A NEW online ordering app, that will focus solely on selling food for independent Oxford businesses, is getting ready to launch.

Emily Beauchamp, and her husband Marc, from Chipping Norton, decided after seeing the impact the pandemic has had on the hospitality sector, that they wanted to start a new business that would help provide ‘better solutions’ for independent food businesses across the city who may be suffering economically.

The pair decided that they wanted to start a business that focused solely on supporting local people, as well as contributing to the local economy, and so created ‘Oxford Eats’.

Read here: Beloved pet dog missing from Cowley fire confirmed dead

Oxford Eats is an app, modelled in a similar style to other food-delivery services such as Just Eat, however, unlike these nationwide firms, that work with large food chains, such as Mcdonalds, Subway, and Greggs, the Beauchamp’s app will focus on independent Oxford businesses only.

Mrs Beauchamp said: “We wanted to support more independent businesses, so there will be no McDonalds, no KFC, no Greggs.

“You won’t see any of this on our app because we want to advertise local businesses.”

“I have been in Oxfordshire for eight years now, and my husband was born and bred in Kennington.

“In the first lockdown, we were interested in ways we could support the local economy and community through such a tough time.

“The impact the pandemic was going to have on the hospitality industry was evident from the beginning.”

Read also: 'Do your shopping elsewhere': Oxford Mail readers react to Tesco closure

The pair began researching over the lockdown period and discovered that food businesses and takeaways in Oxford ‘are charged anything between 15 per cent and 30 per cent commission by large national ordering apps, like Deliveroo and Just Eats’.

Oxford Eats will keep its commission rate at a set standard, of 7.5 per cent of each order.

Mrs Beauchamp added: “Because we don’t have any other fee [other than the commission rate], it is completely risk-free for businesses to sign up.

“The takeaways only pay the commission if they get an order, if they do not get an order, which we hope would never happen, they won’t get charged.”

The focuses on ordering for the local eateries, and then the takeaways deliver their food to the customer.

Read here: First look at set for 'Tom Hanks' and 'Spielberg' TV show being filmed in Oxfordshire

The couple are now looking for local, independent businesses around Oxford to partner with them.

So far, the app will feature food from Bombay Express on Garsington Road, Chicken Cottage on the Cowley Road, and Street Food Delhi in Cowley.

Mrs Beauchamp said that ‘others are still in the pipeline’.

She added: “The local element is the most important thing to us. We really want to get to know our businesses, the staff, the owners, the managers, because we will be around and we will be popping in.”

The pair are yet to decided on a launch date for the app, but Mrs Beauchamp said she hopes they can ‘get going soon’.

Keep up to date with all the latest news on our website, or follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

For news updates straight to your inbox, sign up to our newsletter here.

Have you got a story for us? Contact our newsdesk on news@nqo.com or 01865 425 445.