--- title: "Lessons from Deliveroo: how it won" description: "How Deliveroo won, how to copy its best moves in your city, and where it is weak. A free, sourced playbook for local delivery founders." canonical: https://www.ordering.co/resources/lessons-from-the-giants/deliveroo/ --- # What Deliveroo can teach your delivery business. London-based delivery app that connects customers with restaurants, grocers and shops, using its own network of freelance riders. [See how they won](#winning-moves)[Book a demo](https://www.ordering.co/contact/?meeting=demo#book) - Region Europe - Headquarters London, United Kingdom - Founded 2013 - Owner DoorDash (acquired October 2025) At a glance ## How Deliveroo works Deliveroo earns commissions from restaurants and retailers on each order, plus delivery and service fees from customers and revenue from its Plus subscription. It sells restaurant meals, supermarket and convenience groceries, and health and beauty items, and also offers delivery-only kitchens and white-label ordering tools to restaurants. Status as of October 2026 DoorDash completed its takeover of Deliveroo on 2 October 2025 and the company is no longer listed in London. Since then Deliveroo has left Singapore and Qatar (March 2026), after leaving Hong Kong in April 2025. - When DoorDash completed the acquisition on 2 October 2025, Deliveroo operated in nine countries with about 176,000 restaurant and retail partners and more than 130,000 riders, and had about 7 million monthly active consumers in 2024. [Business Wire (DoorDash)](https://secure.businesswire.com/news/home/20251002060133/en/DoorDash-Completes-Acquisition-of-Deliveroo) - DoorDash agreed in May 2025 to buy Deliveroo for 180 pence per share, valuing it at about 2.9 billion pounds, well below its 2021 IPO price of 390 pence. [AJ Bell](https://www.ajbell.co.uk/news/articles/deliveroo-agrees-ps29-billion-takeover-san-franciscos-doordash) - In 2022 Deliveroo reported 1.97 billion pounds in revenue, an average of 7.4 million monthly active customers, and grocery reaching 11% of revenue in the first half of the year. [InternetRetailing](https://internetretailing.net/delivery/on-demand-groceries-now-account-for-11-of-deliveroo-revenues/) - In February 2026 DoorDash said it would wind down Deliveroo and Wolt operations in Qatar, Singapore, Japan and Uzbekistan to focus on markets where it can lead. [Business Wire via Finviz](https://finviz.com/news/327499/doordash-winding-down-deliveroo-and-wolt-operations-in-four-countries) - Deliveroo announced in March 2025 that it would leave Hong Kong, selling some assets to rival foodpanda, saying the market was about 5% of group revenue. [Marketech APAC](https://marketech-apac.com/deliveroo-announces-hk-exit-to-sell-several-assets-to-rival-platform-foodpanda/) How they won ## Deliveroo's four winning moves What they did, why it worked, and how you can run the same move in one city on a small budget. 1. 01 ### Bring delivery to restaurants that never delivered What they did Deliveroo started in 2013 by partnering with quality restaurants that had no delivery service of their own and supplying riders to carry their food. This opened up a premium segment beyond pizza and takeaway shops. Why it worked Customers got access to food that was never available at home before, and restaurants gained a new sales channel without hiring drivers. Copy it locally List the ten most loved sit-down restaurants in your city that do not deliver and offer them delivery with your drivers on fair terms. Their names will attract customers faster than a long list of fast-food outlets. [Source: Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deliveroo) 2. 02 ### Delivery-only kitchens where supply is thin What they did With Deliveroo Editions, launched in 2017 after a 2016 trial, the company set up delivery-only kitchen units for restaurant brands in areas lacking good restaurants. Partners could fund the kitchen themselves for a lower fee or let Deliveroo fund it for a higher commission. Why it worked It filled gaps in its own marketplace and let brands grow into new neighborhoods without opening full restaurants. Copy it locally Find a restaurant with spare kitchen capacity and help it launch a second, delivery-only brand on your app for a cuisine your area lacks. You get new supply and the restaurant gets extra revenue from the same kitchen. [Source: Restaurant Online](https://www.restaurantonline.co.uk/Article/2017/04/06/Deliveroo-Editions-to-open-in-10-UK-cities-this-year) 3. 03 ### Subscription for frequent customers What they did Deliveroo Plus launched in January 2017 at 8.99 pounds a month, removing the delivery fee for subscribers. It later partnered with Amazon so Prime members in the UK and Ireland got Deliveroo Plus free for a year. Why it worked Removing the delivery fee for heavy users increased loyalty, while revenue still came mainly from the commission on each basket. Copy it locally Offer a monthly membership with free delivery over a minimum order and push it to your top repeat customers. Partner with a local gym, bank or telecom to give it away as a perk, which brings members at no ad cost. [Source: TechCrunch](https://techcrunch.com/2017/01/19/deliveroo-plus) 4. 04 ### Tools for restaurants' own channels What they did In February 2021 Deliveroo launched Signature, which lets restaurants take orders on their own websites while using Deliveroo's riders and support. It also offered grocers its Hop fast-delivery technology for their own sites. Why it worked Selling technology and logistics to brands kept Deliveroo involved in orders that might otherwise bypass the marketplace. Copy it locally Offer your partner restaurants a branded ordering page or app that uses your drivers, with lower fees than marketplace orders. You earn on delivery while the restaurant keeps its customer relationship, which makes them less likely to leave. [Source: Hospitality Ireland](https://www.hospitalityireland.com/technology/deliveroo-launches-new-tech-product-that-allows-restaurants-to-receive-orders-through-their-own-websites-121859) Where they are weak ## Three gaps you can use against Deliveroo Every giant has blind spots. These are the ones a focused local operator can turn into an advantage. - ### Commission complaints from independents In 2020 a London restaurant owner started a petition claiming Deliveroo charged independent restaurants around 35% commission versus about 18% for chains; Deliveroo said it supports small restaurants. Perceived fee gaps give local platforms an opening with independents. [Source: Restaurant Online](https://www.restaurantonline.co.uk/Article/2020/07/29/Deliveroo-dismisses-claims-it-discriminates-against-small-restaurants/) - ### Retreats from markets where it cannot lead Deliveroo left Australia in November 2022, saying leadership there needed disproportionate investment, and under DoorDash it has since left Hong Kong, Singapore and Qatar. Restaurants and customers in those cities had to find new channels quickly. [Source: UKTN](https://www.uktech.news/mobility/deliveroo-exits-australia-20221116) - ### Rider status under legal pressure A Paris court fined Deliveroo 375,000 euros in April 2022 for treating French riders as independent contractors when it found they should have been employees. Labor rules on gig couriers keep shifting, which adds cost and uncertainty for large platforms. [Source: Euronews](https://euronews.com/next/2022/04/19/deliveroo-fined-375-000-after-being-found-guilty-of-abusing-riders-rights-in-france) Build it with Ordering.co ## The tools to run Deliveroo's playbook in your city Each of these features is included in every Ordering.co plan. [See all features](https://www.ordering.co/features/all-features/) - ### Driver app for deliveries To 'Bring delivery to restaurants that never delivered', your own drivers receive, navigate and complete orders from sit-down restaurants that have no delivery staff, with proof of delivery. - ### Marketplace business listing Also for 'Bring delivery to restaurants that never delivered', show the city's most loved sit-down restaurants as featured stores so their names pull customers into your app. - ### Brand management For 'Delivery-only kitchens where supply is thin', manage a restaurant's second, delivery-only brand and its store as a separate brand on your platform while it cooks in the same kitchen. - ### Loyalty levels To get the repeat-order effect of 'Subscription for frequent customers' without a paid membership, reward your top repeat customers with tiered loyalty levels. - ### Store websites For 'Tools for restaurants' own channels', give each partner restaurant its own ordering website on a custom domain, fed by the same marketplace and your drivers. - ### Store invoices Also for 'Tools for restaurants' own channels', invoice each restaurant with its own custom commission so you can charge lower fees on its own-channel orders than on marketplace orders. More lessons ## Learn from other giants [All giants](https://www.ordering.co/resources/lessons-from-the-giants/) - [EuropeBolt FoodThe food and grocery delivery arm of Bolt, the Estonian ride-hailing app, active in Europe and parts of Africa.](https://www.ordering.co/resources/lessons-from-the-giants/bolt-food/) - [EuropeGlovoBarcelona-born delivery app that brings restaurant food, groceries and almost any local purchase to customers in cities across Europe, Africa and Central Asia.](https://www.ordering.co/resources/lessons-from-the-giants/glovo/) - [EuropeJust Eat Takeaway.com (Lieferando, Thuisbezorgd)Amsterdam-based food delivery marketplace, known locally as Just Eat, Lieferando, Thuisbezorgd and other brands, connecting customers with restaurants, grocers and shops.](https://www.ordering.co/resources/lessons-from-the-giants/just-eat-takeaway/) ## Sources 1. [Business Wire (DoorDash)](https://secure.businesswire.com/news/home/20251002060133/en/DoorDash-Completes-Acquisition-of-Deliveroo) 2. [AJ Bell](https://www.ajbell.co.uk/news/articles/deliveroo-agrees-ps29-billion-takeover-san-franciscos-doordash) 3. [InternetRetailing](https://internetretailing.net/delivery/on-demand-groceries-now-account-for-11-of-deliveroo-revenues/) 4. [Business Wire via Finviz](https://finviz.com/news/327499/doordash-winding-down-deliveroo-and-wolt-operations-in-four-countries) 5. [Marketech APAC](https://marketech-apac.com/deliveroo-announces-hk-exit-to-sell-several-assets-to-rival-platform-foodpanda/) 6. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deliveroo) 7. [Restaurant Online](https://www.restaurantonline.co.uk/Article/2017/04/06/Deliveroo-Editions-to-open-in-10-UK-cities-this-year) 8. [TechCrunch](https://techcrunch.com/2017/01/19/deliveroo-plus) 9. [Hospitality Ireland](https://www.hospitalityireland.com/technology/deliveroo-launches-new-tech-product-that-allows-restaurants-to-receive-orders-through-their-own-websites-121859) 10. [Restaurant Online](https://www.restaurantonline.co.uk/Article/2020/07/29/Deliveroo-dismisses-claims-it-discriminates-against-small-restaurants/) 11. [UKTN](https://www.uktech.news/mobility/deliveroo-exits-australia-20221116) 12. [Euronews](https://euronews.com/next/2022/04/19/deliveroo-fined-375-000-after-being-found-guilty-of-abusing-riders-rights-in-france) Ordering.co is not affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by Deliveroo. Names and trademarks belong to their owners and are used here for commentary and education. Facts come from the public sources listed on this page, checked in October 2026. ## Build your own Deliveroo, for your city. Tell us your market and what you want to launch. We will show you how Ordering.co runs the stores, orders, payments and delivery behind it. [Book a demo](https://www.ordering.co/contact/?meeting=demo#book)[See all features](https://www.ordering.co/features/all-features/)