New delivery service say they’re here to “GoGett” support for Bedford’s independents

A new delivery service, which aims to help local economies thrive, create jobs, and focus on giving a premium customer experience by working with Bedford’s independent restaurants and shops, launched today.

GoGetters was started by Lee Nicolaou and Owen Barrow in 2016 when they realised there was a gap in the market for a delivery service that focused on local restaurants.

They now operate in over 20 towns across Hertfordshire and Essex, with Bedford being their first step into Bedfordshire.

“We recognised there needed to be someone backing the independents,” Owen recalled to the Bedford Independent about the early days.

“So, while both working full-time jobs, Lee and I set about building GoGetters. Risking it all by using all our savings, we bought a second-hand car and a mobile phone and posted on Facebook about the new service they were offering.”

Owen and Lee worked hard in those early days, delivering every evening after work and working 24 hours over the weekend.

After a few months in they quickly realised they were onto something and decided to quit their jobs.

Skipping forward to today, they now employ over 20 people in their office and 350 drivers, with 30 employed in Bedford in the last few weeks.

GoGetters aren’t just a delivery service that’ll work with anyone though, with a focus on making sure what they deliver matches the high-quality Bedfordians expect.

“When choosing a partner first thing we look for is the hygiene rating and they have a minimum requirement to join the platform,” says Owen.

“We also look for restaurants with exciting menus and great food, as we try to make sure GoGetters has the best of the best.”

COVID support

During the pandemic, Owen and Lee says GoGetters really helped make sure smaller independent businesses could still access customers.

“We don’t work with large national chains or big corporate businesses and we really zoned in on this when COVID first struck, as we realised local economies were suffering,” they said.

“Local businesses needed help whilst large corporations could cope during in house closures.”

This has helped them prove they really do back the businesses they work for and now Bedford’s foodies can order from the following independents to help give their support too.

Tim at Foxy Wings in Riverside North said: “We can’t wait to launch our delivery service to Bedford with the GoGetters team alongside other great Bedford Indie restaurants.

“The GoGetters ethos and focus on great service and independence convinced us that they were the right people to partner with on this next stage of our journey.

“We can’t wait to see Foxy Wings in homes across Bedford soon”

Meanwhile, Matt Wolton from Herd on St. Cuthbert’s Street added he’s “super excited and looks forward to working with the GoGetters team.”

Emma Stevens from Fat Cap Smokehouse is also pleased to be working with the new delivery team.

”We can’t wait to finally work with an independently run delivery company that is fronted by its founder, it’s just what Bedford needs.

“No messing, quick delivery and a company you can fully rely on,” she said.

Jobs for Bedfordians

GoGetters aren’t just supporting local business though, having employed 30 drivers as part of their launch.

“We only hire locally,” says Owen, “we recruit all our drivers local to each town we are in.

“I’d say we have hired way over 1000 local drivers in our five years, not to mention the majority of our office team started off as drivers.

“We took the time to get to know them, noticed their skills and brought them into our office.

“We have already hired over 30+ amazing people in Bedford alone, that’s before we launched, so we will have plenty more jobs available once up and running.”

Their plans don’t just end there though, with Lee and Owen hoping they’ll bring a wide-reaching positive impact to Bedford.

“Our plans for growth in Bedford are not just about increasing sales and numbers, but to help grow the economy and community,” they add.

“As we grow we aim to continue sponsoring local events, teams and charities, looking at how we can help out with social issues, especially where food and logistics can come in handy.

“We have a huge range of top restaurants on board but we will always be looking to add more, so if you spot something we haven’t got, get in touch.”

To order from Bedford’s independent restaurants and shops through GoGetters, download their Android and iOS app or head to gogetters.co.uk.

If you run a business with a minimum hygiene rating of three and above and would like to partner with GoGetters, head to their partner portal at gogetters.co.uk.