Popular food delivery service collapses: ‘Worst days the hospitality industry has ever seen’
- Food delivery service Providoor collapses
- The gourmet service has stopped accepting orders
- Comes weeks after grocery business Milkrun went under
Gourmet food service Providoor has collapsed and will stop accepting orders immediately as the latest victim of the home delivery industry ravaged by closures.
Founder and celebrity chef Shane Delia wrote on the firm’s website on Friday: ‘It is with a heavy heart that I announce the closure of Providoor, a business borne out of the very worst days the hospitality industry has ever seen.’
‘Later today, Providoor will be formally placed into liquidation.’
The company’s collapse follows turmoil among Australia’s delivery start-ups this year, with Deliveroo pulling out of Australia and Voly and MilkRun going under.
Providoor was a raging success throughout the pandemic, quickly establishing itself as a high-end restaurant meals delivery service in the first wave of Covid lockdowns in 2020.
It was the perfect substitution for dining in, as top restaurant chefs prepared gourmet dishes which were then delivered by cold freight to the customer to then heat up and enjoy.
Gourmet food delivery service Providoor has collapsed and will stop accepting orders immediately with founder and celebrity chef Shane Delia blaming economic headwinds facing the hospitality industry
The gourmet food delivery service Providoor has gone into liquidation and has stopped accepting orders immediately
Mr Delia, who is best known for his Maha restaurant, said the economic headwinds facing the hospitality industry were behind the collapse.
‘I created Providoor during lockdown, when the hospitality world was in disarray and we needed to find a way to survive,’ he said.
‘Providoor meant we could secure and create jobs as well as give people a little bit of restaurant joy during a pretty dismal time.
‘When people kept using Providoor after social restrictions were lifted, it showed us that it was a really good idea.
‘I just wish it had been given the opportunity to work through the challenging economic conditions, the same facing so many in the restaurant and hospitality sector right now.’
The gourmet delivery service launched in 2020 in Melbourne and Sydney, offering fine dining options from a range of top restaurants.
They then expanded into Brisbane in early 2022 and served Australians through Covid lockdowns.
‘While today is a very sad day, I am proud of Providoor and what it has achieved,’ Mr Delia said.
‘We served more than one million meals and built something that made a difference during some very dark days.’
The service delivered dishes from exclusive Sydney restaurants including Cirrus, Monopole, Yellow, The Apollo, Cho Cho San, Icebergs Dining Room and Bar, Golden Century, Spice Temple, Rockpool and Cicciabella.
The gourmet delivery service launched in 2020 in Melbourne and Sydney, offering fine dining options from a range of top restaurants before expanding into Brisbane in 2022
It differed from other food delivery services as the customer put the finishing touches on each dish.
The food would be prepared by chefs in the restaurant’s kitchens before being delivered via cold freight to the customer.
The closure will see the company’s 15 employees made redundant, The Australian reports.
It is currently unclear what will happen to customers who hold Providoor vouchers.
