PUBLISHED April 5th, 2022 06:00 am | UPDATED July 28th, 2024 01:53 am
Through our busiest work schedules, to our laziest Sunday afternoons and even restrictive lockdowns, food delivery services have always been there to indulge in our every craving. With hard-coded tech augmented with minimum order limits and high delivery fees, we are often left only ordering from the few stores surrounding our neighbourhoods. So, what are foodies like us supposed to do when they are feeling adventurous, but can’t escape their hectic schedules?
An ex-white-collar employee, nomadic adventurer and food-lover Raphael Kan has always been on the hunt for the best local flavours from street vendors and eateries in every city he visited. But when on-demand food delivery in Shanghai’s corporate district failed to meet that objective, his entrepreneur skills kicked in to come up with a solution.
“It was frustrating because I know Shanghai has so much more to offer when it comes to local food but I just didn’t have the time to really explore the city. That was what inspired Livingmenu, an affordable delivery service that gets you the entire city’s best local flavours,” says Raphael, Founder and CEO of the food delivery platform.
Building Food Delivery 3.0
Made for foodies by foodies, Livingmenu is adding its own flair of the food delivery scene in Singapore. The local island-wide delivery platform offers top-rated hawker food delivered right to your doorstep.
A nod to its name, the platform’s menu is very much alive, ever-evolving and ever-changing. App users are presented with a daily evolving menu featuring only the best of Singapore local culinary scene. The best part? Whether you’re residing in Clementi and dreaming of the curry chicken noodle served in a stall in Bedok, Livingmenu does not impose any markups, restaurant premiums and minimum orders. Only a small, flat delivery fee is charged, so you get to enjoy your meal without burning a hole through your wallet.
Livingmenu is also one of the largest pre-order based food delivery platforms in Singapore. With the model, meal prepping has never been easier. Order a week’s worth of food at once, and mix and match from up to 8 different stalls or eateries for a single delivery. Put in your orders before 9pm for next day delivery.
Customers Take Charge
Delivering over 25,000 meals a month on weekdays alone – Livingmenu knows good food and so they pick the best of the best. Customers also play a crucial role in the menu creation process. A vendor looking to join the delivery platform, has to sponsor between 15 to 30 free samples of their signature dish to frequent customers of the delivery platform, who then write-in detailed reviews. Only vendors with an 80% customer rating of four to five stars end up being onboarded.
This model is further enforced as amongst the over 600 hawkers onboard, only about those 30% that are capable of maintaining a high dish rating get featured on Livingmenu regularly. Some high preforming and well-loved hawkers include Tiong Bahru Yong Tao Hu, Wong Kee Wanton Noodles, and Arcade Fish Soup.
Our First-Hand Experience
While experimenting with the app ourselves, we found that the interface user-friendly and clear. Within our curated menu, we opted for the Steamed Dumplings (S$6) filled with pork and chives from Rong Xin La Mian Xiao Long Bao. The dish which comes with ten pieces of dumplings, had received an 85% favourable rating in the past 90 days. A small delivery free of S$3.45 brought our total to just under S$10.
On the delivery date, our doorbell rang promptly at 6.30pm (we picked a delivery time slot of 6pm to 7.30pm).Though the meal lost most of its warmth during the journey, the taste made up for it. Indeed, the addictive dumplings were of decent size, bearing generous pork fillings accompanied by a tangy sauce.
More Than Just Good Food
Beyond the love for good food, the application is also adding a layer of visibility and support for local vendors, garnering a loyal fanbase by bringing their creations to consumers in different parts of Singapore. With a fleet of full-time drivers dedicated to deliver food on time, customers are also made to feel like a priority, without having to add on that nasty extra priority fee. Frequent customers also occasionally receive free samples and are also awarded 10 to 50% delivery discount on the delivery fee every time they order.
Need a recommendation for your first order? Take it straight from the founder – “I’m someone who always likes to try new things so I don’t really have a firm favourite. But over the last year we have uncovered a lot of hidden gems that score over 90% on the approval ratings from hundreds if not thousands of customers. Seafood Congee at Timber+ One North for example, I’m confident that there’s a 94% chance you’d fancy it, like our users do.”
Livingmenu is available for download on iOS and Android devices.