The number of Chinese students that immigrate to the United Kingdom for further studies is rising every year. In 2019, 16,000 students from China arrived in the UK to pursue their education from Britain’s universities. The number was a record-high at that time, and it is subject to a continuous rise since then. Despite the rising number, these students have to face several cultural challenges due to the wide gap between the cultures.
The language barrier is the first problem that Chinese students have to face when they arrive in the United Kingdom. While Chinese students do speak and understand English, their accents get in their way. It leads to misunderstandings a becomes a reason why some of these students face difficulties in keeping up with the pace. Besides the language barrier, there is a difference in the attitudes towards learning. The learning methodology of these students revolves around the concepts of ‘memorization’ and ‘following instructions.’ Due to this, the way these students approach their subjects is way different than that of the native students.
While all these problems are about learning obstacles, there is one issue that frustrates these students, and that is the unavailability of authentic Chinese cuisine. Homesickness is something not uncommon among international students and not being able to enjoy their country’s cuisine. Eric Liu, a graduate of the University of Nottingham, was one of the Chinese students studying in the UK. He went through all these problems, and it was after graduating that he decided to make things better for all other Chinese students.
To help these students fight homesickness, he came up with the concept of food delivery service, specifically for the Chinese students. This was when HungryPanda was launched in Nottingham. Even though food delivery services such as UberEats, FoodPanda, and others were operating in this area, what set HungryPanda apart was its focus, which was primarily on Chinese students.
Initially, Eric’s specialist online food delivery platform was operating across cities in the United Kingdom and planned to expand its services outside the UK. Today, this food delivery service has expanded its network to thirty-one cities in the UK.
Helping Chinese Immigrants Adjust to the ‘New’ Environment
Immigrants, regardless of which part of the world they move to, have a problem adjusting to the different environments. It takes time, effort, and a lot of sleepless nights to acclimatize to the ‘new’ environment.
HungryPanda, with its headquarters in London, is changing things for Chinese immigrants. The problem of not finding authentic Chinese cuisine is not just confined within the UK borders. The problem exceeds further in the United States and other parts of the world.
The customer-centric food delivery service was established upon a vision “to become the global market-leading platform that enables overseas Chinese business in the food industry and connects Chinese food to all consumers who enjoy it.” Chinese communities make a major portion of the world’s population, and this company was established to address their needs.
When asked about what purpose does Eric aims to fulfill with HungryPanda, he stated, “I want the business to promote the cooking culture and goods of China out into the world. Not only will this give people an easier and healthier life, but it will also fill the gap that current food delivery companies are not filling.”
The HungryPanda app feature’s a design that aligns with the user needs and preferences. The developers of the app have brought into consideration all factors that contribute to the quality of user experience.
Much More than Just a Food Delivery Service
The company not only comes as a blessing for all those Chinese-cuisine lovers, but it also hopes to achieve its mission to “connect merchants to consumers via its state-of-the-art online platform and industry-leading delivery service.” Other missions that the Eric hopes to achieve through this platform are, “consolidate the end-to-end value chain of the overseas Chinese food industry to leverage efficiency and scale,” and “create business opportunities via our far-reaching business network and digital solution.”
At the time the company came into existence, it was operating across Nottingham. It now operates across thirty-one cities in the UK alone. All in all, this company offers its services to more than sixty cities across France, Australia, New Zealand, the US, and Canada. It uses state-of-the-art technology to bring people a satisfying food delivery experience. Their innovative technical products, including a data-driven dispatch system, an efficient method of delivering orders based on both real-time data and historical data, make this food delivery service stand atop its competitors. The cause of the company is recognized by major platforms, and in February, HungryPanda acquired $20 million funds from 83North and Felix Capital.
The company is turning into a global leader in delivering Chinese food and is adapting to the changing demographics. After COVID-19 hit the world, the platform has expanded its portfolio to include grocery deliveries. Eric’s HungryPanda is changing the game for Chinese compatriots and students abroad with its specialization in Chinese food delivery!