My Experience with TakeEatEasy, a New UK Restaurant Delivery Service

I learned a new phrase recently. “Local light haulage.” It explains all these services and bicycles zipping around town, bringing you things. You’ve probably seen more than your fair share of Deliveroo cyclists recently, for example. Newest on the scene is TakeEatEasy, a Belgian startup that has just arrived in London. Their selling point? They deliver from premium restaurants that might not normally deliver.

It’s funny how life works because someone also just introduced me to Rocket Internet the other day. Rocket Internet is a German startup factory that you might be familiar with because of HelloFresh. (I’ve written about my HelloFresh experience over here.) Rocket Internet are the backers behind TakeEatEasy.

The PR from TakeItEasy got in touch and asked me if I wanted to try out TakEateasy and then gave me a £50 voucher I could spend with them. I’ve been working from home a lot and thought that I would use this opportunity to stock up on lunch for the week. I can never not have enough Lebanese food in my life, so on a drizzly Monday evening, I placed my order with Comptoir Libanais by Liverpool Street. It was 6 pm.

Shortly after placing my order, I received a text message confirming that my order had been recorded. And then I received another text, explaining that I could follow my courier online. I watched on the TakeEatEasy website as “Euan” made his way to the restaurant on his bicycle. 13 km/hour! I felt more than a little bad for making him go to all this effort in the rain but TakeEatEasy told me that my order would be with me in 17 minutes, so that was exciting.

And then Euan arrived at the restaurant. And I waited and waited and waited as the blip on my computer screen stopped moving. The 17 minutes were quickly over. Truth be told, I didn’t really believe the 17 minute delivery time, but that’s what they said so who was I to disagree?

At 7 pm, TakeEatEasy called me from Belgium to explain that there had been a problem at the restaurant and that the cyclist would be with me shortly.

Within 15 minutes or so, there was Euan at my door, apologetic and sopping wet. Apparently the restaurant had not noticed my order, so he had to wait for it to be prepared.  He handed me the carrier bag of delicious Lebanese food, and I gave him £4 for his trouble.

All in all, an hour and 15 minutes is not too long of a wait for delivery of high quality food. But they told me 17 minutes. I really didn’t believe them when they said that — who can get anywhere in London in 17 minutes — but I took them at their word. Let’s just say I am glad I ordered on a quiet Monday night and not a Friday night!

Would I try TakeEatEasy again? Yes, I probably will if I want something from a restaurant that normally doesn’t deliver. However, I would probably place my order early though and maybe even confirm with the restaurant that they had received it to make sure the same thing doesn’t happen again.

I accepted a £50 credit in return for trying out TakeEatEasy.