Video
Delivery company saves Norwich restaurants £33,000 in first six months
The Norwich Urban Collective delivery service makes it fairer for restaurants with 100pc of the food bill going to them and a flat £5 delivery charge which goes to the rider. (L-R) The founders Maryanne Moles, Adam Burt, Joel Rial and Samantha Woodhouse. Pictures: BRITTANY WOODMAN - Credit: Archant
A delivery service with a difference that gives 100pc of the food bill to restaurants has saved Norwich’s independent eateries over £30,000 in its first six months.
The Norwich Urban Collective delivery service started out at Grosvenor Fish Bar and now has 13 restaurants signed up, pictured is Maryanne Moles. Pictures: BRITTANY WOODMAN - Credit: Archant
Norwich Urban Collective was launched in May this year by couple Samantha Woodhouse and Maryanne Moles with friends Adam Burt and Joel Rial - all of whom previously worked for national food delivery companies.
Whereas other companies take up to 30pc off the total bill in commission, Norwich Urban Collective gives all the money to the restaurants.
Instead there is a flat £5 delivery charge in addition to the food bill, with 100pc of that given to the driver, and there is now a team of 20 covering postcodes NR1 to NR3 and parts of NR4 to NR7.
Its first partner was Grosvenor Fish Bar, in Lower Goat Lane, and owners Duane Dibartolomeo and Christian Motta also let the team use the empty side room as their base.
Norwich Urban Collective is aiming to net zero emissions by the end of 2021. Pictured is Maryanne Moles. Pictures: BRITTANY WOODMAN - Credit: Archant
READ MORE: ‘It had everything we wanted’ - How Norwich ended up starring in Netflix’s Jingle Jangle
You may also want to watch:
There are now 13 independent businesses signed up and the other 12 are Fupburger, The Garnet, Churros for the People, The Cuppie Hut, Flaming Galah, Arboretum Norwich, Sweet Treats Norwich, PONO Superfood Bar, The Assembly House, Moorish Falafel, Sir Toby’s Beers and Tofurei.
It has now made over 5,500 deliveries and the founders have worked out that they have saved Norwich restaurants a combined total of £33,000, based on an average order cost of £20 and the typical 30pc cut taken by national companies.
Most Read
- 1 Enjoy afternoon tea on Britain's poshest train departing from Norwich
- 2 £6.1m shopping street revamp will take half of 2022 to complete
- 3 'No help to us' - Mixed views on £6.1m street revamp
- 4 Business fears for Christmas trade if council doesn't fix traffic 'chaos'
- 5 'She shouted for 90 minutes': Councillor guilty of harassing railway staff
- 6 Child sex abuse victim: 'I'm still angry, but haven't let him ruin my life'
- 7 Resurfacing works to see closures on three busy city roads
- 8 People in Norwich fined £21k for failing to pay for prescriptions
- 9 'Disaster from start to finish': Parents slam school for failing kids
- 10 Norfolk man jailed for historic child sex abuse offences
Miss Woodhouse said: “The reaction to Norwich Urban Collective has been phenomenal and we have had lots of support on social media.
READ MORE: Cake maker turns hobby into global business with celebrity fans
“The restaurants love us and they were gobsmacked with the amount of money we have managed to save and we used a modest average minimum order to work it out.”
Norwich Urban Collective’s plans for the future include expanding to other postcodes in Norwich and other cities, signing up more restaurants and the team is working with an eco advisor to achieve net zero emissions by the end of 2021.
Miss Moles said: “We knew we could do it better with both the riders and restaurants fairly paid and it is also about having the money stay in Norwich and not in the pockets of a big corporation.
“We helped some of these restaurants stay open in lockdown.”
Order at norwichurbancollective.co.uk
