City Delivery breaks out of the box

MANILA, Philippines - A new player in the food delivery business is fast making a name for itself – breaking down the menu barrier with the widest choice of ready-to-order cuisine through a single hotline number.

With City Delivery, one can order from a list of nearly 200 restaurants to date, offering a myriad of flavors – Filipino, Chinese, American, Japanese, Italian, Korean, even Mediterranean food – to choose from, making it the premier multi-restaurant delivery service in the country.

Ashley Jorge Co-Kehyeng, managing partner of corporate vehicle City Delivery Food Solutions Inc., says barely one-and-a-half years since starting the business with relatives, demand for their services has grown by leaps and bounds. From an initial 27 establishments, City Delivery now services 180 restaurants, home-based businesses and, just last month, penetrated the popular weekend bazaar/market in the metropolis.

“We felt we are filling in a vacuum in the food delivery business. Being in the food manufacturing business ourselves, we saw the need for a distinct delivery solution to bring your favorite restaurant food hot, fresh and fast to practically anywhere within Metro Manila,” he notes.

“It was hard to convince the restaurants at first but since we have a solid business model, the idea sold – and the venture has taken off since then.”

At a glance, City Delivery’s list of partner establishments reflects a virtual “who’s who” in the local food industry – from bakeshops to specialty restaurants. But since most of them do not have their own delivery service, a third-party provider gives them the best possible way to promote their business and reach out to more customers.

“In a way, we’re also like a pseudo ad agency for our clients since we provide them marketing for their delivery needs.Basically, restaurants get more sales, expand their operations, and capture a different scope of business,” Co-Kehyeng explains.

Among the restaurants in City Delivery’s impressive lineup include Malate fixtures Café Adriatico, Café Havana and Bistro Remedios; Italian-inspired L’Opera Ristorante Italiano, Balducci, Cibo and Old Spaghetti House; Asian-flavored Kaya, Konbini Store, Red Kimono. Little Asia, My Thai Kitchen, Mr. Choi Kitchen, Mr. Kurosawa, New Bombay and Pho Hoa; Latino-laced Alba and Baja; and even a vegetarian hub in Greens.

Aside from gourmet food, City Delivery also satisfies cravings for bread and pastries, desserts, healthy or organic food, beverages, and home-based specialties.

To experience the service, one only needs to call 87878 or log on to www.citydelivery.ph to place food orders. City Delivery’s call center agents are ready to assist, complemented by a motorcycle-riding crew of 40 equipped with a patented temperature-controlled delivery box, guaranteeing the quality and taste of the food items.

Delivery period is from 9 am to 12 midnight, with a time interval of between 45 minutes to an hour, depending on the response time of the restaurants, the quantity and diversity of orders, and the weather, which oftentimes snarls traffic in certain areas.

For a minimum order of P500 and a standard 10 percent delivery charge, City Delivery can bring your favorite food anywhere in Metro Manila. For inter-city, hence farther, deliveries, the service incurs an additional P150 charge or 10 percent of the bill, whichever is higher.

Customers can pay in cash or charge to credit cards issued by RCBC, Citibank, BDO and BPI.