In the blink of an eye, life, as we know it, has changed. As humans, we are very flexible creatures, and as such, we managed to fit our lives around the new norm. You can see this in the way new patterns have emerged, taking consumers firmly into the realm of digital shopping and away from brick and mortar consumerism. Everything has gone online, from learning, to fitness, to all of our entertainment needs.
For much of 2020, we were in a state of shock, however by 2021, we understood that now it was time to adjust and make the new norm as comfortable as possible, so that’s what we did. Some businesses, of course, have positively flourished from Covid-19, including certain biopharma, delivery companies, and food delivery services.
Food delivery apps have had a field day, and they have taken the opportunity to hike up their prices and delivery fees, so by the time you finish ordering, you have bitten off more than you can chew. This is also true for the restaurants who use these platforms for marketing their foods, with the apps demand exorbitant rates for the privilege in what is already a razor-thin margin industry.
One delivery company has decided to do things a little differently. They are building a community where users and restaurants are rewarded for engaging by facilitating a direct connection between the restaurants, speciality food stores and their customers. How are they doing this? By using the blockchain.
Bistroo is a direct-to-consumer marketplace for meals, food & beverages; its ethos is to be a “facilitator, never a dictator” between restaurants and their customers. They have their own native BIST token, which sits at the heart of the protocol. They use it to help facilitate payments, build up liquidity for token holders, and offer loans to businesses and reward token holders.
Bistroo is doing something right, as they are now a dominant food app in the Netherlands and swiftly moving across Europe and beyond. Bistroo’s main advantage is that they do not sit as an intermediary between restaurants and the customers in the same way as the online delivery apps. Having a platform on the blockchain means that all transactions and activity is authenticated directly on the blockchain without being directly involved.
As Covid-19 kicked in, they stepped up and pivoted quickly to offer customers exactly what they need, when they need it, without holding them hostage over fees.
Restaurants and food stores should choose software providers that fit their needs. A good software platform allows them to be flexible and adapt to any situation. This can be a switch to takeaway or delivery only like we saw when COVID-19 started, but also a switch to more eating in during the summer or holiday season. I think the essence lies in working with the right software that is complementary to their business model and gives them the freedom to run their business in a way they see fit, rather than constricting them when situations change.“
Bas Roos, the CEO and founder of Bistroo
For restaurants, the Bistroo platform enables them to get on board quickly and offer the menu items at the prices they want, with the ability to make swift changes to the menu, as required. Compared to its competitors, the transaction fees are much lower at 5% vs >13%, and they promise to keep these fees low for restaurants.
A blockchain-based service like Bistroo’s takes the concept of food delivery one step further by building a community, which is what has been responsible for this protocol’s remarkable growth. Its reward program has bolstered the community to engage more and even ask their local restaurants to appear on the platform, creating a positive reinforcing cycle.
Bistroo has shown us that there are better options if we just look outside the mainstream and explore a little deeper.
This post was last modified on %s = human-readable time difference 13:00