My FoodPanda Philippines Experience and Review

Have you heard about FoodPanda? If not it is totally understandable, they just started this June 2014 here in the Philippines and I just learned about them when searching for places I can order food online while on a staycation with the family. As some of you know I like ordering food online because it is convenient on my part for the following reasons:

1. I don’t have time to cook
2. I ran out of stuff to cook
3. I’m tired of the usual menu I cook at home
4. I’m craving for something from that resto I ordered from
5. I am too lazy to leave home to buy food

FoodPanda is the leading online food delivery marketplace with headquarters in Germany and operating in more than 40 countries worldwide. FoodPanda Philippines (foodpanda.ph) launched last June 2014 with the FoodPanda.Ph app in Beta launched last month. Their mission is to offer the convenience to order food online and more food and restaurant choices and excellent custoner service experience for Filipinos.

Foodpanda promises to brings you endless choices for online delivery from top restaurants in your city. Whether you are at home, office or chilling out at your friends place, just go online and order your favorite food. 

Last week, I was able to meet the new Managing Director of FoodPanda Philippines, Mauro Coccieri who said they are gearig towards the expansion of FoodPanda.ph since their launch and be available in key cities in Visayas and Mindanao soon.

How FoodPanda.ph Works

1. Just like any regular online food ordering system a customer needs to log-in the site or app, pick a restaurant to order to, choose foods in the menu, check-out, choose to pay via credit card, Paypal or cash on delivery, and wait for the order confirmation.
2. Get a call and text to verify and confirm your order and delivery address from FoodPanda Philippines
3. FoodPanda Orders the food at your chosen restaurant.
4. Restaurant will call you to confirm order/FoodPanda updates you how long will it take to deliver your oder.
5. Restaurant rider delivers your food.
6. Transaction complete.

My FoodPanda Philippines Experience and Review

Even before meeting Coccieri, I already experienced ordering at FoodPanda twice last September 2014. The delivery experience was inexcusable.  It took us 75-90 minutes to get our orders. But since we wete told it will take them that long we still accepted the order. We ordered at Congo Grill and Adobo Connection from different location and dates.

 

When I met Coccieri he promised that FoodPanda.ph partner restaurants can deliver in no more than 60 minutes. If they exceed more than that he promises to personally deliver food in my place!  I think he will have to make do his promise soon.

I am not satisfied with my food ordering experience with FoodPanda.ph.  On 3 separate occassions since our meeting, I have ordered three times.  First was with Corinne’s Pancit Malabon, then with Promodoro and last with their so-called best-selling restaurant at the site Chooks to Go.

Corinne’s Pancit Malabon was able to make the 60 minute mark, photo finish I should say.  I was delighted at my ordering experience with FoodPanda as well because a few seconds after leaving the site, I got a text and call from them confirming my order and all 6-steps I mentioned above happen flawlessly. My orders came hot and nicely packed and the food taste great and has nice presentation. Rated it 4.

Pomodoro Pizza is so unsatisfactory and unacceptable. All 6-steps happened. They delivered my order in 75 minutes when they called to say it will be with me in 40 minutes.  My pizza was cold as ice, my brucetta was soggy (yuck! I threw it away!).  Rated it 1.

Chooks To Go, failed.  Albeit being are the best seller restaurant at FoodPanda.ph, they performed poorly on my end.  We have a Chooks to Go across the street of my building, I can get it myself in 10 minutes, but I was lazy. Anyway testjng the service out I ordered.  It took them 80 minutes to deliver.  To my dismay I decline the order. I texted the restaurant directly (the one who called to confirm my address because their rider allegedly said he can’t find it!) On FoodPanda.ph side they call the very next minute I declined the delivery by the rider. They pleaded that I get the order and they will give me a 300 worth food voucher I can use on my next order.  I did not accept because I was already pissed. Rated it 1 because there’s no 0! 

What I think went wrong/ rooms for improvement for FoodPanda Philippines

• Honestly I think the system is good.  The site was user friendly. The app is buggy at the moment probly because it is still on their beta stage.  The site on the other hand is user-friendly, easy to navigate, fast and seamless.  Oh wait I tried usjng my 500 peso voucher at my Promodoro order but was not able to use it because that enter voucher tab at the checkout did not appear. I was able to use a 100 voucher at my order with Corinne’s Pancit Malabon.
• I think the problem comes from their partner restaurant. Since they are just the middleman at getting orders from customers and passing it to the reataurant.
• I think maybe their restaurant partners don’t give orders coming from FoodPanda.ph a priority as they might give the direct orders more priority?  That is why they deliver so late.
• Maybe the partner restaurants have limited riders on duty and they pile up on orders?  If that is the problem maybe FoodPanda and the restaurant have to coordinate if there are problem like this FoodPanda should be alerted so they can do something.
• Food quality suffers a lot if they deliver the food late. Just like what I experienced with Pomodoro Pizza, brucetta was yucky pizza stone cold. I can reheat the pizza but there is nothing I can do with the brucetta but throw it away.
• I think the restaurants under FoodPanda don’t realize that they are jeopartizing their reputation as a restaurant and not just the online food ordering site FoodPanda.  If they don’t deliver on time it is the restaurants riders problem and their manpower because they are not doing their job right (traffic is non-issue) because there’s proximity calculation when they ask your City and complete address.
• FoodPanda.ph is a middleman and probably that is what the restaurant thinks. They probably feel they can do away without them. But seriously, they signed-up at FoodPanda so it means they need the mileage and such system and service too, after all, in this day and age, everything is done online now, almost everyone is dependent online, those who can’t dance to the tune will be left behind.
• I think FoodPanda should have a solid agreement with their food providers, restaurants, that they should be able to meet their standards with regards to customer service (including the not more than 60 minutes mark) or they will just piss-off a lot of customer.

For someone who likes to order food online here in Metro Manila like me, having more food choices I can order food online is heaven sent.  We will no longer be just limited to fast-food restaurants. Having an online marketplace for better food choices is a good business. But if the system continues to be crippled by irresponsible and inconsiderate business partners it will fail.

If you want to browse for food options or try ordering food online you may visit FoodPanda.ph  you can use this Php100 discount code for your first order/signup: HEREISPANDA.  Do let me know if the code works and your experience in ordering.  You may follow them on Instagram @foodpanda_ph or Twitter @foodpandaph or find FoodPanda Philippines on Facebook.

Stay gorgeous everyone!