Taster’s focus on technology and developing digital brands has “really helped us scale”, CEO and founder Anton Soulier told delegates at MCA’s Hostech conference last week.
On average the digital delivery business is opening more than two new partner kitchens every week. It franchises its own brands, which have been developed specifically for delivery, to partner restaurants, including supplying all the ingredients for the dishes.
Soulier said its ability to expand at speed was down to the fact it operates ‘plug and play’ brands, which can be rolled out to its partners very quickly due to the in-house technology it has developed behind the operation.
“We can train them (partners) very quickly and our supply chain setup has also allowed us to scale quickly across the UK, France, Spain and Belgium.”
The business has just launched its fifth delivery brand, Saucy Buns, in partnership with viral internet chef Will Hughes, aka What Willy Cook.
Soulier said Taster isn’t looking to create a huge portfolio of brands – “we believe in focusing and investing in a limited number of brands, but which can become best sellers”.
He said the timing of the launch of its franchise model just before the pandemic was beneficial as consumers have now shifted from ordering delivery on a more infrequent basis or for special occasions, to ordering on a daily basis for some.
“When you look at the UK, 60% of British people are ordering every week. In China consumers are ordering on average three times a week.”
Speaking to MCA earlier this month Soulier said Taster was looking to accelerate its growth strategy, with plans to expand its portfolio of partner restaurants to 200 by the end of 2022.
“By the end of the quarter we will have 100 digital restaurants live – from around 60 partners,” Soulier said. “Our plan to launch one new partner every week in the UK. We have very big ambitions here, especially in terms of secondary cities.”
