HYDERABAD : Lazy to cook? Late-night cravings? In the mood for a pizza? Let’s order in. Thirty minutes later, you get a squished pizza, soggy fries or a sweaty burger. What a disappointment and waste of money!
Food delivery apps have become popular in the last few years but ordering in has become a way of life ever since the pandemic has hit us. But it is high time we realise that not all foods travel well. For instance, ordering a fish stake is a gamble. Usually, fish needs about three minutes to a side to cook perfectly. But put it in a leakproof box and drive it down 20 minutes for delivery, you will end up with a piece of overcooked protein which is dry and chewy. But we blame the restaurant for the mess.
This is precisely why some restauranters have not listed themselves on food delivery apps, or at least they stayed away from doing so until the pandemic made things tough for them. Arun Ruben, who runs The Fat Cat Kitchen in Yapral, took his time to list his food joint on food delivery apps. “The biggest problem is that we are timed. Once you put the food in bags and boxes, you cannot control temperature. The moment I introduce a variable like a delivery boy, other factors such as the temperature and the bike ride come into play. By the time the food reaches the customer, who has paid for it online, it ends up as a dejecting experience. If I send you a burger and it comes to you looking like a ball of bread and meat, it is not fair,” he says.
Also, in most apps, the resauranter does not know if the customer is rating the food or the delivery person for this bad experience. “Dishes made of cheese, burgers and ice-cream are not good options to order in. On the other hand, Indian food survives the delivery time. The best is to have people sit at your food joint and eat,” says Ruben.
The owners of Truckin’ Foodie in Sainikpuri have a different way of dealing with the packing of food so that the customer’s culinary experience is not compromised. Run by Apoorva and Deeksha Marur, this truck prefers to serve hot and yummy food. “We are on Swiggy Genie, but we do not prefer it much because they charge a lot and we cannot give our best to our customers. But now, as the food business has gone online due to the pandemic, we have no choice. We use bio-degradable packing material which we get from Bengaluru. For example, when we are making a takeaway burger, we pack each component separately. The customer has to assemble the burger and enjoy it. This way, the taste and quality stay intact. The burger also stays hot,” says Deeksha.
Pizzas are another tricky dish to order in. Sandeep Gorre, the owner of Viva Italia in Banjara Hills, which serves Italian-American cuisine, can’t explain this better. “Pizzas taste best when served hot. There is no solution for the problem of a soggy pizza on arrival. What we get online, are all bread-baseds pizza which is delivery-friendly and were invented for takeaways. America invented the pan pizza just so that it remains hot for 30 minutes in a box. I am on one delivery app and it is just temporary.”
Naresh, who runs Italian Fresh Cut in Begumpet, has always been out of the food delivery circuit. Sitting at his outlet and having the mouth-watering Italian cuisine is something that he envisioned. “The quality of my food will be comprised if I use the home delivery system or run my food joint online. My motive is to make customers happy by serving them hot food. And home delivery will just kills this purpose,” he says.
The next time you plan to order in, think twice. Know which dish can stand the test of delivery.
Food delivery apps have gained popularity in the last few years but ordering in has become a way of life ever since the pandemic hit us
Getting a pizza, burger or a bag of fries home-delivered is always a gamble. These tend to turn soggy by the time they reach your doorstep and you end up feeling cheated. We speak to restauranters in the city, who have chosen to stay away from food delivery apps for this reason. They also tell us which foods stand the test of delivery