hungryhouse.co.uk - a better way to order takeaway

hungryhouse.co.uk is the UK’s leading takeaway delivery portal. More than a just a restaurant directory – it’s a more convenient way to find a restaurant and order a delivery. Customers can browse menus of every cuisine, read reviews, and order online from a rapidly growing selection of the best local delivery services.

Our proposition for restaurant owners is very simple. Restaurants provide us with their standard delivery menu, which we put online with the same pricing and offers available to hungryhouse.co.uk customers as to those who order over the phone. When a customer orders at hungryhouse, we pass the order to the restaurant immediately for preparation and delivery.

We offer independent restaurants the chance to dip a toe into the world of online ordering and compete with the big brands, without having to take the risk of developing their own website. We charge a small commission on the value of each order we send. This structure ensures that unlike any other advertising method available to restaurants, they pay only for success.

At hungryhouse.co.uk, we hope that online ordering will replace the need for restaurants to engage in wasteful junk mail advertising.

Where did it all start?

Way back in 1990, hungryhouse.co.uk founders Tony Charles and Shane Lake met at the University of Technology, Sydney, while studying Computing Science. By 2003, they had both moved to London and had well-paid IT jobs - but felt there must be more to working life. They longed for the responsibility and recognition that only running your own business can bring…. But what sort of business?

A brain-storming session brought all kinds of weird and wonderful ideas to the table: a car-wash, an internet service for booking tennis courts... but the one that jumped out as having the most potential was online ordering for takeaways. After months of research, 2 facts convinced Shane and Tony their idea could be a winner:

• Mintel’s “home delivery UK” reported the yearly UK takeaway delivery market at £2.2b
• In the US, Domino’s Pizza generated 10% of their sales through ecommerce.

Key Milestones

2003

Shane and Tony decide to start a business together. They decide on hungryhouse.co.uk after being inspired by a similar business operating in the USA - and finding a gap in the market.

2004, 2005

Planning, research and development of the business.

February 2006

hungryhouse.co.uk pilot service launches to consumers, with 9 restaurants in London

August 2006

hungryhouse breaks 100 orders in a month for the first time.

October 2006

Having completed the pilot test phase, new menus are added to the website from across London.

December 2006

Shane and Tony hire their first employee - Graeme Horne joins as Marketing Manager.

July 2007

100th menu listed.

August 2007

Filming takes place of our appearance on Dragons’ Den, to be aired later in the year. We enter negotiations with James Caan and Duncan Bannatyne for an investment of £100k.

September 2007

hungryhouse announces a partnership with Action Against Hunger. 10p from every order donated to the charity, to help fight hunger and malnutrition worldwide.

October 2007

More that 5,000 orders in a month for the first time.

November 2007

BBC Dragons’ Den screening - hungryhouse.co.uk founders Shane and Tony appear on TV, and shake hands on an offer of investment from James Caan and Duncan Bannatyne. hungryhouse.co.uk lists 185 menus in London at this time.

December 2007

hungryhouse.co.uk named by Yahoo! as one of their “Finds of the year”.

Negotiations with James Caan break down, as James cites worries over the business model. hungryhouse begins negotiations with several other potential investors, who contacted us after seeing our pitch on TV.

February 2008

hungryhouse moves into its head office, Hyde Park House in London (See image).

April 2008

First-stage investment of £150,000 secured from Business Angel backers Bryan O’Connell and Andrew Fuller to allow further growth in sales, marketing and improving the website.

May 2008

Sales start outside London for the first time and a Prague operations centre opens allowing us to expand the team.

June 2008

First permanent IT developer joins, focusing on improving the website and scalability of the back-end processes.

August 2008

500 menus online.

September 2008

First permament Customer Service Manager joins, to ensure that all hungryhouse customers receive an outstanding level of service from hungryhouse.co.uk and its partner restaurants.

March 2009

1,000 menus online.

December 2009

hungryhouse.co.uk receives it’s 100,000th customer review.

February 2010

hungryhouse founders Shane and Tony recognised amongst UK’s top new entrepreneurs, in BT’s Essence of the Entrepreneur awards.

May 2010

2000 menus online.

June 2010

Shane and Tony filmed with Duncan Bannatyne as part of BBC's “Dragons' Den - What Happened Next” programme - due to be broadcast on BBC2 in September.

August 2010

hungryhouse appoints upcoming PR agency 10Yetis to increase our brand exposure, and help us to spread the word about hungryhouse.co.uk nationwide.