Deliveroo to reward riders who contribute most to the company

Deliveroo has announced a new Communities Fund to support local communities in which the company operates, restaurant partners and Deliveroo riders. The Fund will be put in place after any potential future IPO.

The investment is pledged over five years and is in recognition of how important customers, riders and restaurants have been to the company’s growth to date, and how important they will continue to be as Deliveroo aims to become the definitive online food company.

The £50 million fund will specifically support projects in the following areas:

• Restaurant partners. Projects to support restaurant partners as they reopen for dine-in services later in the year. Specific projects would be based on consultation with partners themselves to ensure investment is targeted at their priorities. Examples of support could include grants to fund new initiatives such as helping restaurants with the practical costs of re-opening, whether that be new outdoor seating areas or maximising indoor dining spaces, and investing in marketing support to help restaurants increase sales when dine-in is permitted.

• Communities. Projects to support disadvantaged or vulnerable groups, including delivering meals to those who would otherwise go without, working with a national network of restaurants and local charities to deliver meals for free. This will also cover delivering free meals to frontline public sector workers, building on the work Deliveroo has done to support the NHS throughout the pandemic by delivering over 800,000 free meals to doctors and nurses. Deliveroo will also look at how the Fund can support sustainability initiatives.

• Riders. Projects to reward the riders who contribute the most to the company. This will be based on consultation with riders about what matters most to them, but examples include investing in new electric bicycles and new electric motorcycles to make it more affordable for riders to access new e-vehicles.

CEO and founder of Deliveroo, Will Shu, said: “Customers, restaurants and riders are at the heart of their local communities. And that’s what we care about too. Being recognisable in the community isn’t enough. Being part of local communities is what matters. That’s why we are making this announcement today. We want to support the initiatives that matter most to our riders, restaurants and riders.”