At Deliveroo, these dark kitchens are called: Editions. “I prefer not to talk about dark kitchens, because in the collective imagination they are hidden or even secret places, not very transparent about hygiene and working conditions. It’s anything but what we offer, ”says the latter.
How it works ?
“Editions” Deliveroo has 40 in Europe, the United Kingdom, Spain, the Netherlands and France, the platform’s second largest market, which has opened four, in France only in the Paris region. The fifth “Editions” of France will be the first in the region, it enters service this June 21 in Bordeaux. “We took several years to determine the location and invested nearly two million euros to develop it”, explains Laurent Chhuon-Nougarede
What Deliveroo offers in the heart of the Galerie Tatry, at 170 cours du Médoc, is 800 m² entirely dedicated to the production of meals. The premises have ten professional kitchens separated from each other but which all lead to a central corridor which directs the orders made to a signal box which assigns the meals to the deliverers. “Each kitchen represents an offer, a different sign. The restaurateurs install their teams there, their additional equipment if necessary, ”explains the Deliveroo team.
What economic model?
For the moment, four of the 10 kitchens of Editions Bordeaux version are occupied. Two Bordeaux restaurants, Kokomo and Monzu, and two Parisian catering brands, Le Camion qui Fume and Meatpacking have taken delivery of the Deliveroo kitchens. “Others will follow, contacts are very advanced with national brands not present to date in the Bordeaux conurbation”, slips, without giving a name, the manager of relations with restaurant partners.
Signs that set up in the “Editions” shared kitchens do not have to pay any rent. They install their teams, assume of course the salary costs and the supplies, the maintenance of their kitchen. In return, they pay Deliveroo a commission which, according to our information, is higher by around 15% compared to that of 15 to 25% linking “classic” restaurateurs and the Deliveroo platform for each order. “It’s not only a good way to test your catering concept in a new territory for some brands, but it’s also for others, already present in town via one or more restaurants, to optimize the business of the delivery without penalizing the restaurant’s activity”, assures Deliveroo.
Who are the winners?
For catering brands, real estate investment is nil and if the commission weighs on profitability, this must be positively compensated by the absence of service staff, room costs, rental of terraces… For the end consumer of the meal delivered, the waiting time between the order and the delivery is reduced at the same time as the preparation time, which is constantly optimized. “Each Editions has a Deliveroo team, here five people, who ensure permanence and manage the fluidity of shipments. She is also responsible for making life easier for the kitchen teams, by noting areas for improvement and advising them if necessary,” explains Laurent Chhuon-Nougarede. Restaurant teams which, in addition to modern kitchens, have changing rooms, rooms for poses and offices for internal meetings or professional meetings.
For deliverers, independent service providers paid by the race carried out, the waiting time for an order in progress is extremely limited. But if there is a wait, it is done in an air-conditioned room, equipped with benches, a water fountain and toilets. For them Editions probably does not represent a revolution but an evolution all the same concerning their working conditions.
