The evolution of smartphones has revolutionised the way we live our lives. But perhaps the biggest benefit to users is the concept of convenience.
From your smartphone, you can track your calorie intake, distance walked, your water intake. This has been made possible through the rise of apps, giving rise to the phrase “There’s an app for that”.
Nowadays, there seems to be an app just for everything. From calling a taxi, ordering food, getting a diagnosis from a real doctor, tracking your milk sales, accessing your bank, to downloading movies and books. The list is endless because there is always a new app being developed daily.
Here in Kenya, the mobile phone app revolution has given rise to online food delivery platforms, giving users the chance to order from a wide array of outlets with a single tap of their mobile phone. It also means that a user has a whole menu literally at the tip of their fingers.
For many users, food apps are becoming better than picking up your phone and dialing your favourite pizza place or café and having to wait for that distant rumble of a motorbike to know that your food is about to arrive.
A food App on your phone means there is no more getting put on hold. Or waiting in line and asking the waiter every five minutes if your order is ready. It means you can place an order from a nearby restaurant, pay through the app and have your food delivered.
What is even better is that just before you place your order, you can read reviews to know whether a particular restaurant serves delicious meals. You can also post a review and who knows, those reviews could be the difference between eating bland food and savoring every bite of a delicious meal.
Apps such as Jumia Food, Eat Out, KFC, Yum are giving customers choice and convenience.
For example, when you log into the Jumia Food App, a list of restaurants that are around you pop up, complete with details of how long it will take for the courier to deliver your meal. Delivery charges range from about Sh100 to Sh200.
Uber Eats, the food delivery service arm of the cab hailing giant Uber is set to launch in Nairobi this year. The app is already up and running in 200 cities around the world and partners with more than 80,000 restaurants.
Foods Apps are not only making it easier to order food but alcoholic drinks as well. So the party does not have to stop just because you ran out of drinks.
There is a flip side though. Sometimes the food delivered will be cold or soggy especially for foods such as sandwiches and deep fried foods and sometime it will not look as good as the photo on the app.
