Taster
An online food delivery platform with a strong portfolio of brands, bringing the street food experience to your door
What Taster does
Taster is a group of delivery-only restaurant brands bringing unique street food to European consumers. Starting out in Paris, the business now has over 150 digital restaurants across major cities such as London, Madrid, Lille, Rouen and Versailles, and is aiming to open 500 by the end of 2022.
As the first digital food brand company to grow using licensed partners, Taster works with ambitious entrepreneurial restaurant owners who are looking to innovate and digitise their operations. Their four street food brands are then delivered via popular apps such as Deliveroo and UberEats. Ultimately, Taster’s ambition is to build the world’s largest digital restaurant group.
Why we like it
There’s a significant and growing gap between consumer demand for quality food delivery and available supply, due to traditional restaurant brands not being set up to take advantage of digital ordering. Taster is one of the first digital-only restaurant brands to launch in Europe, with the founder previously having direct food-service experience as the seventh employee at Deliveroo.
Online food delivery for European restaurants and platforms is projected to reach $21 billion within the wider European food market of $1.7 trillion1. Taster also works with existing restaurant kitchens and their employees. This enables their restaurant partners to increase sales with minimal changes. The business is well placed to benefit from the dramatic shift in food consumption behaviours, with 60% of 18–34-year-olds2 increasing their food delivery frequency in the last year.
What our fund managers say
“Taster is focused on delivering high quality food through an exciting range of brands, that are already capturing the hearts of consumers across Europe. Thanks to their experienced team, and their franchise business model, we believe they’re setting the standard for restaurant-quality foods in the comfort of our living rooms.”
– Rebecca Hunt, Principal
Risks to bear in mind
Capital at risk
The value of an investment can fall as well as rise. Investors could end up getting back less than they put in.
Volatility
Shares in EIS-qualifying companies could fall or rise in value more than other shares listed on the main market of the London Stock Exchange.
Liquidity
We will be investing into shares in unlisted early stage companies. These shares will be harder to sell than established listed companies. Investors should expect to hold shares for between five and ten years, and possibly longer.
Tax treatment and qualification
Tax treatment depends on individual circumstances and may change in the future. Tax reliefs depend on the portfolio companies maintaining their EIS-qualifying status.
More companies we’ve backed
¹ Business Wire – Europe Online Food Delivery Market Report 2021
² Statista – Increase in food delivery usage due to COVID-19 in Great Britain 2020