Just Eat France | Alloresto.fr

Just Eat France, which operated under the name Alloresto.fr until 2018, was a pioneering online food delivery platform in the French market. The company was founded in 1998 by Sébastien Forest, who conceived the idea as a student. The concept emerged from his own frustrating experience of trying to find a restaurant open for delivery on a Sunday evening, which was a laborious process in the late 90s. Forest decided to create an online directory to solve this problem, personally convincing the first hundred restaurants in Paris and Lyon to join the platform. Allo Resto launched on June 2, 1998, just before the FIFA World Cup, which immediately boosted demand for home delivery.

The initial business model was based on earning a commission of around 10-14% on each order placed through the platform, with restaurants handling their own deliveries. This model allowed the company to provide a wide variety of culinary choices to consumers while offering restaurants an additional revenue stream. The platform acted as a digital intermediary, connecting customers to a vast network of local takeaway restaurants. Users could browse menus, place orders, and pay online through a user-friendly website and mobile application. After surviving the dot-com bubble burst in 2002 and reaching profitability by 2004, Allo Resto grew significantly, partnering with thousands of restaurants.

In 2012, the British group Just Eat, a global leader in the sector, began investing in Allo Resto, acquiring a majority 80% stake by July 2014. This led to the company being rebranded from Allo Resto to Just Eat France in January 2018, aligning it with Just Eat's global brand identity. Under the new name, the company continued to expand its partnerships, including major chains like Domino's Pizza, KFC, and Subway. However, facing challenging market dynamics, Just Eat Takeaway.com, the parent entity after a 2020 merger, announced its intention to cease operations in France. The company confirmed its final day of operation in France would be December 9, 2024, citing the inability to build a sufficiently large and sustainably profitable business in the market.

Keywords: Alloresto.fr, Just Eat France, Sébastien Forest, food delivery, online marketplace, restaurant delivery, takeaway service, food tech, commission-based model, online ordering, Just Eat Takeaway.com, French market, food delivery platform, restaurant partnerships, home delivery, online food ordering, food service industry, digital intermediary