Online food business is not just a passing fad. It has come to the world, nay Nigeria’s economic sphere to stay and to grow. Given the increasing pressure of work along with the challenge of transportation, food delivery business has the potential of growing in leaps and bounds.That is, if well conducted.
According to Info Guide NigeriaFood Delivery business is a service-rendering venture. It is one that entails the delivery of food itemsto a customer by a restaurant, a food joint or independent food delivery outlets. Such orders are made in most instances through the customer by telephone, the website of the food venture or a custom designed app.
The most common food items delivered range from African dishes, Continental dishes, drinks and desserts. Sometimes, snacks are included and are typically delivered in food containers, boxes or bags. The means of delivery are mostly by using a car, bikes or scooters.Customers usually, depending on the delivery venture, chose to pay in person or online with cards.
For those determined to venture into it, online food delivery business has become asure meal ticket with assured returns if one knows his onions.
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There are three main types of Food Delivery Services: These include using an Independent Vendor. This is more like one entering into a partnership with different restaurants to provide food delivery services independent of their operations.
The other means is by Personal Restaurant. What makes this different is that it involves only one’s restaurant and menu,. In this instance, you could be delivering lunch time, seminar and corporate parties on order. The third comes via Liaison with a known restaurant: This involves operating your delivery services exclusively with a particular restaurant.
On the potential profitability of food delivery business in Nigeria, it is a well-known fact that more than half of the population in Nigeria are made up of working class people. The additional challenge of the heavy traffic condition, especially in urban centres such as Lagos, Abuja, Port Harcourt, Enugu and Onitsha, these busy workers hardly have the time to cook by themselves.This becomes more evident during raining season.
Analysts on the economy have projected that on the average, one can make up to two hundred thousand naira monthly as profit. The market demand for food delivery business involves both competition and opportunities. No matter how crushing the economic situation in the country, people must eat.
To start food delivery business in Nigeria one should source for startup capital.
On a general note, food delivery service is not an expensive business to start up. One can start with just N60,000 which includes the food preparation aspect, referred to as your Startup capital.
On the aspect of food supply business in Nigeria one has to choose a good location, specifically a metropolitan area with a high population of potential customers to start a food delivery service.
At this stage you should create a brand name and logo as a form of identity. It should be one that is catchy but easy to pronounce and remember as well as reflecting the time of delivery.
The next step is for one to register your business with the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) to avoid government sanction and harassment. And after that one has to get a license from the health department, specifically NAFDAC as the recognized regulatory body. That guarantees food safety to the consumer.
The price for the delivery of food depends on the location. The different options for the payment method include Pay on Delivery, POS, Bank transfer or InterSwitch.
To drive home the message of what it really takes to succeed in this line of business yours truly had an encounter with one of the entrepreneurs and she had this to say:
My name is BolanleAyinla, I am currently the Chief Chef of @kondorokitchen. We are an online food business and we are committed to delivering healthy meals to our customers. We are continually aspiring to be the best food plug to be in the face of every Nigerian.
When and where did you begin the online food delivery business?
I began in my guardian’s kitchen, when COVID-19 came in 2020 and we couldn’t go anywhere. We launched the kitchen formally in June of that same year.
What gave you the inspiration?
My mum actually inspired me to do this. She is a very good cook and knows how to make almost every kind of food.
What challenges did you face and how you overcome them?
The major challenge I had and still have is that I am still trying to build the brand.So, a lot of people don’t know it yet and this brings about skepticism with ordering food from the brand. This however, is getting better as the relationship and trust is now being built gradually.
What are your training and marketing strategies and how effective have they been so far?
My mum is actually my number one trainer and I watch a lot of YouTube videos on cooking. I also follow food business gurus on social media to learn one or two things from them.
The best way we have learnt to penetrate into the saturated world of food business is to have the best affordable price for a very good quality food. This has really helped us to begin to build our customer base.
What do you want the government to do to ease your business?
To help small businesses grow, I need the government to please provide start-up fund and make it very easy to access, particularly to get a physical space and also buy kitchen utensils. I also wish for the government to provide platforms for trainings at subsidized fee. This will help small businesses like mine to be better placed in the society.
Who are your heroes and your plans for the future?
My mum is my number one hero. She is the one that gave me the courage to start this and has not stopped to support me since then. That happens even when I get discouraged. I intend to make her proud with it by being persistent and never giving up on the business despite all challenges.
