When pandemic lockdowns hit leading Melbourne chef Shane Delia last year, he became a startup entrepreneur, launching Providoor, a restaurant meal delivery service taking on the tech giants and putting more money back into the pockets of struggling restaurateurs.
In the last 12 months Providoor generated more than $40 million in revenue for the Melbourne restaurants involved, delivering 512,000 meals from leading dining destinations such as Delia’s own restaurant, Maha, Cumulus Inc., Supernormal, Entrecôte, Longrain, Gingerboy and Guy Grossi’s Grossi A Casa.
This weekend, Providoor expands into Sydney, giving you the chance to cook meals prepared by hatted chefs from leading restaurants such as Cirrus, Monopole, Yellow, The Apollo, Cho Cho San, Icebergs Dining Room + Bar, Golden Century, Spice Temple, and Rockpool.
Delia said the current Sydney lockdown, which once again forced restaurants to close, led him bring forward plans to launch the home delivery heat-and-eat service north of the Victorian border.
“Our initial plans had us launching later in the year, however with much of the state under tough lockdown restrictions we’ve fast-tracked that,” he said.
“Sydney is home to some of the best restaurants in the world, and after the success so many Melbourne restaurants continue to see on the Providoor platform, I’m looking forward to Sydney restaurants seeing similar results.”
The premium meal delivery service is delivered via cold freight, and designed for people to finish in their own kitchen, giving them as close to an in-restaurant meal as possible.
Delia says it’s an industry-led solution to a broken delivery model, and financially fairer to the restaurants involved.
Photo: Providoor
Providoor takes a 15% commission, compared to up to 35% from big tech delivery companies. The remarkable thing about its success in Melbourne is that 70% of customers trying a restaurant for the first time through the service.
“Providoor wasn’t set-up as a quick fix. We have a long-term strategy and our expansion to New South Wales is the next step,” Delia said.
“Providoor offers a connection with the at-home diner to the chefs and restaurants. It is a chance for them to participate in the process and, most importantly, enjoy the high quality meal they are after.”
Brent Savage is the chef and owner of the multi-award winning Bentley Group, which includes Cirrus, Monopole and Yellow, said the shifted to at-home offer during the 2020 lockdowns, but the delivery logistics were the biggest hurdle to success.
“Providoor is providing that solution. It will not only ensure our food is delivered to the standard we want, but it will also help us reach a new audience,” he said.
Icebergs restaurateur Maurice Terzini has also signed on.
“Providoor is giving us a platform that will deliver our product to the same standard as we would in our restaurants. It is also generating another stream of revenue that can only add value to our restaurants in the future,” he said.
Providoor takes orders by 4pm for next day delivery in Sydney Metro, regional NSW and Canberra, charging a flat $16.50 delivery fee.
Orders from Sydney restaurants are now open here.
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