a tasty, still steaming bowl of Ramen from Touhenboku Ramen to my office. The courier was super friendly and made sure that all the components of the ramen and side dishes were delivered with no spillage.

I've since used Foodora a few more times to try food from restaurants I've been meaning to visit as well as for last minute meals when we're all just too tired to whip up dinner.

I've found that the service's biggest strength is that they manage expectations every step of the way, similar to the way Uber lets you know where your driver is or how far you are from your destination.

Through the new app, Torontonians can order meals from more than 300 local favourites. Just like foodora’s online orders, meals will be delivered via bike courier in approximately 35 minutes or less. The easy-to-use app allows you to add your favourite dishes to your cart with a single swipe and customize your order to your cravings. Pay for orders simply and securely with your credit card and stay updated with text message alerts that help you track your order in real time and provide enhanced transparency. The app can be used in Montreal and even abroad in the 30 cities in which foodora operates.

I found Foodora to be the perfect blend of disruptive technology and solid and reliable customer service and it delivered at both ends of the experience.