How do I set up my restaurant delivery

Posted by Damian Roberti on

How do I set up my restaurant delivery

 

 The Step-by-Step Guide to Organizing Your Restaurant's Delivery Service


How do I set up my restaurant delivery


The restaurant business is experiencing explosive growth in a number of areas, two of which are food delivery and takeout services. It is estimated that sixty percent of consumers in the United States order takeout or delivery at least once each week. A greater need for convenience and speedy service has resulted in a proliferation of food delivery and related ancillary services, such as curbside pickup and delivery without human interaction. Delivery services have provided an additional source of revenue for eateries that have been negatively impacted by the pandemic.

If you are considering hiring a delivery service for your restaurant, one of the first considerations you will need to make is whether or not you will put together your own staff or work with a third-party organization. Continue reading to find out more about how to select the best service for your needs and preferences.



If you are prepared to expand your restaurant's offerings to include delivery services, the following steps will get you started:

1. Designate a Location for Package Receiving

You may help your delivery drivers improve their productivity and go around a queue of clients waiting to pick up their purchases by designating a specific location within your business where they can do so. Carry-out areas for clients who are picking up their orders might also be located in this portion of the room.

How do I set up my restaurant delivery


If you want to be even more efficient, you should designate a specific area for personnel who are only responsible for handling take-out orders and package delivery. Customers who did not pay over the phone or online should be directed to a specific checkout counter for takeout orders.

2. Ensure that your technology is up to date.

Your customers will have an easier time viewing your menu, placing their orders, and digitally paying for the services they receive if you offer an online ordering platform. This removes the need to take orders over the phone, which may be a time-consuming process that also increases the likelihood of errors being made in the meal order. Mobile ordering apps make it easier for customers to place orders regardless of where they are, whether they are at home, on the move, or at the office. This applies to all of the aforementioned settings. Your delivery business will be able to function more efficiently and will be able to draw in more clients if you upgrade the technology that is used to take orders.

3. Educate Employees Working in Food Delivery Services

If you decide to start your own delivery fleet, you need set aside some time to develop a training program for the people who will be driving your vehicles. Teach your drivers how to securely load food and drink orders into their vehicles, how to use insulated delivery bags, and how to safely hand the goods over to your customers.
How do I set up my restaurant delivery
If you choose a third-party delivery service, you won't have to spend time and money teaching your own drivers how to do their jobs because those organizations already have their own teams of experienced delivery drivers. Having said that, it is still the responsibility of your in-house team to package all of the orders and make them available for pickup. Especially on nights that are particularly busy, it is helpful to dedicate one or two team members just for the purpose of boxing up take-out orders. You should train the members of your take-out staff to verify the accuracy of the orders, to package them so that they can be transported, and to include any essential condiments or cutlery. They should be aware of where to place orders when they are ready, and they should also make certain that the appropriate order is communicated to the delivery courier.

4. Create a Menu for Home Delivery

Creating a distinct menu for delivery purposes helps to streamline the preparation and packaging processes for your workers. To get started, pick one or more of the things from the menu that you enjoy eating the most. Steer clear of items that have the potential to become excessively mushy or melted after being placed in sealed carry-out containers. Additionally, consult your employees to find out which entrees and sides they believe would make valuable additions to your delivery menu.

5. Supplies for Delivery That Are in Stock

It is imperative that you have an adequate supply of take-out containers, cutlery, napkins, lids, cups, pizza boxes, condiments, and insulated food delivery bags so that your team is never without the necessary goods to fulfill an order.



The starting price for Insulated Food Delivery Bags is .99.
Prices start at $3.39 for deli containers and start at $9.99 for pizza delivery bags.


How do I set up my restaurant delivery



6. Make Initial Contact with Food Delivery Services

If you decide to use the services of a third-party delivery company, you should familiarize yourself with the delivery couriers who service your area. The goal is to achieve maximum efficiency through collaboration in order to fulfill delivery requests in the shortest amount of time possible. When your in-house team and third-party couriers are able to contact with one another and properly transfer orders or information, this will become much simpler to accomplish. Determine who on your team will serve as the primary point of contact with the delivery drivers for each shift, and designate that person.

What Are the Benefits to Your Restaurant of Providing Delivery Services?

If increasing your restaurant's sales is one of your primary goals, offering a delivery service can help you stand out from the crowd of other eateries in the area, or at the very least, keep up with what they're doing. Keep in mind that growing your brand through delivery will only be possible if you already have a presence in the industry and a dedicated customer base. If prospective clients are unfamiliar with your company, they will be unable to place orders with you. Customers who have never tasted your cuisine before may become potential buyers once you begin offering delivery services; as a result, your business may experience a rise in revenue as a result.

Before you decide to join on the delivery bandwagon, you should first consider whether or not it is compatible with the model of your organization. Delivery is not typically appropriate for establishments serving fine dining, for example, and you should steer clear of it if your cuisine will not maintain its quality throughout delivery. If you want to avoid losing consumers, the last thing you want to do is disappoint them with mediocre cuisine that is delivered to their door.

How do I set up my restaurant delivery


Millennial consumers can be attracted by offering delivery services.

Another fantastic strategy for increasing the number of Millennials (also known as Generation Y) that patronize your restaurant is to offer delivery services, either in-house or through a third party. According to the most recent census in the United States, the size of the Millennial generation (those who are presently aged between 25 and 39) has officially overtaken the size of the Baby Boomer generation, making them an enormously important demographic. Members of Generation Y place a higher priority on ease of use and rapid accessibility than they do on low prices, making them a rich target market for restaurants that offer delivery services.

How do I set up my restaurant delivery

How do I set up my restaurant delivery


Remember that the clients who belong to Generation Y are not likely to be loyal to any particular third-party delivery provider. This is an essential fact about these customers that you must keep in mind. Therefore, it is highly recommended that you investigate the possibility of employing multiple delivery services. As a consequence of this, you should avoid signing any contracts that contain clauses of exclusivity. When deciding what to get, another factor that influences Millennials' choices is whether or not the delivery platform allows consumers to earn awards and points for their purchases. If you can, aim to partner with delivery platforms that offer this perk. How do I set up my restaurant delivery

During times of pandemic restrictions, delivery and takeout are excellent options.

Due to the widespread spread of the coronavirus pandemic, many people have been compelled to stay inside their homes. For those people who are unable to leave their homes to go grocery shopping, food delivery services have become incredibly important. It is possible for your business to generate additional streams of revenue by providing delivery as an additional option for customers. Customers should be informed through social media and your website that in order to comply with government guidelines, the restaurant will no longer be accepting dine-in customers but will instead focus on providing delivery, drive-through service, and takeout options.

What Are the Advantages of Developing a Delivery Team Within the Organization?
How do I set up my restaurant delivery
Are you interested in learning how to initiate a restaurant delivery service at your business? Before immediately turning to a third-party provider, you should think about whether or not you have the resources (time and money) necessary to train and construct an in-house delivery team instead. Starbucks and Panera Bread are two well-known businesses that are examples of enterprises that use this type of delivery approach.

One of the most important advantages of establishing a delivery service for your restaurant is the removal of any possibility that customers may think of the delivery service before they consider patronizing your establishment. You will not only increase customer loyalty and visibility, but you will also protect yourself from being overshadowed by large third-party services that your competitors may be using.

How do I set up my restaurant delivery


Recent research has shown that the majority of customers (76%) would rather place their orders directly with the restaurant of their choice as opposed to utilizing the services of a third-party delivery company. When compared to using the services of third parties, the cost of keeping your own delivery team might be between 46 and 50 percent lower on average. Because of this, your revenue will also increase, as you will be able to keep the entire earnings from each meal that is served to your customers.

Finally, if your company makes the decision to develop its own delivery crew, it will have full control over the entire dining experience of the customer. This includes everything from the ordering process and meal preparation to the delivery of the meal and the receipt of payment. Instead of the unknown personnel of third-party organizations, it will be your trusted employees who are the ones communicating with clients.

How do I set up my restaurant delivery


What Are Some of the Possible Drawbacks Associated with Constructing an In-House Delivery Team?

How do I set up my restaurant delivery


Despite the fact that organizing and managing your very own delivery staff comes with a number of advantages, this isn't something that can be reasonably expected from every eating establishment. If you own a small business, the likelihood is high that you do not wish to spend the additional cash on hiring in-house delivery workers. In a similar vein, if you look about for different service providers, you should be able to discover a third-party company that charges a lower commission and will contribute to the bottom line of your small business while also increasing your profit margins.

What Exactly Is Meant by Food Delivery by Third Parties?

To put it more simply, third-party meal delivery companies work in collaboration with restaurants to provide food to consumers who are hungry. This is in contrast to in-house delivery services, in which firms hire their own delivery drivers or educate current staff to deliver food. In-house delivery services are provided by businesses.

How do I set up my restaurant delivery


Companies That Deliver Packages on Behalf of Others

These alternatives come with their own food delivery applications, which is one of the reasons why they are so enticing. Despite the fact that there is a huge variety of services provided by third parties to choose from, the following are some of the most common ones:

 

 

 

 

How do I set up my restaurant delivery


Caviar is an application that enables users to view photographs of restaurant menus and monitor the whereabouts of their orders using real-time GPS.
DoorDash allows customers to track their deliveries, reorder their food quickly and easily, plan their deliveries in advance, pay for their orders easily and conveniently online, and there are no order minimums.
Grubhub is a platform that enables customers to view menus, place orders, and pay using various online payment methods such as Apple Pay and PayPal.
Postmates is a food delivery service in which employees of Postmates call the client's order into participating restaurants, after which the item is picked up and delivered to the consumer. Postmates, which advertises itself as "Uber for Stuff" and offers real-time tracking and delivery services, claims to be able to deliver food and other items from practically every restaurant to virtually any location.
Users of the Uber Eats online ordering and delivery platform are able to explore menus, have their position determined by GPS, buy food by entering their payment information online, and have it delivered to them.
Yelp Eat24 is a service that, within seconds, faxes each customer's order to the restaurant of their choice. The app will first ensure that the restaurant has received the order, after which it will arrange for the meal to be picked up and brought to you.

How do I set up my restaurant delivery


Chains That Utilize the Services Of Third-Party Delivery Companies

The usage of third-party delivery services is most common among establishments with a single physical location, although the following chains are also beginning to implement similar delivery systems in certain areas of the country:

7-Eleven via DoorDash
Through Postmates: Auntie Anne's, Carvel, and Cinnabon; through Postmates: Chipotle; through DoorDash: Dunkin' Donuts;
Delivery from McDonald's, Moe's Southwest Grill, Starbucks, and Taco Bell can be ordered through DoorDash, Postmates, and other similar services.
What Kind of Benefits Can You Expect to Receive from Forming Partnerships with Third-Party Delivery Companies?

Working together with a delivery service that is provided by a third party can result in a number of advantageous outcomes. These firms make it possible for you to reduce the number of clients you lose as a result of busy signals or lengthy wait times on your phones, in addition to enhancing the visibility of your brand and driving up sales. Employing a third-party service is also a prudent alternative for companies whose managers and owners do not wish to take on the burden of recruiting and instructing a delivery crew that operates within the company itself.

Your clients will also value the fact that third-party services make it possible for them to do repeat transactions and may even offer apps that save their credit card information in order to make ordering from them in the future as simple as possible. Many of these businesses are also in rivalry with one another in order to recruit more businesses, which can help drive down service rates and commissions. The goal of this competition is to increase business.

How do I set up my restaurant delivery


What Are Some of the Possible Drawbacks Involved in Forming Partnerships with Third-Party Delivery Companies?

In spite of the fact that using a third-party delivery service is supposed to bring in more money for your company, you should be aware of the significant liability concerns involved. In addition to the possibility of third-party drivers becoming involved in automotive accidents, there is also the possibility that clients will contract foodborne illnesses as a result of meals that have been left in a car for an excessive amount of time. Even though your restaurant is not directly to blame for these problems, you still need to be ready to defend your company in the event that something happens.
How do I set up my restaurant delivery
You should create written partnership agreements with every delivery provider that you collaborate with so that you can reduce the amount of risk you take on. Provisions for the following should be included in these documents:

Demand that companies who deliver food adhere to the standards set by the industry on the safe handling of food (including temperature maintenance). In a similar vein, choose for services that make use of GPS tracking in order to definitively demonstrate liability in the event that food-borne illnesses occur.
Insist that drivers give confirmation that they are insured and that they have clear ownership of their vehicles.
Include particular language that holds the third-party service entirely accountable for any issues that arise while the shipment is in transit.
Insist that the delivery company provide proof of insurance that specifically specifies each of the companies with which they are affiliated.
You should put precise disclaimer language on your website, delivery menus, and printed ads in order to be ready for any concerns or objections that may be raised by potential customers.
What Kind of Effects Does the Growth of Delivery Services Have on the Restaurant Industry?

How do I set up my restaurant delivery


Do you have any idea why food delivery services offered by internet restaurants have grown so popular among customers? To begin, the consumers are able to place their orders without having to leave their homes or places of employment thanks to the convenience offered by these services. People are more likely to explore new businesses and cuisines as a result of services like this since they are given the opportunity to peruse the menus of restaurants they were previously unfamiliar with.

According to the findings of a number of studies, companies who use third-party delivery are going to see an increase in both their sales and their profitability as the trend continues to gain popularity. On the other hand, many industry professionals are of the opinion that a refusal to embrace delivery will be detrimental to organizations that provide food service. Because the food service industry in the United States is worth more than 863 billion dollars, it is inevitable that delivery will have a significant and long-lasting effect on thousands of businesses.

Last but not least, you need to check to see if your company has, mistakenly and without your awareness, been working with unapproved third-party delivery providers. You might not even be aware that the restaurant you frequent is working with a delivery service due to the fact that companies like Postmates call in or place orders online for consumers on their behalf and then pick them up (completely excluding the customer from the ordering process). This does not imply that you should not utilize Postmates; nevertheless, it does demonstrate the need of ensuring that all necessary contracts and agreements are in place before employing the services of any third-party provider.


How do I set up my restaurant delivery



Delivery services are being implemented at an increasing number of businesses, including grocery stores, convenience stores, coffee shops, and family restaurants. If you make the decision to add a meal delivery service to your company, the most essential choice you'll have to make is whether or not to contract with an outside company or train your own employees to perform the delivery duties. No matter what you decide to do, if you utilize delivery in a strategic manner, you can increase both the visibility of your brand and your revenue at the same time.