Munchies — The first late-night delivery service in Dhaka!

With approximately 296 restaurants on board, Munchies is the first delivery service offering to serve all night long – from 8PM to 6AM! Not only does it deliver after hours, the options available at Munchies is not subject to any area-wise distance. No matter what part of the city you reside in, if you order you will be served.

Anit Kumar Das, Nafisa Anjum Apala and Tamim Mridha are well-recognised names in their own respective fields who came together to form Munchies. Their first delivery initiative was called 'Now' that worked to transport emergency items to people during the initial months of lockdown in 2020.

Within the next few months, they extended their services from essentials to food, and launched 'Munchies' in January 2021. A valid question here is, "Do we really need another food delivery service?" Apparently we do, and Munchies showed us why.

In our country, the concept of ordering food and groceries online was first introduced in 2013, and has almost completely changed our shopping experience. Following its success, many companies entered the market and it quickly became rather competitive.

However, these conventional delivery services do not operate during late hours of the night, and well, our food cravings do not work by the clock. Munchies basically presents itself as the one-stop solution for all the night owls, sudden cravings, unexpected guests, or some urgent requirements.

Putting this unique idea into work could not have been easy. Luckily, we were able to hear a little about this journey from one of the three founders, Anit Kumar Das.

"Doubts were definitely there. With no previous data to rely on, we knew Munchies could be a hit or miss. But we eventually decided to go for it." said Das.

"There were quite a few challenges in the beginning. First was the fact that mainstream restaurants do not operate at night. So it took a great deal of convincing to get them to agree. Also due to the ongoing pandemic, many restaurants were suffering from losses. Collaborating with us also worked in their favour." Since delivery services do not work at night, riders of Munchies also have to face several check posts around the city.

Munchies is probably one of the most user-friendly websites you can come across. In the restaurant section, you will find food categorised according to the cuisine and not just by name. This makes choosing and comparing a lot easier. The 'safety and hygiene' section stocks generous varieties of surgical masks, gloves, sanitisers and several items of personal hygiene. The best part is you can order from more than one section at the same time. So, antacid can accompany your biriyani next time.

Other than this, you will also find snacks, beverages, ice cream, instant and frozen items, etc. Munchies helpline is highly responsive and has been able to help many of its customers in need.

Das recalled one such incident when talking to us.

 "We got a call asking if we could deliver some prescribed medicine. The caller's mother had fallen ill but they were unable to access any pharmacy at the moment. We asked them to send the prescription to us or our rider and once they did, we got it from a shop nearby." Another time, they were able to deliver sanitary napkin to a girl in a similar situation. "It is times like these and the warm feedback of our customers that has allowed us to grow as much as we have within such a short period of time," he added.

Photo: Munchies

Essentials

Website: https://munchies.now.com.bd/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/getmunchies.now

 https://www.facebook.com/groups/852766868830845