Swiggy unveils 'Jumpstart Package' to assist restaurants in resuming ops

Swiggy said important elements such as safety kits required for implementing hygiene protocols, and business booster programmes that improve visibility will be offered at heavily subsidized rates

Food delivery firm Swiggy has launched a ‘Jumpstart Package’ for all its restaurant partners, who are either already operational for delivery, or restarting business operations with the implementation of Unlock 1.0. In a bid to support the restaurant industry, the ‘Jumpstart Package’ will focus on easing key aspects involved in resuming operations and reducing the overall investment required to bring back customers.
 

Swiggy said important elements such as safety kits required for implementing hygiene protocols, and business booster programmes that improve visibility and drive orders volumes will be offered at heavily subsidized rates. Since the launch of this initiative late last week, over 40,000 restaurant partners have already availed this package. Swiggy which has raised a total of $1.6 billion in funding over 12 rounds from investors such as China’s Tencent Holdings, Meituan-Dianping and Prosus NV did not reveal the amount it plans to spend on this initiative.
 

“Since the beginning of the lockdown, we have worked relentlessly with our partner restaurants to help them through this crisis.

With a strong belief that enabling the success of our partners lies at the heart of the company’s success, we identified and solved on ground pain points to properly orient ourselves and our partners to the new normal,” said Paul Varghese, VP supply – Swiggy.  “Swiggy’s Jumpstart Package has been strategically devised to achieve this by combining our learnings with clear insights from our research on present consumer needs. This initiative will catalyse our efforts to drive focused execution in enabling quick wins for our restaurant partners while catering to evolving consumer needs,” he said.

The ‘Jumpstart Package’ has been crafted by recognising business revival, continuity, and growth as the three key pillars. To resume operations, restaurant partners will be supported by establishing safety and hygiene protocols. Swiggy will share training content on the best practices to be followed on the restaurant premises. Safety grade packaging material and safety kits will be made available at up to 40 per cent off directly through Swiggy. Restaurants will have an option to regularly upload videos and images of the safety practices followed by them, on the restaurant’s menu page on the Swiggy customer app to help build trust among customers. ‘Business Booster’ pack will offer efficient investment options to drive sales.
 

Swiggy connects consumers to over 1,60,000 restaurant partners across over 520 cities. Bengaluru-based Swiggy is providing support to the restaurants at a time when the company recently laid-off 1,100 employees across grades and functions, as Covid-19 impacted its food delivery and cloud kitchen business.
 

“Last few months were difficult for the restaurant industry due to the pandemic crisis faced by everyone and mounting to that was the labour issue, rentals and operational cost going significantly high as we crawled back to Unlock 1.0,” said Kanwaljit Singh from Amrit Sweets in Chandigarh. “An online aggregator like Swiggy has been proactive and empathetic towards our issues,” he said.

Chennai-based Chai Kings said in the current environment, where hygiene and safety are crucial, Swiggy had helped the tea retail chain incorporate and highlight best safety practices which have helped it retain the trust of the customers.
 

To enable smooth cash flows for partners, Swiggy has activated bi-weekly payments options. Restaurants will also have access to subsidised financing through the Swiggy Capital Assist program. Regular updates and new initiatives on the restaurant partner app, along with the expedited onboarding process is being implemented to drive ease of doing business.

An official at Klezhmer Hospitality in Kolkata said the safety initiative launched by Swiggy during the crisis and their assistance to onboard the outlet helped it compensate the incurred loss to some extent in such an unpredictable situation. Another official at Tiny Tuscan, Gurgaon said that the aggregators and cafes need to work in tandem as a team to stay afloat. “So, any relief for a month or two would go a long way in helping the industry,” said the official.
 

In a LocalCircles survey of more than 24,000 respondents, about 87 per cent said they did not want to visit a restaurant in the next 30 days. The survey also found that about 61 per cent were not willing to spend on eating out.
 

Pointers
 

• Swiggy’s ‘Jumpstart Package’ is for all its restaurant partners who are operational restarting business.
• Restaurant partners will be supported by establishing safety and hygiene protocols.
• Swiggy will share training content on the best practices to be followed at restaurant premises.
• Safety grade packaging material and safety kits will be made available at up to 40 per cent off directly through Swiggy.
• To enable smooth cash flows for partners, Swiggy has activated bi-weekly payments options.
• Restaurants will also have access to subsidized financing through the Swiggy Capital Assist programme.