London’s restaurants can’t take more punishing tax hikes, writes Carlo Mocci, chief business officer at Deliveroo, in today’s Notebook, as well as the inside scoop on what City workers are ordering…
London restaurants can’t take more tax hikes
There’s no doubt that London’s dynamic culinary scene sets it apart as a leading world city. But for a sector that is so integral to our capital’s economy, cultural reputation and international appeal, it too often feels as if hospitality is taken for granted by our policymakers.
This week’s rise in national insurance contributions for employers will be a blow for the UK’s beloved restaurants and cafes. These are the very businesses that make up the fabric of our communities, shaping the identities of our local neighbourhoods. Run by passionate innovators and entrepreneurs, UK restaurants collectively employ hundreds of thousands of people and support supply chains across the country.
In the face of mounting costs that will hold back growth and high street revival, the government needs to give the hospitality industry certainty that there will be no further tax rises that will squeeze the sector, and instead create the right environment for the industry to thrive and grow.
Investing in technology is one such way to drive growth in the hospitality sector. Whether it’s restaurants looking to increase productivity and scale, reach new customers or use online marketing and promotions to attract more diners through their doors, digitisation offers huge, untapped potential. Many of the restaurants working with Deliveroo, for example, have experienced firsthand how effectively using data has helped make their operations more efficient, with 65 per cent of partners saying that using our platform has equipped them to adopt further technology in other parts of their business.
Deliveroo, and others in the private sector, have long supported restaurants to build the tech capabilities and skills they need. Alongside more targeted financial support from the government for SMEs who embrace tech innovation, the UK’s hospitality sector would be able to grow and help revitalise our local communities.
What are City workers ordering on Deliveroo?
Farmer J continues to have the City in a chokehold
One of the great perks of my job is getting the inside track into what Londoners are ordering. Right now, the cuisines to watch are Argentinian, Taiwanese and West African – fuelled by eateries such as Bao, Gaucho and 805 Restaurants.
In central London, salads are trending as City office workers who use Deliveroo for work increasingly opt for healthy lunches from places like Farmer J, Eat Activ, The Salad Project and Joe & The Juice. But it’s not all salads fuelling the City – sales of Dishoom Lunch Pots, Bleecker Burger and Mama Li’s famous rice and roast meat boxes are up year on year too.
Quote of the week:
“Teamwork is not a virtue. It is a choice.”
From ‘The Advantage: Why Organizational Health Trumps Everything Else In Business’ by Patrick M. Lencioni
Abuse against delivery riders can’t continue
It’s a sad reality that more frontline policing is needed to protect those working in the hospitality and retail industry. The government has rightly committed to making assaulting or threatening retail workers a standalone offence in the Crime and Policing Bill. However, our view is this doesn’t go far enough and delivery riders must be afforded the same protections.
Delivery riders provide an essential service that households and local high street businesses across restaurants, grocery and retail rely on daily. But our latest figures show a 28 per cent increase in abusive incidents toward riders – including verbal and physical assault, racism, sexism and theft.
That’s why over 30 leading restaurants and retailers, including Morrisons, Pizza Express and Dishoom, recently joined our ‘Right to Ride Safely’ campaign, calling on the home secretary to extend the scope of the Crime and Policing Bill to include similar protections for delivery riders as those proposed for retail workers. We hope the home secretary takes action and sends a clear message that abuse against delivery riders will not be tolerated in our society.
Carlo Mocci is chief business officer at Deliveroo