You’ve heard about the pub crawl, but what about a grub crawl? With hundreds of thousands* of freshers due to flock to their new homes this September, Deliveroo launches The Grub Crawl: free foodie tours across Edinburgh, Leeds, Manchester and Bristol, to help students make new mates while grabbing a bite to eat.

Created to celebrate the launch of Deliveroo Students, a new offering available exclusively to students, The Grub Crawl is set to be this year’s ultimate Freshers Week activity. The tours are designed to encourage students to bond whilst discovering their new city, after data from Deliveroo revealed making friends (31%) is the top concern for this year’s freshers.

Arriving in Edinburgh (21st & 22nd September), Leeds (26th & 27th September), Manchester (2nd & 3rd October) and Bristol (5th & 6th October) just in time for respective Freshers Weeks, the free ‘Amsterdam-style’ pedal bike tour will give groups of students an unforgettable foodie experience.

With each Grub Crawl headed up by experienced and local student reps, participants will get a tailored ‘taste’ of their new city. Visiting four of its hottest local food spots handpicked by Deliveroo, students will also get to see the local sights and get to know each other over delicious dishes – all for free. Restaurants include Freshmex and Luxford Burgers in Edinburgh, GET BAKED and ZAAP Thai in Leeds, Almost Famous and Yum Cha in Manchester, and Oowee and Pizza Workshop in Bristol.

Food is an integral part of the university experience, so much so that 9 out of 10 (90%) of first-year students said ordering food and eating together is a great way to connect with new people. After joining clubs and societies (57%), exploring local restaurants and takeaways (55%) is one of the top activities freshers are most looking forward to, followed by attending the Freshers’ Fair (55%) and discovering local nightlife (54%).

Deliveroo Students offers a range of benefits, including free delivery across the uni year via Deliveroo Plus (valid on orders over £10 for the first three months, followed by £25+ after this), and exclusive discounts with major retailers like ASOS (15% off).

Aisha Jefferson, Global Head of Consumer Comms at Deliveroo said: “We’re so excited to be launching our new student club, Deliveroo Students, and what better way to announce it than with the Grub Crawl. It’s designed to give students the ultimate free foodie tour and help freshers discover local restaurants and meet new mates at a really exciting but equally scary time, as many first-year students move to new cities, try to make new friends, and cook for themselves for the first time.

“Our research found eating is a key bonding experience for young people, with 88% of students feeling closer to their friends after sharing a meal together. We look forward to helping our Grub Crawlers discover new and delicious restaurants on their doorstep, and maybe make some new friends along the way!”

Away from their parents’ kitchens, further research found pizza (62%), burgers (51%) and fried chicken (37%) are the most popular dishes that freshers and new university students will opt for while ordering a takeaway with friends at university. The five most popular cuisines are:

Italian (57%)
Chinese (55%)
Indian (49%)
British (38%)
Japanese (22%)

To bag a spot on the Deliveroo Students Grub Crawl, freshers need to sign up for Deliveroo Students where they can enjoy a host of benefits and tonnes more via deliveroostudents.co.uk.

Members of Deliveroo Students can simply enter for the chance to participate via deliveroostudents.co.uk/grubcrawl