Coronavirus has hit Namibian soil and life-saving social distancing has come for our favourite food spots. No longer should we linger at restaurants or spend too much time in fast-food queues. No more should we touch random table tops and pray our waiters have washed their hands.
As the virus continues to progress, it will cost waiters tips and establishments business but one of the heroes in this story of tumbleweeds and empty restaurants is Chommie Bites, a new Namibian food ordering app.
Launched in December 2019 under the tagline “your favourite food, delivered to your door”, Chommie Bites seems to one up existing food delivery options by living on Facebook and delivering food from wherever the hell you want.
“We wanted to find the easiest way to reach as many people as possible and with about 690 000 people being on Facebook and about 420 000 being in Windhoek, this was definitely the easiest place to start,” says Chommie Bites CEO CJ Dumeni.
“We wanted anyone who was on the internet to order food as fast as possible and the quickest way was Facebook.”
Taking the app for a spin on a Monday afternoon in want of some sticky barbeque wings, the platform is pretty straightforward. A simple matter of following a set of prompts beginning at www.chommie.app from your computer or mobile phone. Users will ultimately be asked to sign into Facebook Messenger where they can browse menus and place their order.
While the currently featured restaurants are MeatPoint, Plant’d, Panarottis, Sicilia, The Confab, Future Fresh and Kapana-in-Town, Chommie Bites’ ‘Make a Wish’ option allows users to order from any restaurant in the city.
In these trying times, thankfully, Chommie Bites works like a charm. I place my order of The Confab’s Monday wing special via Facebook Messenger and the lovely Anna Shiyamba arrives at my door five deliveries in and with my food still warm.
One eWallet later (you can also pay in cash) and I’m back in my home washing my hands.
“They say success comes with luck and preparation and I think in the weirdest way, people being socially distant has brought us a bit of luck,” says Dumeni.
“We happen to be prepared for it so we are really in the best position to serve Namibia in terms of food from their favourite restaurants. We have briefed all our drivers to take care of themselves, have hand sanitisers and make sure that everything they touch is clean.”
A Chommie Bites seal is also placed on each delivery in the restaurant kitchen to ensure the package remains unopened and protected from coughs and sneezes. Dumeni adds that should coronavirus testing become available to small businesses they will be first in line but, for now, any sick staff are staying home.
“We really wanna start a whole new conversation about convenience,” says Dumeni, whose platform operates from 09h30 to 22h00 with plans to expand to more Namibian towns. Chommie Bites is also seeking additional drivers with cars or bikes as well as local restaurant partners.
Asked what’s in the name ‘Chommie’, which means friend, Dumeni breaks down its two-pronged relevance to the business.
“We believe technology is not as scary as people think so we wanted it to be friendly and using Facebook as well we wanted to make it feel like you’re talking to someone you know, a chommie,” he says and adds that the featured restaurants are somewhat in line with what you might eat with a chommie.
“The idea of the food we have on the platform is also food you can eat with your hands, little bites of Namibia, little bites of home.”
Eager to service a large chunk of the Namibian public while pushing the local tech revolution forward, Dumeni is optimistic about the future.
“We’re really excited because we found a way to let over 400 000 people order online without needing to sign up. All they had to do was click a button to get started,” he says.
“I think that’s what real innovation is, taking something that’s already there and revamping it in a way that provides real solutions. There are people who can order food online who couldn’t before. We are really excited about how many families we can bring smiles and joy to, homes we can bring good food to while helping restaurants as well.”
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