How Henry Nneji is redefining food delivery with FoodCourt

29-year-old Nigerian-born Henry Nneji, the co-founder and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of FoodCourt, has always been drawn to solving problems using technology.

In 2019, Nneji discovered visibility and connection challenges between tailors and customers and that inspired him to build Fashion Map, an application to solve the problem.

“For me, it has always been about solving an everyday problem with technology.'” Nneji told The Guardian.

Nneji, however, rested the app a year after it was launched

Soon after, he spotted another problem in Nigeria’s food delivery and began spinning webs to weave a solution in 2021. There was a shift in consumer behaviour at the time as many people began adapting to ordering items online.

Virtual shopping has existed for decades but gained momentum with the COVID-19 pandemic. There are now 2.64 billion online buyers worldwide, representing more than 33% of the world’s total population, and is expected to increase by 2025.

He told The Guardian that this shift in consumer behaviour meant more people started seeking high-quality food, similar to what they would get in restaurants, but conveniently brought to them.

Nneji and Paul Iruene, co-founders of FoodCourt, leveraged this change in customer behaviour to build FoodCourt, a virtual restaurant application Nneji takes pride in referring to as the “only virtual restaurant in Nigeria”.

Unlike other food delivery startups, FoodCourt ditches the aggregator model, which connects individual restaurants with customers, for a model that would not only make the venture profitable but also bring quality and affordable meals to the table of the average Nigerian.

“For FoodCourt it was more of solving the food delivery problem for the users and solving it in a unique way that we are not just giving them regular food delivery but we are giving them a way better experience than what they are used to,” said Nneji.

With 16 restaurants under its wing, all operating from one kitchen, FoodCourt controls the production process and gives customers a wide array of options.

Nneji said this is more profitable because all 16 restaurants can utilise the same resources and help the startup save costs.

Henry Nneji, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of FoodCourt.

It also enables them to introduce more restaurants and options to suit customers’ demands.

For instance, recently introduced Mr. Eats, a restaurant with more affordable prices and offers meals that cost between N2,500 and N5,000.

With Nigerians battling soaring inflation, many people cannot conveniently pay for expensive meals, and restaurants are increasing their prices to stay afloat in a perilous economy. But Food Court is helping solve this with Mr. Eats’ affordable meals.

“We launched a restaurant to provide meals for that demographic. We can spin off anything as opposed to changing what we do. That is one of the benefits of this business model,” said Nneji.

This is one of the reasons why Benedict (not real name), a FoodCourt customer, remains loyal to the brand.

He told The Guardian that he has been ordering from FoodCourt since June, and he likes that he can choose items from different menus on the platform, which makes them stand out from other food tech startups.

“What I especially like about them is the fact that I am able to choose items from different menus across various restaurants on their platform. I have not been able to do this on other platforms,” said Benedict.

He added that the delivery was fast the first time he ordered from them. Although he has this to say about the startup, some people have complained about delayed deliveries.

The Guardian saw complaints on X from some FoodCourt’s customers criticising the startup of slow deliveries.

One such complaint was from @LotsofKory, an X user.

She wrote: Hello @foodcourt_app, you need to start talking to your riders. Why is delivery taking over 2 hours to Ikeja?”

Nneji told The Guardian that they are working towards resolving this.

“While challenges like traffic can cause delays, we have always remained focused on enhancing efficiency. We are expanding our fleet of bikes to ensure faster and more reliable deliveries .”

FoodCourt also maintains quality standards and sustainability in their production process, said Nneji.

In April 2023, the startup hired Tilewa Odedina, a Cordon Bleu chef, as its Head of Culinary.

Odedina told The Guardian that working with the startup since 2023 has been fulfilling.

“FoodCourt is a place where I get to combine creativity with the chance to serve the unique and diverse tastes of Nigerians. As Head of Culinary, I focus on creating unique, high-quality meals that match Nigeria’s distinctive taste, while maintaining top standards of quality and sustainability,” said Odedina.

Although the persistent inflation rate and rising operation costs are causing many startups and businesses to fold, Nneji is convinced that FoodCourt will defy all odds.

The young entrepreneur and his co-founder are working to expand the startup to other locations in Nigeria and beyond the shores of the country.

“I see us in multiple countries and expanding on the model that we have built in the next five years,” Nneji said with optimism.