Dodo Pizza receives Russian backlash after launching contactless delivery service

Various retailers, including Dunelm and Domino’s Pizza, have been introducing contactless delivery services during the coronavirus outbreak.

But the offering is not popular in Russia, if feedback from Dodo Pizza is to be believed. Very few coronavirus cases have been reported in the country. Given that Russia has strong travel, emigration, immigration and trade relationships with China, low numbers raise questions.

The European Union’s warning that pro-Kremlin media has “been prominent in spreading disinformation” about Covid-19 should come as no surprise to anybody following Vladimir Putin’s antics over the last few years.

Dodo Pizza has introduced contactless delivery in Russia and says that customers are “pissed off”. “There are only 147 officially confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the country. Some people cast doubt on this data, considering the size of Russia and its vast borders with China. But others remain completely ignorant. And the farther you go from the capital, the less concerned people are,” Dodo Pizza’s Max Kotin said on LinkedIn.

‘So, not a small percentage of them have no idea why we’re doing contactless delivery. And some are even scolding our drivers who don’t hand them pizza over directly and instead put their bag on the floor and leave the pizza box on it while taking a few steps back to minimise risks. And instead of "thank you," they hear this: “What am I, a dog to you? Why do you leave it on the floor?” he added.

Dodo Pizza is, therefore, rethinking its communications regarding contactless delivery. “It’s an interesting problem to have, for such a time,” Kotin concluded.

Hitting 600

Dodo Pizza recently opened its 600th store. This is situated in China and is its second cashless "pizzeria of the future" in Hangzhou (payments go through its app on WeChat). The unit is just 20 square metres in size (kitchen - 7 sq.m.).

“We invested, and it's hard to believe it, only $16,000. With such CAPEX, if this shop manages to reach its financial targets, we'll be able to grow our brand in China really fast,” CEO Fyodor Ovchinnikov said on LinkedIn.

“The opening is the result of a big team effort. I'm extremely proud of our China team. Guys, you showed character, were determined in pursuing our goals and put a lot of work into this project. You're amazing!” he concluded.

Dodo Pizza is headquartered in Russia and has outlets in that country, Kazakhstan, USA, UK, China, Estonia, Lithuania, Romania, Slovenia, Belarus, Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan. As for the tech side of things, the venture has developed Dodo IS, an online application that provides management with real-time data