The end of HUNGR

Takeaway portals suck. For high-frequency services such as takeaway it should really only take seconds for users to transact. It should not require the kind of brainpower the current incumbent services do.

HUNGR was founded exactly to change that. But after 12 exciting and exhausting months of turning the industry’s “yellow pages” experience into a truly mobile 3-tap experience, we have decided to close up shop.

The business idea of HUNGR was simple: We would sign up only the 20% best rated delivery restaurants – ALL the restaurants on HUNGR would thus be good and would save the user from the market-places’ endless scrolling and risk of picking a bad restaurant. Also, our research showed that 93% of people who order takeaway care more about the food and delivery quality than about the brand of the restaurant when ordering for delivery. This insight inspired us to create the industry’s only app where the user picks the dishes from a generic menu-card first, and then in a 2nd step sees a short list of the restaurants that are closest, has the cheapest basket price (a completely unique feature) and are the best rated. HUNGR would make it much easier to order food online – something like a Hotel Tonight for takeaway.

The first 6 months of our venture went great. We raised capital from an experienced group of angel-investors, we built an amazing high-energy team, signed the 200 best delivery restaurants in Berlin, and launched the first version of our app in a shape close to what we originally had envisioned. We were on fire!

The Launch itself also went great. We saw faster 1st month order growth than any takeaway market-place – and we saw 38% of our users in September order again in October. Exciting times it was. But that’s also when the reality of this horribly over-crowded market hit us.

Obviously we knew it would be competitive. And in our business case we had planned with a marketing cost that was well above the benchmarks we had from the existing market-places. However, since we started planning HUNGR in late 2014, irrational competition has driven the cost to attract new users to extreme levels – everybody is loosing money. Especially in the major cities which is where the HUNGR concept makes the biggest difference. With the 10% commission that HUNGR charges to restaurants it would take +20 orders just to make back the initial marketing cost of attracting a new user. Add to this the cost of future reactivation and loyalty initiatives and we were looking at 2 years just to break even on the marketing cost for a new customer.

In the last months it became clear that to drive down this upfront acquisition cost we would need to invest heavily in the brand to shout loud enough to get heard through the market noise. We would have to roll out nationally to reach users through a broader range of marketing channels and to tap better into organic app-store downloads, PR and TV. And to do that would require a risk-willing investor with deep pockets to fight it out with us in a red hot market.

Unfortunately, finding a partner with serious funds for a crowded market before having proven attractive and repeatable KPI’s to show is not feasible. And thus, we have decided to put HUNGR on the back burner until the dust settles a bit in the industry. We got the timing wrong, but our belief that the market-place must evolve remains unchanged. With consumers spending +$100bn every year on delivery food they will surely not stand for a web 2.0 experience forever. Hopefully, other innovative food startups will pick up the baton and succeed.

Even with all this said and done, we have no regrets. Albeit risky, starting a business from scratch is an incredible learning opportunity and fulfilling life experience that has made us all smarter and ready for our next ventures. It was a honor to fight in the trenches with Lorena, Raffaele, Boris, Friederike, Else, Bruno, Adolf, Eleonora, Dimitri, Martijn and Eimear who all put their heart and soul into HUNGR. Count on us all to continue to push the digital evolution!

Rasmus Wolff,
Founder, HUNGR

 

This weekend’s itinerary: Foodie edition

Even though we tend to go on and on about how great it is to never ever have to leave your couch to enjoy your favourite food (and of course we encourage you to keep doing that!), there is something to be said for getting out there and tasting all that Berlin has to offer. This city has become a foodie’s paradise, with top notch restaurants, food markets and great events going on all year long. Here’s a little list of places you should definitely try to visit this weekend:

1. On Saturday (for a late lunch): Shiso burger

If you’re into burgers with a twist, definitely visit this excellent Korean style burger place at Augustraße 29c. Our all-time favourite is the Bulgogi Burger with marinated beef, lettuce, red onion, chili-mayo, korean chili base and teriyaki sauce. The beef is tender and juicy, the flavours are overwhelming. Wanna have it all and save a buck? Get the lunch menu!

2. On Saturday evening, before 22.00:  Berlinale Street Food

Held at Joseph-Eichendorff Gasse, close to S+U Potsdamer platz is brought to you by Markthalle and the Berlinale filmfestival. The delicious slow-food is made of the best quality, fairly-produced ingredients and sold for very fair prices from stands and food-trucks. Definitely try a sandwich from Big Stuff Smoked BBQ, a hot plate of Spätzle from Heißer Hobel or the best Milan has to offer from Alfredo Sironi. Doesn’t that just make your mouth water?

3. On Sunday (around brunch time): The breakfast Market at Markthalle 9

This weekly recurring food market is the mother of all food markets. Come and enjoy the creations of a great selection of culinary talent at Eisenbahnstraße 42/43, close to U-bahn Görlitzer Bahnhof. You can be sure to find fantastic foods from all around the world, tasty cakes & coffees and wholesome ingredients to try and do it yourself at home (of give to a friend for a present…)

4. On Sunday (whenever you start to feel peckish again): Forum

Since you’re most likely still recovering from your brunch-binge, why not have a nice soup for dinner at Forum, on the corner of Fehrbelliner and Veteranenstraße? Forum also offers a great selection of wines (being part of the Weinerei family) to aid digestion. All Weinerei stores allow you to pay what you believe you should (so don’t be stingy!). 

Have a lovely weekend!

Eat like there’s no one watching

Another huge advantage to ordering your meal and tucking into it within the boundaries of your own home: You can be as messy if you like! You can enjoy the ultimate luxury of eating in your bed, without ever touching a pan. In this case we recommend scooping your dish onto a plate, unless if you don’t mind sleeping under bedcovers full of red curry stains. In case you do want to keep it clean – perhaps you’re dining in with a love interest and would prefer not to come across like a 5-year old -, here are the dishes to definitely avoid:

1. Spaghetti

 

There’s no shame in not knowing how to transport a fork full of spaghetti into your mouth without spilling sauce all over yourself: It is so much of an art that youtube is plastered with spaghetti eating tutorials. Whether you go the traditional way of rolling the pasta onto your fork with a spoon to assist, or impatiently cut it into little bits, unless you have undergone years of extensive training you will fail to look charming whilst gorging down your Arabiata. And you probably won’t look as cute as this one here:

2. Sushi

Firstly there is the skill of using chopsticks to tackle. For some of you this may have been an easy nut to crack, for the motorically-challenged however this is not to be underestimated. Generally a simple maki can easily fit in the mouth, but the larger Inside Outs or Futo Tempura’s (you know, those superyummy deepfried ones!) are very hard to  chew and swallow. Famous sushi chef Jiro (recommended movie: Jiro dreams of sushi!) has realised and has reduced the size of his sushi for the ladies. Since he has not opened his take away service in Berlin yet, we will have to keep chewing with our mouths open.

Some good news, it seems that in the western world we have been a bit too hard on ourselves when it comes with sushi-etiquette. For instance, when eating the larger Nigiri, it is totally okay to use your hands!

3. Pizza

Drippy cheese, tomato sauce and loose toppings: Pizza carries all the hallmarks of a messy meal. Of course, you could cut each slice in tiny bite-sized bits, but who really does that when no one is watching…?

A song of praise for the delivery guy

He’s one of the people taken for granted the most.
The amount of steps he takes per day will beat your iPhones’s step counter record any day. He fears no weather condition, not even blizzard Jonas.
He knows your favorite dish by heart, even though you most likely won’t be able to pick him out of a line up.

It’s time to praise him like you should! Next time, when he has finally reached your 5th floor, avoiding the neighbor’s pit bull and the garden sprinklers, and puts that glowing little silver box in your hands, be generous and maybe even sing him a little song:

We’ve come a long long way together,
Through the Phat Thai and the Nood(les)
I have to celebrate you baby,
I have to praise you like I should

The art of ordering the perfect delivery food for every occasion

… cause it’s not as simple as one might think! There is a perfect cuisine for each occasion. After months of research and countless pasta’s, maki’s, cheeseburgers, chop suey’s and curries (we have tried it all!) we are proud to present to you this handy guide to delivery food: What To Order When?

1. Dinner with friends

If you’re planning a big dinner with a larger group of friends, there’s a few things you want to take into account: There might be some dietary restrictions (vegetarian, vegan, lactose free anybody?), and you probably don’t want to spend the next day washing a bunch of dishes. The answer? Finger food! You can go for the traditional burger-cuisine and order a wealth of delicious mozzarella sticks, chicken wings and country potatoes, or go a bit more exotic and treat your friends to some indian pakoras, samosas, naan & bhatura. We have it all!

2.  Lazy Sunday

For some reason we forget every week that most supermarkets are closed on Sundays and find ourselves stuck with an empty fridge. Hungr to the rescue! Since Sundays often coincide with hangover days or cheat days, we would suggest a good old cheesy pizza. Nothing as wholesome as gorging down a delicious carb bomb and watching some Netflix (just a suggestion).

3. Working lunch

Sometimes you’re a bit too busy to go out for lunch, or maybe you overslept and need to catch up on your workload. Whatever the reason may be: Sushi is the answer. It’s already cold (big bonus, since annoying work tasks might distract you from your meal) and it’s nice and light, so you don’t have to deal with a food coma afterwards.

We can’t all be culinary geniuses…

Why there is no shame in ordering take away every day…

 

Did any of your friends or family ever give you that judgemental frown when you served them an excellent meal coming from a shiny little aluminum box? It’s sad that some people simply can’t appreciate the love and attention that goes into ordering them their favorite take-away meal. Some of us simply aren’t gifted with that magic culinary touch, some of us rather spend their time on other activities, and guess what: There is nothing wrong with that! Cooking isn’t easy at all, and even boiling an egg isn’t as simple as ordering food with the Hungr app.

For instance: What is pasta’s problem?! Some pasta needs to be boiled for 5, some for 10, some for 20 minutes. Decide already! Who wants to be studying the pasta packaging in the supermarket, and then again when it’s time to prep your dish?

 

And how to proceed when you don’t have the appropriate kitchen tools? Creativity can sometimes be a bad thing….

 

Even when you’re trying to keep it simple by shoving a frozen pizza in the oven, there is so much that can go wrong.

Really, no food type can be trusted when you’re trying to cook it yourself. Trying to be creative with your leftovers? Forget it. Even cheese will betray you.

 

Think you can avoid all this drama by using your microwave? Guess again…

 

So be safe, don’t destroy your kitchen, your sense of self-worth and your appetite, just use the Hungr app 🙂

 

Those awkward days between Christmas and NYE…

….You’re supposed to know what day of the week it is, but you really don’t. You have either left your family a bit too soon and are finding yourself all alone in your hometown, or you have lingered juuust a bit too long and the family frustrations are slowly creeping up. You are still feeling seriously stuffed from the infamous christmas dinners but you’re starting to feel the pressure to look fantastic for NYE. Luckily for you, we have all the answers:

With Hungr you’re never alone in town! Our customer service teams is by your side, to keep you company when none of your friends are in town yet and of course to make sure that your food arrives hot & on time. When you need to cool of from your family for a bit, you can order a meal for one from us, since our restaurants will deliver for a low minimum delivery value (usually under €10, you can even get one Pasta Menu Deal for only €5!). And to help you shed those christmas pounds, why not try out some of our varied sushi menus? We have the best sushi delivery places on board, willing to deliver menus from €5 – €15!

And in case we don’t see you anymore before the big night….

HAPPY NEW YEARS!

 

 

10 funniest menu translation fails: Would you order these?

 

We don’t want to boast but at Hungr we are pretty proud of our language skills: Since we are a multinational and multilingual team we have been able to give you an app available in 6 languages! Whether you’re an expat looking to feel at home or a national trying to pick up some new slang, we’ve got you covered. Translating our menus flawlessly is very important to us, because a small mistake could ruin your appetite. Don’t believe us? Check out our favorite 10 translation fails below!
P.S. If all this talk about food left you hungry, take advantage of our €5 pasta menu deal or try some of our new sushi-menus! If you believe we are missing a language in our app, please let us know, we are always trying to improve.

Company Christmas Party – Survival Guide

The company Christmas party is without a doubt a tricky event to get through unscaved: With the Glühwein and cheap liquor flowing in abundance we’ve all struggled to keep it together and return to the office with our heads held high the infamous day after. Luckily Hungr consists of a team of christmas-party survivors, happy to pass on our wisdom:

1. Never, ever, skip dinner! You are doing nobody any favours with slogans like “eating is cheating”. Without a solid base to build upon with all that free booze you will definitely be the one falling into the christmas tree. And of course, we can help you out with that one: Enjoy our Pasta Menu deal, and order a pasta-dish + bruschetta or salad + drink for only €5!
2. Sing loudly to your favorite Christmas songs, even if you’re not blessed with the voice of an angel! What better to bring the christmas spirit and party vibes than unbridled enthusiasm? Don’t be a afraid to show your colleagues what it means to have a great time, simply don’t overdo it.
3. Do yourself a favor and get yourself a cab home. Drink at least 1 liter of water, take an aspirin and come in fresh as a daisy the next day. Ready to shine.
   

Merry Christmas

 

Hungr New App Design…check it out!

Hungr is really excited to bring you a bunch of cool features with this new release.

– Brand new look: The clean and modern interface we introduced on the frontpage with last release is now visible across the app.

– New Menu Screen: This includes a new navigation that saves space on the screen, space for the full text description, and faster loading of images

– Express checkout: New users will find the process of completing the first order much easier with the new combined check-out and registration page

– Pay Online: Save your card for easy re-ordering.

– Various fixes making the app faster and better. Keep sending us your feedback to ideas@hungr.co. Thanks!