With the slogan, ‘bringing Kasi food to your door’, Order Kasi is an online food ordering and delivery service that aims to support and promote restaurants located in South Africa’s township communities. 

Founded in 2018 by Leon Qwabe, the one-of-a-kind township food delivery platform was created out of the existing market demand. In an interview with Eat Out, Qwabe explains that while living in the townships, he realised that many services were overlooked when it came to on-demand services and this spurred on the idea to created Order Kasi.

“Even though the likes of Uber Eats and Mr D Food do not operate in these areas, there was still a need for restaurants to reach their customers, as they wanted the convenience of their favourite township food to be delivered to their doorsteps. 

The platform aims to become an integral role-player in changing the lives of many township restaurant owners by connecting them with a larger market and furthering their growth and customer reach. 

How does it work? 

With a developed app, Order Kasi is available for free download on both iOs and Android devices. Integrated with geolocation technology, once a user opens the app, several township restaurants located nearby will pop up along with details about menu offering and pricing. Once an order has been processed a nearby driver is allocated to pick up the items and drop them off at the user’s preferred address. Payment is done through the app via PayFast and is an easy and simple way to order Kasi food. 

Jordan Ways of Cooking in Langa is listed on the app and offers a wide range of dishes from a braai meat platter to traditional South African dishes such as ulusu and more. 

Jordan Ways of Cooking

The delivery fee is based on a fixed kilometre travelled or a R20 flat fee for a 4-kilometre radius from the restaurant. Currently, the app is operational across Cape Town but plans to expand to Joburg and Durban by the end of this year.

A lifeline for township restaurants

Given the current adjusted level-4 regulations and the surrounding circumstances, Qwabe points out that Order Kasi is an integral support system in ensuring these local spots remain open. 

“Order Kasi does not only provide an alternative marketing and advertising platform to these restaurants but also creates more demand and interest for persons staying just outside the townships. You must understand that the majority of the local township restaurants rely solely on foot traffic, so when the weather does not play along or you have pandemic’s like COVID, their businesses and revenue is strangled, so Order Kasi creates multiple marketing streams for them as well as the delivery network and convenience that their customers seek.”

To ensure that Kasi-located restaurants generate stable profits off the app, Order Kasi uses a flexible rate structure where the daily average order value and volume are used to determine the app fee charges to restaurants. 

“The delivery fee a customer pays goes directly to the driver and Order Kasi charges a percentage commission on the order value,” concludes Qwabe.