Congleton Eats is a takeaway delivery app which recently celebrated a year in business.

Congleton Nub News caught up with Hayley Statham, who is Co-Founder of the app.

Congleton Nub News: What is Congleton Eats and how did it come to be?

Congleton Eats: Congleton Eats is a local online food ordering app and it benefits everyone really.

The app started at the beginning of lockdown I was almost six weeks pregnant with my twins, so I was shielding so I was debating between us what we could and couldn't do. Did we go to the shops, did we get food in?

We were trying to get takeaways and we couldn't really take our little boy out with us because he was three. We were exhausted and my husband working from home. I wasn't able to work from home as I was a hairdresser.

We said 'we need to have one platform with everything together for one place' - it would be so much simpler rather than waiting on the phone line and things.

And then not longer after we had the twins, we came up with the idea of what would be a better work life balance and what does Congleton need that it hasn't really got? And that was Congleton Eats.

Congleton Nub News: How does it work?

Congleton Eats You simply download the app or order You can also order online.

All of your favourite Congleton takeaways are there. And it ends up working out cheaper for the customer, and the customer, and the takeaway gets more money than you would if you used something like Just Eat.

The app has 7000 users. We deliver all across the CW12 area, and we've even got people from Biddulph who order from us.

Congleton Nub News: What is your unique selling points? Why is Congleton Eats better than the major takeaway apps?

Congleton Eats: We wanted to focus on small businesses and local places and give them a bit of a side option as opposed to the likes of UberEats who are charging over 30% for their business. We only charge 7.5%.

We have businesses that are on Just Eat or UberEats that will add on a little extra percentage, but we've got that flexibility to offer other places that bigger discount as well. And especially now as we've heard Deliveroo are looking to make a start in Congleton. [Deliveroo did not respond to request for comment].

We also do have some takeaways which are exclusive to the app. In total, we've got about 25 restaurants on at the moment. Some are delivery and some are collection only.

The 25 includes more than just food with with Cocktails on the Corner [of 29 High Street] signed up. We also have Congleton children's author Nick Jones on there, you can order his books.

Congleton Nub News: What was starting off the business in the middle of the pandemic like for you?

When we started the app, I'd look after our little ones and then at about six half six my husband would get changed and go out into Congleton and recruit takeaways. He wouldn't come back until 11 o clock, just spreading the word and getting people to join the app.

Many takeaways would say come back in a week or so, but Portobello Congleton [of 42 Lawton Street] were the first to sign up because they were quite new. They'd just taken over so they pretty much bit Craig's hand off, and we too were thrilled to bits.

We were very fortunate in a way that the late 2020 lockdown happened so soon after we went live. So there was a lot of places that then joined when you couldn't leave the home. And it was a mad rush of getting all their menus onto the app, businesses were coming from left right and centre telling us how soon can we get on?

I remember the owner of Quigleys Wine & Cocktail Bar [of 15 West Street] contacted me asking 'how soon can we get on', and he sent it at the same time I was rapidly putting menus on until half three in the morning.

It was really nice for us as a new start-up, and rewarding as well because all the businesses were really grateful.

It is a far better area to work in when it is a small town. There isn't a huge amount of massive franchises like the McDonalds and KFC, we never wanted to approach any of these big places because they're all going to survive the pandemic regardless, it was the smaller businesses that even before we started the business we were trying to get to.

Congleton Nub News: Who inspires you?

Congleton Eats: Craig still has a full time job after having twins its pretty busy I was a full-time hairdresser. He works for Bet365 in marketing. As far as marketing is concerned, I've got the best husband in the world. I am employed by Craig to do the invoicing and boring bits and pieces like takeaway set-ups, and if anyone has gone any questions they can contact me. We try not to use any sort of outside groups because we like to do it ourselves but again keep it local.

I like the fact that Denise Coates [of Bet365] is very very successful, and is quite an empowering businesswoman who actually does so much for the local community. She does the football, so many charities and on top of that she is a brilliant businesswoman. Her head is right in the game.

Congleton Nub News What's your favourite part of the job?

Congleton Eats As cliche as it sounds, I like doing what they ask. I like that I have a good relationship with the restaurant's where they can say 'please can you add this to our menu' or 'can you suggest anything on the menu that we should change', we do really work together.

I also love hearing from them a few weeks after signing up with us and they tell us how much more money they have received from Congleton Eats orders than from Just Eat. We give them at least 7.5% more.

We're really chuffed to have done well in Congleton. We're hoping to open our second app with Crewe Eats this year as well.

Congleton Nub News: What can we expect from the future of Congleton Eats?

Congleton Eats: Get more takeaways and keep growing it, of course! There will be more competitions on our Facebook, we put a lot of competitions when international football is on. We'll also keep donating to charity, we recently donated to the Congleton charity The Georgia Leigh Ogden Foundation.

We have also recently sponsored Congleton Town's youth team and Vale Juniors FC as well so would like to continue outreach in the community through sponsoring.

Our long-term ambitions, we'd love to create a safe space for teenagers in Congleton. Because there is not a lot for them to do. We want to give back to Congleton and do our bit for the town, making it a more enjoyable and fun place to be. We've got three kids and live near Congleton High School as well.

Congleton Nub News What's your favourite thing about Congleton?

I like the small community. I grew up in south east London, where everyone has got to be somewhere as quick as possible and nobody stops to chat. I like how pleasant people from Congleton are, and the community spirit, it has got a nice closeness to it all.

Hayley is the Co-Founder of Congleton Eats, and deals with customer and business owner enquiries.

Android and Apple users can download the app to their smartphone

Congleton Takeaways can join the app by calling 07920 004339 or emailing [email protected].

Even if you don't fancy ordering a takeaway right now, you can support the local business by following them on social media.

Congleton Eats have 2800 followers on Facebook.

[I]Please note: This interview was originally published as a newsletter exclusive article in a shorter form for the one year anniversary of Congleton Eats.

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