RSG161: Annanth Aravinthan on the Food Delivery Industry

Food delivery is booming during the pandemic, but it does beg some questions: can food delivery be profitable? What does the future of food delivery look like? In this episode, I’m speaking with Annanth Aravinthan, who previously worked at Uber Eats, to provide an insider’s view of food delivery and more. I’ve been looking forward to speaking with Annanth for a while, as he provides in-depth analysis on a variety of topics (including delivery). You won’t want to miss this episode!

Shout out to my friend Mark Hoag for his autonomous cars podcast, Autonomous Cars with Mark Hoag. His newest season is out, so it’s a great time to head over and subscribe to his podcast. I’ve learned a ton since listening to the podcast, as he has guests from all over the world about legal policy, new companies and developments, and much more.

Listen to this episode on your phone here.

Intro to Annanth Aravinthan

  • Joined Uber Eats in Canada in 2016
  • Started in Sales, responsible for acquiring and onboarding new restaurants
  • Helped scale the business to over $1bn GMV
  • Primarily focused on sales to grow Uber Eats

Industry Benefits

  • Who has benefitted the most from rideshare, delivery?
  • Value created is different depending on what group you’re talking about
  • Customers, businesses themselves (even if not profitable yet)

State of the Food Delivery Industry

  • Challenges were ensuring enough supply and demand
  • Focus now will be on profitability, especially from investor standpoint
  • Talent is a major cost: engineers, for example
  • Growth will be a focus in the future: what’s next?

Can Food Delivery Be Profitable?

  • Yes
  • However, some things will need to change
  • Improve efficiency through tech
  • Data to improve pick up experience for drivers

Growth of Food Delivery in the Future

  • Food delivery is a growing market
  • Young Millennials/Gen Z order out the most – but that drops off dramatically among older ages
  • Can still expect younger generations to continue ordering out – organic growth because of demographic trends

Outro

  • Thanks to Annanth for coming on the podcast and sharing all of his insight and analysis
  • Highly recommend you follow him on Twitter – he does respond to people!
  • Great analysis you don’t want to miss, especially if you’re interested in this topic

Show Notes