Many times I find myself wanting to order food delivery to my apartment.  This feeling surges during the weekdays, particularly after finishing a long day of work, followed by driving to the gym in congested traffic, followed by a rigorous exercise at the gym, and then lastly followed by another car journey to my condo.

Occasionally, in these scenarios,  I arrive at home and surrender to a food delivery option.  Typically, if I want food delivered, I rely on Nandos delivery and sometimes Pizza delivery.  However, there is only so much food delivery I can take from the same restaurants.  I then came across a new Food Delivery service called Foodpanda.

SEE ALSO: 3 Options for Online Food Delivery Services in Malaysia

What is Foodpanda?

Foodpanda is an online food delivery service, which was launched on 26 March 2012.  Foodpanda serves as the middleman between you (the customer ordering food delivery) and the restaurant.  Their operation will take your order and deliver a restaurant’s food to your door.  Foodpanda is funded by an internet focused venture capital firm called Rocket Internet.  They’ve experienced a lot of success replicating successful business models and launching them in new markets.  In fact, Foodpanda hasn’t only been launched in Malaysia, but many other countries in South East Asia, including Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia, India, Pakistan, Vietnam, and Taiwan.  However, for our purposes, we’ll focus on Foodpanda in Malaysia.

Foodpanda in Malaysia

Over the past year, Foodpanda has been growing aggressively in Malaysia.  At the time of this post, Foodpanda had tie-ups with 185 restaurants in Malaysia.  I decided to give it a try.

There were six main geographic areas available for Foodpanda’s food delivery services and fortunately my area was covered.  The six areas include:

• Cyberjaya – Putrajaya
• Kuala Lumpur
• Petaling Jaya
• Penang (Just launched on 27 April 2013)
• Shah Alam – Klang
• Subang Jaya – Puchong

After I selected my area, I was then taken to a page with a list of restaurant options. I looked for a type of cuisine that I had an appetite for (i.e. Middle Eastern Food).  After selecting a restaurant that fit my desire, I was taken to an interactive menu, where I selected my meal items (two shawarma sandwiches and tabouleh).  Some food items have options to the customise meal, such as pizzas for selecting your toppings.

I then clicked the “Order Now” button, which took me to a page to enter my contact details and simple instructions.  After submitting this,  I received an SMS and phone call confirming my order.  About 60 minutes later, a deliveryman from Foodpanda arrived at my doorstep.   I paid the deliveryman (all deliveries are cash only transactions) and grabbed my food.  The cost was equal to the restaurant’s rates + RM 6 delivery charge.  This delivery rate seemed to be the same for all the restaurants I checked in my area (Damansara Perdana).

Review of Foodpanda’s Strengths and Weaknesses

Strengths

The Foodpanda website offers a large and diverse selection of restaurant options.  The website is easy to use and navigate.  Once you’ve created an account, it becomes even easier to place an order: you just login, select your order, and your done.

The delivery rates are fair and their service is usually quick to respond to issues when you call or email.

Weaknesses

When I’ve ordered from Foodpanda and selected the cash-on-delivery option, several times I’ve needed to give the exact amount upon delivery because the delivery person had no change. This can be quite troublesome if you only have 20s, 50s, or 100s.

Also, Foodpanda claims to typically delivery within 60 minutes. However, when you place the order on the website, they then need to confirm the order with the restaurant and confirm with you. Additionally, sometimes Foodpanda or the restaurant needs more time, and this can all lead to your food not arriving until 1.5 hours from the moment you place your order.

Lastly, occasionally the food selection options aren’t that clear. For example, a Thai restaurant I tried to order from had a great selection of options but no way to order simple white rice with any of the dishes. Another example is when I ordered from Chicago Rib House. In one of the categories the description states, “each burger is served with your choice of one side”. Unfortunately, there was no way to choose your choice of side on the Foodpanda website. When I inquired with Foodpanda, they had to check with the restaurant.  They found out that the meal comes with a side of fries, which isn’t explained on the website.

Verdict

Ultimately, I’d recommend Foodpanda, and I continue to use it.  It’s easy to place an order order on their website and food delivery is a convenient option when you want to save time.  Just make sure to have the exact amount of change for paying, and order in advance of when you want to eat.

You can visit Foodpanda website here: www.FoodPanda.my

Have you used Foodpanda?  What was your experience like? Post comments below, and let’s talk!  Also, stay in touch with us by registering for our  free e-newsletter here.

RELATED:

• 3 Options for Online Food Delivery Services in Malaysia 
• 5 Online Grocery Shopping Sites in Malaysia You Should Know 

Photo credit: Urban Hafner / Foter.com / CC BY-SA