I have been open for 3 months now and want to begin the delivery side. We have done dine in and take out. We offer Pizza, pasta, salad, wings on our menu. Wanted to get some feedback and insite from you all about starting the delivery portion of the business. Since it will be new, I wanted to hear what has worked great and not great for you all. Suggestions for rotating existing kitchen crew, just hiring drivers, having a delivery fee, etc.
Also, since we are a primarily sit down pizzeria, I want to make sure it doesn’t slow things down for that part of the business. Should calls be routed to “back of the house” phone that handles delivery, what works best for ticket routing, etc.
Lastly, what can I expect for growth and what is the best way to market that you are now delivering?
Although I am not suggesting that you NOT offer delivery, I want you to be aware that it is equivalent to opening another business. I have two businesses- One quality pizzeria that offers Dine In and Takeout and another Delivery business that caters quality food. As long as you have that mindset you can overcome the challenges.
nail on the head…i look at it as 3 different businesses - dine in, take out, and delivery. It is easy to do 1 or 2 but doing all 3 and doing it seamlessly is not easy. I find that delivery becomes easier after your first year when you build up your customer base and can do multiple orders per run…PS hope you have a POS and you charge for delivery. Free delivery is stupid
I think the previous two posts are right on. Its just another part of the daily business that you need to pay attention to, although it can be exremely important. One of my stores does about 60% of the business through deliveries. THere is alot of potentional for new business with delivery depending on your surroundings. We do alot of business during the evenings with the hotels that surround the store and also pick up alot of business delivering to the businesses that want lunch delivered for meetings and company events. I would recommend it. You will definately want to get dedicated drivers though. Dont just think that you can rotate members of your current staff for orders as they come in.
You really need to be aware of the new insurance issues you face and how to properly protect your business in case an accident involving your delivery drivers. Another issue is properly compensating delivery drivers IAW state and federal wage laws. Mistakes in either area can be expensive legal nightmares for a small business. Doing both right while giving your customers a great product they can enjoy at conveniently at work or in the comfort of home can be very profitable. I wish you great success!
Others here know better than I on what insurance you need. Here is some info you may find useful about pay and insurance issues related to delivery:
PS hope you have a POS and you charge for delivery. Free delivery is stupid
Can you explain why ‘free delivery’ is stupid?
We’ve had ‘free delivery’ for 3 years. While I doubt our repeat customers reorder because of it, our drivers earn MUCH more in tips because of it, and therefore are MUCH more motivated workers. How is that stupid?
Selling pizzas for $5.00 is stupid. Training millions to ask for a school discount or coupon is stupid. rant pauses…
I think we’re doing good with our delivery model. Could it be bigger and better? Yes.