Is the UAE Food Delivery Model “Broken”?

Yalah founder and CEO Haroon Riaz addresses some of the current challenges and whitespaces which exist in the Food Delivery space today and how Yalah plans to overcome such problems in 2023 supporting not only restaurants and users but also the delivery riders.

The UAE food delivery model is not "broken" per se, however, there are certain aspects of it that needs to be addressed. Some of the most prominent issues that exist today are that of high "commission rates" and "delivery fees", which have been steadily increasing drastically over the past few years affecting both vendors and users. This has been coupled with a lack of restaurant’s control over their margins when it comes to food delivery resulting in many outlets struggling and eventually going out of business.

Alongside, offering the convenience of ordering online, the wide variety of restaurants to choose from, and the ability to track the progress of your order, Yalah plans to overcome existing problems by introducing a unique features that eliminates the need for excessive commissions, high delivery fees and offers customers the ability to customize and earn instant cashback on each and every order. Yalah also plans to provide in depth user analysis algorithms which will allow restaurants to maintain, own and take control of their relationship with their customers based on their tastes and preferences.

Yalah's unique platform aims to address these issues and provide customers with a convenient and personalized food delivery experience. The cost of food deliveries is one issue that needs to be addressed on priority as it can very well be a major reason for the downfall of the industry as a whole. Another issue is the lack of accountability in the delivery process, as it can be difficult to track orders and ensure they arrive on time.

Additionally, rider welfare is an issue that often gets overlooked, and needs to be addressed to ensure the safety of those delivering food. Yalah plans to tackle these issues in 2023 by introducing a more efficient technology platform, allowing customers to track their orders in real-time and ensuring that riders are paid fair wages and 100% of the tips for their work. Finally, Yalah will also introduce a one-of-a-kind instant rewards system to incentivize all members of the ecosystem and ensure they receive the benefits that they deserve.

Finally, the competition in UAE food delivery market is still quite nascent and there is much room for improvement. Currently, the delivery market is largely dominated by only a few companies, which can make it difficult for new, potentially better, entrants to thrive. not impossible, however.
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Furthermore, the customer experience of ordering food often falls short due to delays bad user interface and experience within food delivery apps. Backed by the combined expertise of 45 years, Yalah is built as an increasingly user friendly platform keeping customer’s food ordering experience at the forefront. As such, it is clear that the UAE food delivery model still has much progress to make before it can be considered a stable success.

In conclusion, the UAE food delivery model is not broken, but it does need some adjustments in order to become a more successful industry. Companies need to make efforts towards lowering the delivery fees, providing more competitive services for customers, and improving customer experience. Address these issues, and the UAE food delivery model could easily become a world-renowned success.