UK delivery service targets pubs without food to benefit from drink-led venues

Deliveroo has started to work with foodless pubs and bars. Photo / Telegraph UK

Delivery company Deliveroo has started working with pubs and bars which don't serve their own food, meaning customers no longer need to go elsewhere for a meal.

The online giant has grown by working with restaurants and pubs which already serve their own food but don't have a way of servicing the potentially lucrative takeaway market, the Telegraph UK reports.

But now it said it has started working with pubs and bars which don't have kitchens, allowing customers to order Deliveroo to the pub they are in.

One of the first venues to take up the service was live music venue The Shed, which has just recently opened its doors to Deliveroo drivers as it doesn't have a kitchen of its own.

The Shed underwent a renovation this year to enable it to welcome trade in the day rather than just at night but the site doesn't have its own kitchen.

Because of this, owner Elisabeth Barker-Carley said when the opportunity came to work with Deliveroo she wanted to take it.

Deliveroo said the trial with 20 pubs this year had been successful and that it would be looking to expand the service in 2018.

It said successful partnerships had been struck with London-based Mondo Brewing Company and Belleville Brewing Company, which both run beer tap rooms, as well as Peterborough's Puzzles bar.

Customers using the delivery service to get food to their homes can only get dishes from restaurants within a certain distance.

This means the move to work with city-based locations which don't serve meals could mean it securing a customer base which might not be able to use the service from the comfort of their own home.

Deliveroo said it began to notice the rising popularity of orders being delivered to pubs and decided to turn the trend into a formal collaboration with pubs and bars across the UK.

"We've set up some great partnerships with several pubs and bars across the UK, offering the establishments access to Deliveroo branded items to help prompt visitors to order some delicious food to enjoy with their pint," a spokesman said.

The move comes as Deliveroo raised another $98m (NZ$1.43 million) from investors including fund managers T Rowe Price and Fidelity Management and Research Company, bringing its total fundraising to $482m (NZ$707 million).

From next week the British tech company, now valued at more than NZ$2.9 billion NZD, will be present in 200 cities when it launches in Cannes, France.