There are several great reasons for a restaurant to begin offering delivery services.  It allows you to reach into otherwise untapped markets and increase revenue during off-peak hours.  In order for your delivery service to be truly profitable, there are several steps to consider.

Marketing

If you have an established restaurant, marketing to your current customer base will be easy. The real moneymaker for your delivery service will be reaching beyond the normal dining crowd. Social media is a great tool for building awareness around your restaurant and introducing new menu items or services. This will help you to better reach your target audience. Consider hiring a dedicated marketer or agency to spread the word about your new service.

Staffing

You’ll want to have a dedicated staff to run your delivery service. You don’t want to stretch your regular staff too thin with adding delivery responsibilities.   Having your staff remain separate will ensure focus and consistent quality. You’ll need a manager to delegate tasks, delivery drivers and a cooking staff that is trained to be efficient and adept with your delivery menu.

Partnerships

There are many services such as UberEats that are essentially online food courts. These services allow customers to browse several local restaurants and place their orders online. If you’re not partnered with these sites, it’s possible your competition will pass you by. Customers enjoy the ability to choose from a great variety of options, you need to make sure your establishment is one of those choices. Each of these services offer different things, in some cases they will handle the orders, but you’ll still be responsible for the delivery.

Quality Control

Providing quality food to your delivery customers is easier than ever, ordering special containers that keep food warm, travel well and are environmentally friendly are options available to restaurants that order in mass. Menu items that are not well suited for transportation should be removed from your delivery menu- think what may or may not travel or keep fresh while in transit. Have a QC plan, create a checklist for staff to follow before the order leaves the building, simple things such as providing utensils, napkins and straws can greatly impact the customer experience. Nothing ruins a great meal like not having a fork to eat it with. You’ll want to go to great lengths to provide your delivery drivers with the proper equipment to keep warm dishes warm, and cold drinks cold.

Business Rates

Partnering up with local businesses to provide daily lunches is a great way to develop consistent business. Many companies get together to order lunches, offering a discount for these group orders will endear you to these customers and ensure they look to you for their lunch delivery needs. This also increases your per delivery dollar amount, which impacts the bottom line in a positive way.

Mobile App

Convenience for the customer is a main point of having delivery services. Giving them the option to order via an app will make it that much easier. Be sure that your app allows the whole ordering process to go seamlessly. If there are always errors or issues with your app then people will not want to use it. Ensure that things like delivery areas and additional fees are clearly shown before the order is started. Having an app, with the appropriate functionality and engineering, has the potential to increase delivery sales.

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