Confessions of a Lincoln food delivery cyclist: ‘The places with the quickest and slowest service’

Today’s click culture means the fast food we’re craving is now conveniently whisked from the grill straight to our armchairs – but, at least in the eyes of one Lincoln delivery cyclist, not all outlets are getting it right.

There’s a clear reason the Lincoln Deliveroo and Uber Eats rider (who we have agreed to keep anonymous) has decided to hit out at sluggardly takeaways. The cyclists, moped riders and drivers we see on the streets aren’t paid hourly, but per delivery.

The minimum amount a rider earns for travelling less than a mile to a customer is around £4 at peak times, and that’s regardless of the time they’ve waited for the food to be prepared, or the difficulty of the journey e.g. a sprint up Steep Hill.

It’s frustrating, they explained, when the eager riders are left waiting, and sometimes forgotten altogether. It doesn’t happen everywhere, but, allegedly, there are some prolific sloppy service offenders in the Lincoln takeaway industry.

Our Lincoln rider, who spoke to The Lincolnite for a special ‘Confessions of…’ feature, spilled the beans on the most efficient, and the tardiest restaurants in the city.

“When the rider arrives at the restaurant, the food is supposed to be ready, but this is rarely the case,” he said.

Chains don’t always have the same standards either. “For example, Lincoln has two McDonald’s, but the training is different at each location. Most riders avoid Cornhill because they are so slow!”

He rated his top and bottom three Deliveroo and Uber Eats takeaways:

Quickest service

• Tatiana’s Cakes
  • Staff: 10/10
  • Food preparation: 10/10 – “Food is fresh and great quality”
  • Speed: 10/10
• Burton Road Chippy
  • Staff: 10/10
  • Food preparation: 10/10
  • Speed: 10/10
• KFC (High Street)
  • Staff: 10/10
  • Food preparation: 10/10
  • Speed: 10/10 – “The food is already in preparation when the rider turns up, as it should be”

Slowest service

• Nando’s 
  • Staff:  3/10
  • Food preparation: 0/10 – “Your food will often sit for up to 10 minutes waiting to be packed”
  • Speed: 1/10 – “9 times out of 10 it takes at least 30 minutes for meals to be made. I recently waited 50 minutes for a chicken wrap to find out it hadn’t been started. The customer waited over an hour.”
• Wagamama
  • Staff: 10/10
  • Food preparation: 10/10 – “Food will be remade if it’s been left out waiting for too long”
  • Speed: 3/10 – “Riders normally wait up to 20 minutes”
• McDonald’s (all)
  • Staff: 6/10 – “The rider can be ignored for a while before the order is confirmed”
  • Food preparation: 7/10 – “Sometimes items are missing, so we check. Drinks constantly spill, the containers are useless for delivery”
  • Speed: 4/10 “Food should be ready on arrival but often isn’t started until the rider has confirmed the order”

“The quicker the rider gets the food, the more they make and the quicker the customer gets the food. It’s a better experience for everyone.

“I love the job because I can work when I want. I also enjoy cycling as it keeps me fit.”

He said he wanted to make customers aware of the process and the reasons for delays. “If your food has taken a while it will normally be down to the restaurant, not the rider.”

Have you got an expert behind the scenes experience to share with The Lincolnite for its ‘Confessions of…’ series? You can get in touch with a journalist and tell them the real story via [email protected].