Local Business: Interview with the man behind the Lincoln Eat’s

Introducing Ashley Parfitt: The Visionary Behind a Revolutionary Lincoln Eat’s Takeaway App

His latest venture—Lincoln Eat’s app designed to support the community—embodies his commitment to innovation and connection. With a clear focus on making ordering from local restaurants easier, cheaper and more efficient, Ashley is not just building an app; he’s building a bridge between customers and the local food scene.
Stay tuned as we dive deeper into his journey, his vision, and the impact this ambitious project is already having on the community.

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Q: What inspired you to start Lincoln Eats, and how did the idea originally come to life?

Ashley: The idea to start Lincoln eats first came about in early 2023. Like most other people I had grown accustomed to using apps like Just Eat but quickly realised that I got a much better deal and a cheaper price when I called the takeaway directly and placed the order! This became my go to method of ordering takeaway grub and I noticed that in some cases the order would come out £4 or £5 cheaper than if I had ordered through Just Eat. Pretty soon I’d heard about local takeaway app businesses setting up in towns and cities across the country and was intrigued and shocked to learn that apps like just eat and uber eats charged their takeaway partners commisions in excess of 30% in some cases. I also felt concerned that big corporate apps like Just Eat prioritised othjer corporate restaurants such as Mcdonalds or KFC rather than their local independent takeaway partners and felt that Lincoln Eats would be a positive change for both the customer and local small business owners.

Q: Can you share a bit about your background before Lincoln Eats and how those experiences prepared you for this business?

Ashley: Before Lincoln Eats I had worked in numerous roles including working in sales, private investigation and project management. The most useful skills I have learned prior to setting up Lincoln Eats was learning how to talk to people professionally in sales roles. Being able to sit down and talk to people and understand their business needs and offer practical solutions has been invalulable!

Q: What was the moment or challenge that convinced you to go all-in on Lincoln Eats?

Ashley: Before I made the decision to start Lincoln Eats I walked around the city and talked to a few local takeaway owners to gauge whether this was something they would be interested in joining and to get their perspective. Unsurpsingly I learned that most of the local takeaway owners had a lot of dislike for Just Eat and seemed supportive of the idea of a local takeaway app that would work with them and charge them much lower fees!
I then decided that this was something that would be well received and decided to go for it!

Q: What unique challenges did you face launching a food-related business in the local area, and how did you overcome them?

Ashley: The hardest part initially was convincing Lincoln’s takeaway owners that Lincoln Eats was different! After years of neglect by the large corporate apps understandably many local business owners were wary of signing onto a new platform so my main job was convincing them that Lincoln Eats was a local platform for local businesses and to demonstrate this I made the decision not to allow any corporate restaurants onto Lincoln Eats. This meant that when a customer used the Lincoln Eats app the only takeaways on there would be Lincolns independent takeaways and restaurants.

The other big challenge has been trying to appeal to local customers. Since we have launched in December 23 our competitors at Just Eat, Uber Eats and deliveroo have ramped up their marketing and put more focus into advertising their local takeaway partners which has meant that we have had to fight tooth and nail to convince people to stop using the corporate apps and to order through us or direct to the takeaway. We do this by showing the difference in price when ordering through us or direct and ordering through the corporate apps.

Q: How did you go about selecting the first restaurants and cuisines to feature?

Ashley: I really wanted to have a very good range of takeaways for the launch of lincoln eats. We are lucky in Lincoln that we have some very good takeaways and restaruants ranging from amazing Indian cuisine, chinese, authentic mediterrainian, kebab, pizzas, turkish, greek and so much more so I was very pleased when people agreed to join the app we had a diverse range of cuisines on offer from the outset!

Q: Did you have any unexpected support or mentorship along the way that helped shape Lincoln Eats?

Ashley: As I am not from the takeaway industry I opened my mind to the notion that the takeaway owners had vastly more experience than I did. I have been fortunate enough to talk to many of them on a regular basis and I will ask them for their opinion on whats working and whats not working and many have given me great advice.

Q: In a time when food delivery apps are everywhere, what makes Lincoln Eats different?

In a nutshell; Lincoln Eats is a takeaway app for the people of Lincoln which not only gives them access to cheaper prices and exclusive offers, but directly supports our hardworking local takeaway owners by giving them cheaper fees than our competitors. This means more money is kept in the local community rather than shipped abroad to corporate bank accounts never to be seen again!

Q: What feedback have you received from customers, and how has it influenced your business?

Ashley: Our feedback has been overwhelmingly positive and many customers have been shocked to discover the differences in price when ordering on Lincoln Eats or ordering direct to the takeaway as opposed to using a corporate app.

We always want the experience on Lincoln Eats to be positive for our customers and we try very hard to balance offering exclusive offers and discounts with making sure our takeaway partners and keeping more of their hard earned money.

Q: Do you have a favourite customer story or moment that’s stood out since launching?

Ashley: One customer messaged us with a price comparison between their order on Lincoln Eats and their order on Just Eat the week earlier at the same takeaway… their Lincoln Eats order was around £10 cheaper!

Business Growth and Challenges

Q: What has been the biggest learning curve in building and growing Lincoln Eats?

Ashley: Definitely understanding that no two takeaways are the same and each one has different wants and needs!

Q: What’s been the most surprising thing you’ve learned about running a business?

Ashley: There’s a famous saying “life is what happens when you’re busy making plans”. That applies when owning a business. You have an idea about how that will look but the reality is often quite different! Learning to accept the challenges as they come your way and that not everyuthing is within your control has been the both the most surprising thing to learn but also the most important!

Q: How do you keep up with competition and stay relevant in the rapidly changing food and delivery industry?

Ashley: By working with our valued takeaway partners. Without them there is no Lincoln Eats or any other app for that matter. They’re on the front lines every day so are the best people to talk to about whats happening in the industry and by keeping our relationship strong with them means we are able to navigate the constantly changing industry.

Q: What are your long-term goals for Lincoln Eats, and how do you hope to impact the community?

Ashley: Our vision is to eventually move to a point where every local takeaway owner in Lincoln feels confident enough to switch off their Just Eat, Uber & Deliveroo machines once and for all. We want to be the only app partner for them and we want to encourage the great people of Lincoln to return to ordering direct to the takeaway or use a local delivery app that actually supports local businesses.

If we can achieve this aim this will benefit everyone in the local community as more money will stay in Lincoln!

Q: Do you envision Lincoln Eats expanding to other locations, or are you focused solely on the Lincoln area?

Ashley: We eventually want to branch out to the surrounding areas and villages and give everyone an opportunity to join and use Lincoln eats!

Q: What advice would you give to someone looking to start their own business in the food or delivery industry?

Ashley: Keep an open mind! It can be tempting to think you have all the answers in business but by humbling yourself to the possibility that you might not know everything is crucial to learning and growth. Don’t be afraid to ask questions!

Q: How do you balance the demands of being a business owner with your personal life?

Ashley: It’s true what they say about business owners always being at work! I think the key to balancing the two is to try and enjoy what you’re doing as much as possible especially in the food and takeaway industry as this often involves late nights and weekends which of course can be a challenge and are often the busiest times on Lincoln Eats and the industry in general! But enjoying those moments when you’re not pedal to the metal is crucial and making time for family and other interests is what helps keep me going!

Q: If you could go back to the beginning of this journey, what would you do differently?

Ashley: Accept that some things are within your control and some things aren’t!

Q: What’s one misconception people might have about running a local food service business that you’d like to correct?

Ashley: One of the biggest misconceptions i think is that running a food delivery platform is a case of putting ordering machines in takeaways and sitting back and letting it run itself! There’s alot of work going on in the background and our local takeaway partners work even harder. I think alot of local food and drink businesses are feeling the effects of the cost of living crisis and we need everyone to pull together to support our local businesses

Q: What’s the one thing you wish everyone knew about Lincoln Eats?

Ashley: Lincoln Eats wants to help local businesses whilst offering local customers better value, cheaper prices and better deals. Every order placed through Lincoln Eats instead of a corporate app directly supports our hard working local business owners, so please support us by keeping it local!

Q: How can readers of BestDJ.org support Lincoln Eats and the mission behind it?

Ashley: If your readers live in a town with a local takeaway app i’d would ask them to use that app or order directly from the takeaway themselves. It’s important to support local businesses because once they go they usually never return which is immensely sad.

Q: Finally, for those who haven’t tried Lincoln Eats yet, what’s one dish or experience they absolutely need to try?

Ashley: We have amazing takeaways on the app, so if you’re looking for anything specific, you’ll find it! Whether you’re in the mood for rich Indian food, authentic Turkish cuisine, or delightful Chinese dishes, we’ve got you covered! If you crave cheesy pizza or tantalising appetisers, you can explore our options designed to satisfy every taste. Enjoy the convenience of browsing your favorite cuisines right at your fingertips!