Deliveroo launches £25,000 restaurant makeover competition to help local independents

Food deliver service Deliveroo has launched a new project to give some of its smaller restaurants and takeaways the chance to revamp their venues and improve their dine-in offering.
Deliveroo launches competition to help independent restaurantsDeliveroo launches competition to help independent restaurants
Deliveroo launches competition to help independent restaurants

Deliveroo says it is launching its Restaurant Makeover project in light of new research which reveals that 88% of Brits find elements such as ambience and service just as important as the food when it comes to having a good experience in a restaurant.

Eight out of ten customers said they would spend more money in a restaurant if they enjoyed the decor and atmosphere proving the importance of creating a desirable setting is vital, particularly for local independent restaurants.

But with restaurant renovation projects proving a costly business which is difficult to complete around opening hours, Deliveroo is looking to take the stress out of it and give three lucky winners £25,000 each to revamp their settings.

Deliveroo launches competition to help independent restaurantsDeliveroo launches competition to help independent restaurants
Deliveroo launches competition to help independent restaurants

Restaurant and takeaway owners can head to restaurants.deliveroo.com/perks/restaurantmakeovers where they can apply for a chance to win the investment.

After the shortlist of finalists is selected, the list will be shared with the public in June on Deliveroo’s social media channels so people can vote for their favourites. The selected winners will then receive a restaurant makeover worth £25,000, supported by Deliveroo’s Restaurant Partnerships team to help with marketing, in-house and delivery operations.

Deliveroo says the announcement is its latest move to show its long-term commitment to supporting the UK’s restaurant and takeaway industry.

Prof Charles Spence of the University of Oxford said: “The importance of creating the ideal multisensory dining environment can not be understated. Whilst the food is extremely important, the eye appeal of the venue, the lighting/sounds and even how close we are to the nearest table affects our food choices and can even impact or enhance the taste of the food. You obviously can’t eat the atmosphere but it really is one of the most important parts of the total dining experience.”

Susana Voces, Deliveroo’s VP of Restaurants added: “These results show that not only do we eat with our eyes but in fact, all our senses need to be treated as well as our taste buds. We work very closely with our restaurant partners and we understand it can be costly trying to remain as profitable as possible. This Restaurant Makeovers competition is the latest move from our Restaurant Partnerships team who are focussed on helping Deliveroo’s 80,000 global restaurant partners improve margins through reduced in house operating costs, as well as optimising operations and customer experience.”

According to the research there are the 10 most important elements for a restaurant to get right:

1) Food & Drink

2) Space between tables

3) Comfortable seats

4) Temperature

5) Ambience

6) Lighting

7) Decor

8) Music

9) Cutlery

10) Concept