Online food portal expects more users in Cebu

CEBU, Philippines – Online food ordering marketplace foodpanda expects more Cebuanos to opt to order food from restaurants online amid the rising smartphone usage.

Seby Pelaez, who heads the Cebu operations of foodpanda Philippines, said many have found convenience in ordering food online using smartphone.

Part of the German group Rocket Internet, which is based in Berlin, Germany, foodpanda has expanded in Cebu this year to bring its online ordering system and delivery service here.

“We have a growing users and partner restaurants in Cebu,” Pelaez told The FREEMAN in an interview.

Pelaez explained that foodpanda operates by tapping restaurants including fast-food stores that want to outsource their delivery services.

Partner restaurants of foodpanda, Pelaez said, are able to reach to more customers with its delivery service and online visibility.

The online ordering platform earns from the commission (around 25-40%) it gets from the orders, he said.

On normal days, he said they receive around 300-400 orders from customers around Metro Cebu. Orders may reach 500 on peak days.

In Cebu, foodpanda, which was launched in the Philippines in June 2014, has over 200 partner restaurants and maintains a fleet of 30 delivery motorcycles. It has over 1000 partner restaurants nationwide and currently operates in major cities in Metro Manila and Cebu.

Pelaez said they plan to expand in Davao City early next year.

The foodpanda is one of the online ventures under Rocket Internet, one of the world’s largest e-commerce venture capital firms and startup incubators. Among successful firms under it are Lazada and Zalora. (FREEMAN)