DoorDash has announced its delivery service will launch in Hamilton today, marking a significant milestone in the company’s expansion and growth plans across New Zealand. Competitor, Menulog meanwhile, has announced it plans to exit New Zealand next month, citing limited market size as the major reason.
The Restaurant Association of New Zealand has released the following statement regarding its partnership with Menulog:
“We are saddened to hear of the closure of Menulog, a valued partner to the Restaurant Association. Menulog has been a significant player in the meal delivery service market, known for its supportive role to local businesses, especially those without their own online ordering systems.
“The platform’s lower commission rates compared to other delivery services made it a preferred choice for many of our member restaurants and cafes, enabling them to offer delivery services without eroding profitability.
“Menulog’s model allowed smaller or traditionally offline businesses to reach new customers and expand their markets with minimal cost. The closure of such a platform not only limits consumer choice but also places increased pressure on small business owners who must now seek more costly alternatives or invest heavily in proprietary delivery systems.
“The departure of Menulog from the market is a significant blow to our industry. However, it reinforces the need for innovation and adaptability in our industry. We will continue to advocate for fair, accessible, and economically viable options for food delivery,” said Marisa Bidois, CEO of the Restaurant Association of New Zealand.
DoorDash to Hamilton
Since launching in 2013, DoorDash has become the largest on-demand local commerce platform in the United States and operates in thousands of cities world-wide. Its mission is to bring together communities by connecting consumers with their favourite local and national businesses by bringing ‘More to Your Door’.
In May 2022, DoorDash launched in Wellington, New Zealand, where it has since grown a strong and loyal base of customers, dashers and merchants. Following this success, DoorDash expanded to Christchurch and, most recently, to Auckland in late 2023.
DoorDash’s General Manager of New Zealand, Bradley Thomas, says he is thrilled that Hamiltonians will now be able to access incredible local eateries through DoorDash.
“Hamilton has a growing exciting food scene and the NZ DoorDash team is excited to be bringing the best of the city to local residents.
“This launch is particularly exciting as we are also expanding our footprint across Auckland to cover wider satellite towns Pukekohe and the Hibiscus Coast, which includes Silverdale, Orewa, Red Beach, and Whangaparāoa.”
A variety of local Hamilton favourite eateries have already signed up to the DoorDash platform including Re Burger, Chicking, Gongcha, Downlow and Pizza Club. DoorDash customers in Hamilton will also be able to access a selection of exclusive offers from merchants in celebration of the launch.
Boris Reiber, Managing Director at Re Burger, says they are excited to be part of DoorDash’s launch into Hamilton.
“We are pleased to see DoorDash expanding across the country and are excited for the Hamilton expansion. DoorDash has been a key partner in growing our business and we are excited to see what’s to come,” said Boris.
Suresh Kodali, Director of Pizza Club, says: “DoorDash has been an amazing partner in helping us grow our business and reaching more Kiwis since they launched in New Zealand. Pizza Club is thrilled to have
DoorDash as a delivery partner to reach even more customers in Hamilton and we look forward to growing our business further reaching more Kiwis as DoorDash expands”.
Aby Abraham, Director at Chicking NZ, says: “We are thrilled to be a partner of DoorDash, they’re adding great value to both the merchant partners and consumers here in New Zealand – we are excited for their launch in Hamilton and to grow our business alongside them”.
Menulog exit
Menulog has announced it will cease operations in New Zealand next month. The food delivery service, founded in Australia in 2006, has been operating in New Zealand since 2012.
It was known for its high profile, colourful advertisements entitled “Did Somebody Say?” featuring Snoop Dogg, Katy Perry, Christina Aguilera and Latto.
Menulog said New Zealand represents a small part of its business, and this small size was insufficient for it to maintain a healthy business in the market. Its website and app will no longer be operational from the 16 May.
