Introduction

If you are in the food business, you need a solid food delivery management partner to help you get the word (and the meals) out to customers. Let’s take a look at the top seven food delivery management software companies in the UK today. 

1. MealShift

MealShift is an innovative food delivery platform and software company that gives restaurants and drivers back control. It offers a flexible and margin-improving delivery solution that allows restaurants and groceries to reclaim power over their business through direct access to dedicated and reliable drivers.

MealShift provides restaurants and groceries with all the tools to sell directly to their customers and manage their own deliveries. 

MealShift integrates and centralizes all your deliveries from major marketplace channels like Just Eat, Uber Eats, Deliveroo, Otter, Deliverect, and others, automating your entire delivery process. Additionally, MealShift provides a range of valuable features, including real-time tracking and the ability to seamlessly combine in-house drivers with on-demand options. 

Pros of MealShift

  • Customers can set their own prices to optimise costs or choose flat rates, which gives them greater flexibility. 
  • They are customer-centric, with a strong emphasis on readily available, efficient customer support at all times. 
  • MealShift can be used by your existing in-house drivers, or can supplement your fleet in times of peak demand with on-demand drivers when you need them the most. 
  • MealShift integrates with a wide variety of apps, POS systems, and more. 
  • There are no exorbitant commissions, which puts more money into your pocket. 

Cons of MealShift

  • The on-demand driver is only available in some cities, although plans for expansion are in place. 
  • Analytics and reports are limited

2. Stuart

Stuart is a restaurant delivery service that offers restaurants a commission-free model, faster delivery times, and a white-labeled plug-in for their e-shop. Stuart offers a variety of built-in features to help restaurants better operate their delivery business, such as managing demand on incoming orders, automatically sending orders to the kitchen, and defining parcel pick-up radius and drop-off limits.

Pros of Stuart

  • Stuart has a commission-free model, which means you only pay for deliveries. Stuart does not take any commission on meals.
  • Stuart picks up and delivers all meals in less than 30 minutes and a professional fleet of independent couriers that are available 7 days a week from 8am to 11pm.
  • Stuart InstantExpress courier has a flat rate fee that works well for restaurants and allows them to save costs on each delivery.
  • Stuart offers integrations with popular e-commerce platforms, such as UberEats, so that restaurants can easily start delivering with Stuart.
  • Stuart offers a variety of built-in features to help you better operate your delivery business, such as managing demand on incoming orders, automatically sending orders to the kitchen, and defining parcel pick-up radius and drop-off limits.

Cons of Stuart

  • Stuart has had poor reviews on various app stores and websites. 
  • Stuart isn’t available in all locations. 
  • Restaurants have no control over the delivery experience customers will have. 

3. Uber Direct

Uber Direct is a white-label delivery service that allows businesses to offer on-demand delivery to their customers directly from their own website or app. It uses the same courier network as Uber Eats, but businesses can brand the service as their own.

To get started with Uber Direct, businesses need to sign up and choose the technology solution that works best for them. They can either connect through their existing POS, OMS or other platform partners, use the Uber Direct dashboard for manual order processing, or integrate directly with the Uber Direct API.

Once they are signed up, businesses can start offering delivery to their customers through their app, website or phone channels. When a customer places an order, the business can send a delivery request to Uber Direct. Uber Direct will then match the request to a driver and the delivery will be completed.

Uber Direct is a good option for businesses of all sizes who want to offer on-demand delivery to their customers without having to build and manage their own delivery infrastructure.

Pros of Uber Direct

  • Uber Direct uses the same courier network as Uber Eats, which is known for its fast and reliable delivery.
  • Uber Direct does not charge any marketplace fees, so businesses only pay a fee for each delivery. Businesses can also choose to bear the costs of delivery or pass them on to their customers.
  • Uber Direct offers a variety of integration options, so businesses can easily connect it to their existing POS, OMS, or other platforms.
  • Uber Direct offers a variety of delivery options, including delivery in under 2 hours, same-day delivery, and scheduled delivery. This allows businesses to meet the needs of their customers, regardless of how quickly they need their products delivered.
  • Uber Direct is a white-label solution, so businesses can brand the service as their own. This helps businesses to maintain control over their customer experience.

Cons of Uber Direct

  • Uber Direct is a managed service, so businesses have limited control over the delivery experience. For example, they cannot choose which drivers deliver their products.
  • While Uber Direct does not charge any marketplace fees, businesses may still incur higher costs than if they were to manage their own delivery infrastructure. This is because Uber Direct charges a fee for each delivery, which can add up over time.
  • Uber Direct is a third-party platform, so businesses are reliant on Uber to deliver their products. This means that if there are any problems with the delivery service, businesses will have to work with Uber to resolve them.

4. Deliverect

Deliverect is an all-in-one platform that streamlines the ordering and delivery process for restaurants. It integrates with a wide range of online ordering platforms and POS systems, and offers a variety of features to help restaurants manage their online ordering, delivery, and marketing efforts.

Pros of Deliverect

  • Deliverect seamlessly integrates with a diverse range of online ordering platforms and POS systems, ensuring versatility and compatibility with various business setups.
  • Deliverect excels in sending orders to POS systems in real-time, ensuring swift and efficient order management.
  • For businesses eyeing international expansion, Deliverect offers a global platform with extensive European integrations, facilitating a smoother transition into new markets.
  • With Deliverect, menu updates can be conveniently processed through a single app, streamlining the process for restaurants and businesses.
  • Deliverect’s integration with MealShift allows users to leverage on-demand drivers at a reduced cost when needed, enhancing flexibility and cost-effectiveness.

Cons of Deliverect

  • Deliverect charges additional fee per brand
  • In comparison to alternatives like MealShift, Deliverect is generally more expensive.

5. Flipdish

Flipdish is a versatile online food ordering app that helps takeaway and delivery businesses streamline operations, increase customer engagement, and drive sales growth.

Flipdish eliminates human error in taking phone orders by providing a quick and easy-to-read order format. Flipdish also allows businesses to offer discounts and promotions to attract and retain customers or share new menu items and events through their app. 

Flipdish also provides a comprehensive loyalty program feature that allows businesses to create measurable loyalty programs, encouraging customers to return and place more orders.

Pros of Flipdish

  • Flipdish is affordable and easy-to-use, providing complete solutions to various businesses without a hefty commission fee attached. 
  • Many reviewers have said that Flipdish can integrate easily with existing systems. Smoother adoption means it’s easy to use the software and get started. 
  • Flipdish is said to have excellent customer service. 
  • Flipdish integrates with Mealshift, which gives you access to on-demand drivers. 

Cons of Flipdish

  • Reviewers have said that making changes in the portal is difficult. 
  • Restaurants cannot upload images from the back office easily, which limits their ability to showcase their products. 
  • Integrating with other services comes at a cost. 

6. Tookan

Tookan is a cloud-based delivery management software that helps businesses of all sizes streamline their delivery operations. Tookan can automatically dispatch delivery tasks to drivers based on their location, availability, and skills. It can also optimize routes to reduce travel time and fuel costs and allows businesses to track the location of their delivery drivers and orders in real time. 

Tookan provides detailed analytics and reports on delivery performance. This data can be used to identify areas for improvement and make better business decisions.

Pros of Tookan

  • Tookan is designed to be user-friendly, even for businesses with no prior experience with delivery management software.
  • Tookan offers a variety of pricing plans to fit businesses of all sizes and budgets.
  • Tookan offers a wide range of features to meet the needs of most businesses, including dispatch and routing, real-time tracking, analytics and reporting, and more.

Cons of Tookan

  • Tookan’s customer support can be slow to respond at times.
  • Tookan can be buggy, especially when using new features.
  • Tookan is not as customizable as some other delivery management software options.

7. Routific

Routific is an online route planning/ delivery solution aimed at small businesses. It is easy to use and integrates with Shopify. It is powerful and offers a variety of features, including automated route planning, interactive maps, API integrations, a mobile web app for the driver and more.

Pros of Routific

  • Routific is easy to use and comes with powerful but simple analytics to help clients make data-led decisions. 
  • Restaurants can integrate with their existing Shopify account. 
  • Routes can be downloaded and sent to drivers via SMS with a single click. Routific also offers live GPS tracking and updated ETAs that can be shared with customers. 

Cons of Routific

  • There is no option to view or add a route history.
  • It’s not purpose-built for restaurants, which means it lacks important features for the industry. 

Conclusion

The top five food delivery software companies in the UK today are MealShift, Deliverect, Flipdish, Tookan, and Routific. Each company offers a unique set of features and benefits, so it is important to choose the one that is right for your specific needs and laser-focused on the restaurant industry.