100 Things Challenge - 008 - Sherpa's!
"Every time you order Sherpa's, an angel gets her wings..."
~ overheard at a bar. While drunk. Might have been me.
You cannot live in Shanghai for more than a few days before you discover what Sherpa's is. Unless of course, you're a local, in which case this rule doesn't apply for you are level-headed, frugal, and able to cook foodstuffs that don't taste of charcoal and BLARGH. If, however, you are an ex-pat, you very quickly become acquainted with these wonderful angels of mercy who brave the wind and water (except during typhoon season) and deliver at all hours of the night (as long as the restaurant's open and it's not a holiday) and thus deliver us all from starvation.
Ah, Sherpa's. My lovely delivery boys. I first became acquainted with them through a copy of the City Weekend guidebook when I was desperate for a decent slice of pizza (and no, Pizza Hut SO does NOT count). It was through Sherpa's that I was able to quell my cravings with Domino's (until they got their own service and divorced Sherpa's - it was a sad and bitter affair) and then later on, New York City pizza.
If you watch the traffic in Shanghai (street level - Sherpa's boys don't do overhead roads), eventually you will see the orange and black uniform of the Sherpa's delivery men, riding proudly on the backs of the orange and black scooters provided to them. Wave to them and treat them kindly, for one day they may be coming to you with hot precious food cargoes in tow.
This is an authentic Sherpa's delivery boy. Note the crispness of his jacket,
the elegant handling of the thermal bag, the shiny-ness of the polished helmet,
and the trademark Sherpa's grin. Don't be fooled by scowlers. Real Sherpa's
boys smile when they deliver food to you.
You can pick up a copy of the Sherpa's delivery guide at any western restaurant or hotel. Alternatively, you can call the number and give them the name of the restaurant and tell them what you want - and then request that they bring you an updated book.
The best way to do it though, is online. Simply go to: http://www.sherpa.com.cn and sign up. They have an English website that is simple to use with a nice clean layout that's super easy to navigate. You need to know your road and the nearest intersection but you can type it in using Pinyin (the English alphabet) and it will automatically convert it to simple Chinese. Once you've signed up, check out the online menus!
When it's my turn to cook, I pick up my 'ingredients' here.
First it shows you a list of restaurants that are close to you. As you can see, Food Fusion (as an example) is within the 15rmb delivery fee zone and takes about 45 minutes or less. Subway is in the 20rmb delivery zone, and will take 50 minutes or less.
Click on the restaurant and then make your order. The website will ask you to confirm, and then PRESTO - it's sent off to Sherpa's HQ. Within five minutes, you'll get a confirmation email from Sherpa's. Check it to make sure everything's okay. If there's a problem, you can either call them directly (and at the same time, get your number and address saved into their database so you can call from anywhere next time) or hop back online and talk to a service rep right away.
Sherpa's is always polite and willing to handle problems. For example, we have a food allergy in the form of mayonnaise in my apartment (Kat and the kid). I don't like mayo either, and I've never had trouble asking for it to be removed in the notes section. Until one time we ordered from Burger King and all the burgers came with mayo on them. We didn't see this until after the Sherpa's man had come and gone. We hopped online, got a service rep in the chat room and explained the problem. She saw my 3+ year history in dealing with Sherpa's, and instantly reordered the food, free of charge. We were told to keep or dispose of the previous order as we saw fit. Now THAT'S courtesy.
Another moment comes to mind - I specified that I wouldn't be home until 6:00 and pre-ordered for 6:30. The delivery guy arrived at 5:50 and patiently waited until I arrived at 6:10, never once losing his Sherpa's smile, even though it was a cold and rainy day that day.
Tipping is not required, but I always tip my Sherpa's between 10-25 yuan, depending on order size. I've had Sherpa's men greet me by name and I've almost never had a problem with my food being mishandled or cold and I like to think it's because I try to make it worth their while. Though really, it's probably because all Sherpa's delivery guys are made of awesome. ^__^
Sherpa's delivery service: 6209-6209
Website: http://www.sherpa.com.cn
Fees: depends on where you live - range from 15yuan to 120 yuan in outer districts.
Available: in Shanghai, Beijing, Suzhou and Hangzhou
Brought to you by tonights dinner from Malones - BBQ Babyback ribs and crispy wedges. Mmmmmm!