This article is the latest in our popular new series in association with Tito’s Handmade Vodka, which examines travel retail and airport sector ‘disruptors’ – focusing on companies and individuals challenging established models through innovation.
THE NETHERLANDS. Mobile ordering in the airport food & beverage channel is a fast-growing segment. With the help of food delivery disruptor Deliveroo and HMSHost International, Amsterdam Schiphol has become the first airport in Europe to experiment with delivering food to passengers at the gate.
A pilot service has involved passengers flying from Pier E being able to order food and drinks via their mobile phones using the Deliveroo app or website. The range of meal options could also be ordered as room service at the Mercure Hotel located in Departure Lounge 3, which is also beyond passport control.
The meals have been prepared at Kebaya and at The Market, The Grill and The Oven in the Street Food Market. Orders are delivered by scooter within 15 minutes for a delivery charge of €2.50.
“Passengers spend a relatively large amount of time at their gate,” says Amsterdam Airport Schiphol Director of Consumer Products & Services Tanja Dik. “Although we have a diverse range of catering options in our piers, not everything is available. This initiative allows us to broaden the service we provide to our passengers.”
Deliveroo is well-known as one of the key disruptors in the restaurant industry. Consumers can get the restaurant food of their choice without leaving their homes, by placing orders through Deliveroo’s app or website for delivery by couriers. The tie-up with Schiphol and HMSHost is a significant development.
“Deliveroo’s mission is to provide the best food delivery experience in the world, and there is no reason why that should be limited to the home or office,” says Deliveroo Benelux General Manager Mathieu de Lophem. “With delivery to the gate now available at Schiphol airport from a selection of HMSHost International restaurants, passengers no longer need to miss breakfast, lunch or dinner even when they may only have minutes to spare before boarding.”
For HMSHost International CEO Walter Seib, the initiative is about reaching more travellers, many of whom might be time-poor. “We create places and environments where our guests are the centre of attention. Places where the experience, hospitality and attention to detail is paramount and people feel at ease,” he says. “Innovative technological developments help us to reach all our guests in a busy environment like an airport, and it makes the process of travelling easier and more efficient.
“With ‘Food Delivery at the Gate’ we have, in cooperation with our business partner Schiphol, a scoop in European airports. In this way we try to reach even more travellers who would like to enjoy their meal without a hurry before they board the plane, and pay sincere attention to the digital needs of our guests. Hence creating ‘Places To Be’.”
Schiphol’s Dik notes that there is also a practical side to the initiative. “For years Schiphol has been welcoming more passengers. Last year, over 68 million people from hundreds of countries came through the airport,” she says.
“The fact is that space for additional retail and catering outlets in the terminal and the piers is limited. That’s why we come up with innovative concepts like this and keep a close eye on trends in technological and digital developments.
“If we see opportunities, we’ll then implement them in the hope that we can improve the passenger experience even further. We are very eager to hear our passengers’ feedback.”
The pilot is all about gauging interest in the service, and an evaluation phase will follow. But it is not difficult to imagine this kind of service being a common site at airports in the near future.
NOTE: The Moodie Davitt Report also publishes The Foodie Report, the world’s only media focused on airport (and other travel-related) food & beverage. The Foodie Report e-Newsletter is published every two weeks and The Foodie Report e-Zine every month.
Please send all news of food & beverage outlet openings, together with images, menus, video etc to Martin@MoodieDavittReport.com to ensure unrivalled global exposure.
The company also organises the annual Airport Food & Beverage (FAB) Conference & Awards. This year’s FAB will be held in Helsinki on 20 and 21 June. Click here for details.
