March the 21st, 2021 - Croatian food delivery during the pandemic reached new heights as the majority of people were working from home, not working at all, or just fancied a taste of the food from beloved restaurants which at that time had only deliveries as a way of remaining operational.

Wolt, Glovo, Pauza and other perfectly square shaped bags attached to people hurrying along on bikes or motorcycles has become the norm in cities such as Zagreb, but just how much food have we in Croatia been ordering since the pandemic struck?

As Poslovni Dnevnik/Sergej Novosel Vuckovic writes, while most people were busy wearing only half an outfit for their zoom meetings as they worked from home, others worked out there in the field more intensively than ever, making sure that everyone who was at home could still get their hands on some of their favourite foods, even if some were coronavirus patients who likely couldn't even taste it.

One year ago, Croatian food delivery services became a much needed part of life as the "new normal" took hold, into which we were drawn by the pandemic, and in that sense the likes of Glovo proved to be a reliable partner for many Croatian residents ordering food, medicine, or other items.

"Croatian food deliveries using the Glovo application have increased by more than 300 percent since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic here in Croatia when compared to the time before the pandemic hit", they stated from Glovo, revealing what was most ordered and where.

Pauza, Wolt and others are also heavily present in various Croatian cities, and Glovo for example is present across eleven cities (Zagreb, Split, Rijeka, Osijek, Zadar, Sisak, Pula, Karlovac, Velika Gorica, Varazdin and Slavonski Brod). Data from the analysis of orders indicate that people's purchasing preferences have changed considerably because habits themselves have altered.

The differences by cities also speak about the cultural peculiarities of their inhabitants during the pandemic.

"Users in Zagreb ate twice as many carrots as those in Split did, but in Split, it seems, fresh cucumber salad was more popular than carrots were. Despite the disagreement in the preferences related to salads, both the citizens of Zagreb and the people of Split agreed on one thing - the inhabitants of both cities love beer very much,'' Glovo stated humourously.

Burgers which have been an absolute hit at various streetfood festivals over recent years, with the temporary disappearance of mass gatherings of people, have also quickly had to move online - so many have been ordered in the past 12 months that, stacked side by side, they would be as long as the entire Adriatic Highway, meaning that burgers were frequent ''riders'' in the bags of Croatian food delivery services.

Not only that, all of the Pizzas bought through Glovo in Croatia would form, if stacked, a tower as tall as 36 Zagreb cathedrals (with or without the cross which destroyed back in the earthquake last year).

"Glovo users ate 1,500 kilograms more oranges during the pandemic than they did before, and one of the most sought-after terms in the app at the beginning of the lockdown was - yeast, whose order and sales volumes were so high that more than 5000 loaves of bread could have been baked from it!'' they pointed out from this Croatian food delivery app.

In addition to food and drink, flowers were ordered thousands of times throughout the year as the opportunity to deliver them to loved ones and put a little smile on their faces during these dark times always seemed to be attractive.

For more on Croatian food delivery services/apps, eating and shopping in Croatia, follow our lifestyle page.

January 11, 2021 - 100,000 kuna has been raised through the Wolt campaign for Petrinja earthquake victims organized by three of the most famous Croatian chefs - Braco Sanjin, Hrvoje Zirojević, and Ivan Pažanin.

Dalmatinski Portal reports that the fantastic trio of Split chefs, composed of Braco Sanjin, Hrvoje Zirojević, and Ivan Pažanin, succeeded in their humanitarian action for the victims of the earthquake-affected parts of Croatia.

Recall, in cooperation with Wolt.hr and Solidarna.hr, and colleagues Stjepan Vukadin, Soniboj Grgin, the Kadena team and volunteer chefs, Sanjin, Zirojević, and Pažanin cooked a variety of traditional dishes that the citizens of Split could order from the comfort of their own homes via the Wolt food delivery platform.

Numerous small and large local entrepreneurs, family farm owners, butchers, fishers, bakers, chefs from all over Croatia, olive oil producers, spice shops, retail chains, and associations, as well as winemakers from all over Croatia, responded to the action. Thus, each customer that ordered four dishes was gifted a bottle of wine and a surprise gift.

Every day of the action, from noon to 10pm (or while supplies last), customers could order their famous pasticada with gnocchi and other traditional dishes like fuzi with truffles, seafood risotto, boiled meat with tomato sauce, bolognese, fish filet, bakalar, and more. No matter what you ordered, each dish was 60 kuna.

Most days were cut short for the famous chef trio, who were oftentimes left with only a few portions of a single dish by 4pm! 

So it's no wonder this campaign was a success. 

"Dear citizens of Split, thanks to you and numerous sponsors, we have reached our goal, and in the five days of the action, we collected 100,000 kuna. Many thanks to Wolt and Kadena Restaurant for their contribution to this charity event! And thank you to all of our colleagues," said chef Braco Sanjin upon the completion of the action. 

Bravo!

For more on the Petrinja earthquake and to see how you can donate money, food, humanitarian, sanitary, and material aid, follow our dedicated section.

January 4, 2020 - Top Croatian chefs Hrvoje Zirojević, Braco Sanjin, and Ivan Pažanin will cook for Wolt Split from Tuesday, January 5, until Sunday, January 10, with all proceeds going to Petrinja earthquake victims. 

Jutarnji List reports that in cooperation with Wolt.hr and the Solidarna.hr Foundation, the Split chefs, with colleagues Stjepan Vukadin, Soniboj Grgin, the Kadena restaurant team, and volunteer chefs, will cook delicious and creative dishes that can be ordered online through the Wolt delivery service.

This is a unique opportunity because, while enjoying this gastronomic treat, you will directly help those in the Sisak-Moslavina County area affected by the Petrinja earthquake.

"It is important to develop a system that will work, and we want to be sure that the money will go to the right hands. Because the Croatian Civil Protection Headquarters' decision has temporarily closed restaurants to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and we are unable to serve and consume food in our facilities, we are therefore quite limited. Sincerely and from the bottom of our hearts, we want to contribute to the affected areas, respecting all measures and recommendations of the Civil Protection Headquarters. We have found a solution and hope for a great response and positive reactions," said Braco Sanjin.

Thus, every day from noon to midnight, you will be able to order their famous pasticada with gnocchi and other traditional dishes that they did not want to reveal just yet. There will also be pasta and risotto according to their recipes, and the price of each dish will be 60 kuna.

Numerous small and large local entrepreneurs, family farm owners, butchers, fishers, bakers, chefs from all over Croatia, olive oil producers, spices, retail chains, and associations, as well as winemakers from all over Croatia, responded to this laudable action. Each guest who orders four dishes will receive a small token of their gratitude and a bottle of wine.

"We would like to point out that all funds raised from this action will be paid into the crisis account of the Solidarna.hr Foundation and Fund 5.5 with Petrinja and Sisak Moslavina County and by mutual agreement redirected to the neediest families for the renovation or construction of their homes," revealed chef Braco Sanjin.

This is just the beginning of their wholehearted and selfless action to the Sisak and Petrinja area victims, and they are already thinking of new action to help the way they know best - by cooking!

"This way, we want to emphasize that we sympathize with all the families who lost their homes and lost their loved ones in this great tragedy, and that united, both in all the misfortunes that have befallen us together and for good, we are all moving together towards a happier and brighter future in 2021. Many thanks to everyone who participates and who will participate," concluded chef Braco Sanjin.

For more on the Petrinja earthquake and to see how you can donate money, food, humanitarian, sanitary, and material aid, follow our dedicated section.

September 26, 2019 - There’s a new company in Split connecting restaurants to hungry customers - meet Wolt. 

The revolutionary Finnish food delivery system has opened in its third Croatian city, Split, after only nine months of operating on the Croatian market. At the end of December last year, Wolt's adventure began in Croatia, and the city of Zagreb was opened for delivery as a testing ground for the service. After only six months, Wolt started operating in Rijeka.

The company itself probably didn’t expect such success and results - however, in just ten months, the restaurant portfolio has grown eight-fold since its inception, and the Wolt app currently has more than 200 restaurants from Croatia’s three largest cities. 

The application is straightforward to use and fully customized, so the food ordering process is quick and painless. The app displays a list of all the restaurants open for deliveries, and each dish also has a photo to help the user decide what to order. Payment is accepted by card, and being able to track your order from the time the restaurant receives it until the meal arrives at your doorstep is just one of the reasons why existing customers love Wolt so much.

On average, the entire process, from the order to delivery, takes about 35 minutes. If something goes wrong, Wolt Customer Service is on hand to save the day while making sure that the user remains satisfied - their average response time is 20 seconds and customer satisfaction is 4.8 out of 5.

From wraps at Sexy Cow to Dalmatian soul food from Uje Oil Bar or fast food favorites KFC and Burger King, Wolt offers some of the city’s top restaurants wrapped up in a revolutionary delivery service that is all the buzz from Zagreb to Rijeka. Split locals and tourists can currently choose from about twenty restaurants, though this figure should increase significantly in the coming months. 

To find out if Wolt delivers to your neighborhood, check out the map below. 

Wolt is also recognized worldwide as an extremely reliable employer, and it cooperates globally with over 10,000 delivery partners. Anyone interested and eager to try their hand at delivery can apply.

The number of registered Wolt users in Croatia has already exceeded several hundred thousand, and with the opening of every new city, this number will continue to grow.

Wolt is available for Android and iOS. It is also the only application on the Croatian market that has won the Apple Editors Choice Award for Best User Experience.

You can learn more about Wolt and download the app here. 

To read more about lifestyle in Croatia, follow TCN’s dedicated page. 

Source: Splitski Dnevnik