Rocket Internet launches EatFirst in London, ‘honest’ meals delivered to your door within 15 minutes

Germany-based technology incubator Rocket Internet has launched a new food delivery service for Londoners called EatFirst.

The move comes four months after UK food delivery heavyweight JustEat floated with a £360 million IPO, but EatFirst is tackling the market from a slightly different angle.

Available only in the centralized pocket of the City of London for now, EatFirst is being sold as a ‘mum’s meals in a flash’ service, focusing on ‘honest’ food. We all hate ‘dishonest’ food, right?

For £7, EatFirst serves up freshly prepared meals with “lightning-fast delivery” – we’re talking within 15 minutes of the order being placed. You can pay for your food directly through the app (Web and iOS) using your bank card.

The order process works like this: Choose your dish from its alternating daily menu of 2 meals (meat and vegetarian)>receive a call when your order’s en route>meet the delivery driver at the kerb outside your desired delivery address. The food is made by one of EatFirst’s chefs, and the company says all its ingredients are freshly picked.

Of course, one of the reasons it works is that it’s restricted to a small delivery region, and you can only choose from two dishes. But, if you’re not a terribly fussy eater, or are happy picking-and-choosing what days you use the service based on the menu, then it’s all good.

Rocket Internet has typically had a reputation for churning out so-called ‘clone startups’ – companies that ape existing success stories from other regions and markets, though it has been making moves away from this in recent times.

Certainly, while on the surface EatFirst is following in the footsteps of JustEat with a food delivery service for Londoners, there is a significant differentiator here with its focus on speed and healthy-eating. Perfect for workers who would normally beckon a pizza or McDonald’s for their half-hour break.

EatFirst’s website is open for business in the City of London now – the iPhone app should be landing any day now, we’ll update here as soon as it’s available.

➤ EatFirst