DURBAN - Bolt Food has partnered with the Restaurants Association of South Africa (RASA) to deliver meals to customers once Level 4 regulations are in place from 1 May 2020.
RASA members will benefit from a low 14 percent commission to use the service to deliver their meals, while restaurants that are not members of RASA will pay a 15 percent fee. A R35 flat fee for deliveries within 8km of the restaurant is also available, should they have their own online marketplace.
Level 4 regulations do not allow for sit-down meals or takeaways, but they do allow for food deliveries from restaurants, allowing thousands of small businesses to open their doors and their employees to return to work.
"Bolt Food is determined to help small businesses like restaurants to be able to deliver their goods to customers, so that their staff can once again earn an income, within the safety guidelines published by Government," said Gareth Taylor, country manager for Bolt and Bolt Food in South Africa.
Taylor added, "This collaboration with restaurants is yet another way that the drivers using the Bolt platform can earn an income through the Covid-19 crisis – something we’ve been working hard to make possible through the launch of various new products since President Ramaphosa first announced the lockdown in March".
Using Bolt Food to receive and process orders means that restaurants do not have to be concerned with managing payments via credit card or cash, as all payments are processed through the app before being paid directly to the business.
Contact between restaurant staff and members of the broader public is minimised as they would only need to engage with Bolt Food drivers, who have been trained in physical distancing protocols, to hand over meals.
"The Bolt Food delivery service means that many restaurants are now going to be able to survive the massive economic impact that Covid-19 has had on the hospitality industry," said Wendy Alberts, Chief Executive of the Restaurants Association of South Africa (RASA).
Bolt Food will be live in Cape Town from 1 May 2020, in Joburg from the middle of the following week, and will expand to other locations across South Africa over the coming months, providing food delivery support to restaurants and other food-related businesses, depending on local demand.
Bolt also launched Bolt Business Delivery to help essential services businesses fulfil orders within the confines of the South African government’s lockdown regulations.
The service connects business with drivers on the Bolt platform during these hours so that essential services businesses can deliver to South African residents unable to leave home.
"Bolt has been working around the clock to provide innovative solutions to assist South African businesses and our micro-economy workforce to continue generating revenue safely during the lockdown. Being agile and identifying ways that businesses can work together is key to our economy’s survival through this crisis," said Gareth Taylor, country manager for Bolt in South Africa.