3 alternative delivery services to order hawker food from
PHOTO: The Straits Times
PUBLISHED ONJuly 15, 2020 3:55 AMBytara barker
Did you know that, depending on which delivery company it is, if you pay, say, $25 for a hawker feast including delivery, up to 30 per cent of that total sum might go to the delivery company? Appalled?
Here are three alternative delivery services that won’t undercut hawkers.
1. BySGForSG: Charges 5 per cent - and gives the money to charity
SGForSG is a non-profit food delivery platform for hawkers and small food and beverage businesses.
There are no onboarding fees.
Vendors are charged a five per cent commission that is donated to YMCA Singapore’s Wok The Talk initiative that provides meals and groceries to vulnerable people.
Hawkers provide their stall name and photo for the website. They can add menu items, prices and photos of the dishes, if they want.
For less tech-savvy hawkers, volunteers at BySGForSG will put up a listing, add food items and manage online orders and payments. It also does sales reports for the hawkers, so they can get on with running their stalls.
More than 50 vendors are now using the platform. At Pasir Panjang Food Centre, at least 15 hawkers are on board.
2. WhyQ: Charges hawkers and restaurants no fee to deliver
FairPrice Group and food delivery start-up WhyQ has launched food delivery platform Marketplace @ WhyQ.
Unlike most delivery platforms, it charges eateries no commission or start-up fees. But customers are charged an extra six per cent on top of their order, to cover costs.
About 100 F&B operators ranging from hawkers to restaurants are now on the platform. These include hawker stall Beng Who Cooks, F&B chain Crave Nasi Lemak, South Korean eatery Dosirak and restaurant Pang’s Hakka Delicacies.
Eateries that have signed up to be listed on Marketplace @ WhyQ can either tap WhyQ’s third-party delivery services or self-deliver.
3. Wearefnbsg.com: Uses private hire companies to reduce fees
#savefnbsg is a coalition of over 500 restaurants, ranging from independent restaurant operations to pretty swanky food and beverage groups.
They’ve banded together to support each other. Among other things, they’re not happy about paying 30 per cent of a meal’s cost to delivery companies.
They ask customers to order direct from restaurants, so more of the purchase price can go back to the eatery.
You can pick the food up, or they’ll deliver it using private hire, courier and taxi drivers. Any delivery fees are given to the drivers directly.
You can see a list of restaurants to support here.
https://www.wearefnbsg.com/forfoodies
This article was first published in The Singapore Women's Weekly.