You pretty well know the scenario. Fumbling through your wallet at the pizza counter, you realize you don’t have enough dough to make an order. All you have by way of payment are two P20 bills and your parking ticket.
Red-faced, you leave the queue and start thinking of excuses that will appease the hungry kiddos you left at home. Suddenly you remember you also have your mobile phone. All you need to do now is dial 87878 for City Delivery, place an order, charge your food purchase to your Citi Mobile, and voila! There’s a pizza party waiting for you when you get home.
Citi Mobile is a mobile payment service that’s exclusive to Citi cardholders. It allows them to order food from Citi restaurant partners and charge that order to their credit cards without having to swipe their plastic. Instead, the Cardholders confirm the payment via SMS.
“In an effort to bring more convenience to our cardholders, we have been growing the list of restaurant partners that accept Citi Mobile as a form of payment. City Delivery is our latest partner” says Roy Villareal, Director for Consumer eBusiness, Citibank.
Citi Mobile actually extends Citi cardholders’ dining privileges beyond restaurants. Now, the cardholders aren’t confined to having to go to their favorite restaurants to enjoy the benefits that come with their Citi credit cards.
For example, for every P1,000 food purchase at Bizu, Citi cardholders will get three pieces of Macaron de Paris for free, while Joey Pepperoni (The Columns) gives an eight-inch round Joey Pepperoni Pizza for every P1,000 worth of transactions paid through Citi Mobile.
To pay for your order using Citi Mobile, you simply need to inform the City Delivery operator that you will pay through Citi Mobile. You will receive a text message with the amount to be charged to your Citibank credit card. When you reply to confirm payment the order will be sent. There’s absolutely no need for cash.
Through this new partnership, you can now order food from City Delivery’s 200+ restaurant partners and pay for your meal using Citi Mobile. In addition, 65 City Delivery restaurants are offering exclusive deals for Citibank cardholders. “You can avoid having to inch through traffic, look for parking and then queue up for a table at your favorite diner. With Citi Mobile and City Delivery, you can enjoy your favorite dishes right in the comfort of your own home,” adds Melissa Henson, VP for Consumer eBusiness, Citibank.
Food And The City
City Delivery is the multi-restaurant delivery service that lets customers enjoy their favorite meals at their own convenience.
It’s the brainchild of Ashley Jorge Co Kehyeng, a marketing expert, who left his lucrative job in Shanghai to start his own food delivery business.
“I actually got the idea from Shanghai. The food delivery service there is so systematic and efficient and I believe food-loving Filipinos deserve that kind of service, too. With that concept in mind, I resigned from my job, went back to the Philippines and met up with my cousins for a possible business venture,” relates Kehyeng.
With only 27 partners in 2009, City Delivery has chalked up 200 partner restaurants, and the numbers just keep on growing! They now offer different cuisines—from popular fine dining restaurants to famous home-based specialties. The green and orange-colored motorcycles have definitely invaded the busy streets of the Philippines.
“Partnering with the city’s best restaurants, we promise to deliver what our customers are craving for and at the way it should be served (hot/cold). We are equipped with the right technology that would keep food, fresh and tasty — the same way they enjoy the dishes when they dine in at a resto,” enthuses Kehyeng.
City Delivery has invested in only the best delivery equipment. They’re fully fitted motorcycles are carefully crafted to be able to deliver food right at your door on time and in good condition; the patented insulated bags protect the food items from external conditions that may affect its texture, consistency, odor and importantly taste.
“These modern food carriers are plugged directly to the motorcycles ensuring temperature consistency all throughout the delivery process. Whether hot or cold items, we are confident that we can deliver these at their best condition,” boasts Kehyeng.
Henson points out that City Delivery’s constant search for innovation is what makes its partnership with Citibank work. “As much as Citibank has invested in innovation with Citi Mobile, City Delivery does its part by investing in technology as well. I think we both are very committed to delivering a lot of firsts in the market,” she adds.
City Delivery is actually the preferred delivery partner of most ice cream and yogurt companies such as Haagen-Dazs, Red Mango, Yoh Froz, Icebergs, Gelatone, Paradis Ice Cream, and many more.
A Perfect Partnership
City Delivery’s thrust to provide their customers with only the best delivery service is in sync with Citibank’s commitment to giving Citi cardholders added convenience and when they need it.
“We approached City Delivery to be one of our partners because they provide a unique value proposition that our customers will likewise enjoy. Because of this partnership, Citi cardholders not only have access to the best restaurants in the metro, but also the best home-based businesses that not all of us have access to,” shares Villareal.
Joining City Delivery’s roster of reputable restaurant partners is an arm of home-based merchants offering the best food creations. Now, you don’t have to travel all the way to Pasig to enjoy Dulcelin Gourmet’s chocolate ganache and Irish cream butter cakes; or to savor Jam Foods’ Angus tapa.
“We’ll also have the first weekend market delivery with Mercato Central. Enjoy Claude Tayag’s Bale Dutung’s pan de bagnet and lechon tortilla without driving all the way to Pampanga,” notes Kehyeng. Just dial City Delivery 87878, pay through Citi Mobile and enjoy your treats in an instant.
“Citi Mobile, like City Delivery, is a very innovative concept. It’s like marrying technology with customer service that our credit cardholders will definitely enjoy. The benefit to both our customers and merchant partners is instantaneous. When Citi credit cardholders order food, they can pay for it through their credit cards. It also benefits our partner merchants because the delivery process is likewise convenient for them. Their riders don’t have to bring cash or loose change,” notes Villareal.