Food Delivery Business

Start your food delivery business by contacting wonderful local restaurants, farmers/growers, or grocery stores who do not currently deliver their quality cuisine to their customers.  

You can offer to provide home food delivery service for them and get paid to help them expand their market.  Get 5-10 growers/restaurants to start! 

Take a look at this unique food delivery business and method -- love the creativity!

This is a terrific service saving businesses the difficulty of hiring delivery drivers and keeping track of all of the logistics involved in deliveries (the are in the food business -- not the delivery business!) 

Your local neighbors will be thrilled because they can call you to get your tasty treats  (other than pizza) delivered to their home for dinner. In this fast-paced world, this is a truly a win-win business that helps local businesses, your customers, and you!  :)

There are a variety of ways to structure your food delivery business.

You can charge the restaurants you’re representing a fee for the advertising you do for them along with a small fee for each delivery.  And you’ll charge your customers a delivery fee also.  

As you hire drivers, you’ll also want to determine whether it’s best to have them work as employees or independent contractors. Make sure to check with your attorney and determine the appropriate amount of insurance required to cover your business and drivers. 

Other ways to broaden your market and maximize slower delivery periods is to offer your delivery food services with grocery stores, nutritional/health stores (offering diet food delivery services), pet food stores, “make and take” meal stores, etc. 

Your service can be terrific for busy working moms/dads, seniors, disabled folks, businesses for meetings, and individuals who hate the thought of going out to restaurants/stores. If you're close to a college campus, consider delivering your items to college students who don't have vehicles.

Have flyers printed to let your customers know what they can expect with regards to the menus or products being offered and the pricing.

Ask your local growers and/or restaurants to participate in your marketing efforts by showcasing your flyers in their businesses where regular customers will see them (e.g at their registers, in their food pick‑up windows, etc.)

Also, remember to connect with local motels where travelers are unfamiliar with local restaurants and may be tired after a day of traveling (these services have been important to me while I’ve been traveling to get a healthy meal from a recommended reputable restaurant). 

. . . And here's another terrific food delivery business success story -- Dashed!   Phil Dumontet started Dashed with his bicycle in the streets of Boston and grew his business to a $4.6 Million enterprise.  

Niche Notes!!

There are lots of fun opportunities for your food delivery service with a variety of different types of deliveries and modes of transportation meeting your interests and goals: 

1) grocery stores.

2) catering delivery.

3) nutrition/specialty food shops, local growers.

4) combine with pet food delivery service (and pet products).

5) “make and take” meal stores.

5) restaurant, wine/beer delivery services.

6) personal shopping services.

7) pick-up and drop-off dry cleaning delivery.

8) cloth diaper delivery.

9) pick-up and deliver your clients watercraft for repair or use your Sea-Doo as your delivery vehicle!  

10) Try your hand at a fast food delivery business like these young men are doing in Iowa!

Food Delivery Business -- What It Takes?

Interests/Skills:  

• Working With People
• Organization/Time Management
• Ability to remain calm during peak periods
• Driving/Biking Skills
• Management Skills – coordinating restaurant orders and drivers
• Computer skills
• Ability to use the internet with ease
• Communication skills  

Resources:  You're food delivery service will need to have a telephone system, computer, internet connection, and fax machine to take orders using a variety of methods. Also, invest in delivery food service bags or containers to keep foods hot/cold/fresh and car signs (which can be switched from car to car as drivers change).

Look for freeware or consider the purchase of a logistics management system allowing you the ability to coordinate a variety of functions at once (different restaurant orders, different drivers, different customers, etc.) While you can start this out small, you'll need help with either answering phones or a delivery driver for your deliveries.   

Of course, you'll need to decide the mode of transport you're going to use for deliveries -- bicycle, scooters, automobiles.  

Time Required:  Full-time, 30-40+ hrs/wk

Training:  Restaurant and/or delivery experience would be extremely valuable training for this type of work. Have a good understanding of the logistics required to coordinate the restaurant orders, the customers requests, and the driver responsibilities. Attend a local community college or university to take classes on business/restaurant management, marketing, logistics, etc.  Like Phil, you'll want to focus on the speed and quality of the food when it's delivered.

Market:  Restaurants, Local Families, Busy Professionals, Seniors, Disabled, Businesses

Home Based:     Yes

Internet:            Yes

Location:            Local

Start-Up Costs:    $3,000 - $25,000

Minimizing Start-Up Costs:

When beginning your food delivery business, use your current computer and fax machine. Invest in high-speed internet and a business phone number with multiple lines (so you don’t miss orders during busy periods). 

Make sure to work with your accountant/attorney when starting your business – while this may appear expensive at the time, it is a lot cheaper than setting-up your business incorrectly and not having appropriate insurance coverage, etc.  Consider less expensive vehicles if your area of delivery will allow such as bikes, mopeds, etc.

Attend local networking events to get the word out about your food delivery service to restaurant owners, small business entrepreneurs, and the public who will be willing to partner with you and utilize your services.  Leave your flyers on neighborhood doors or in other public places to let folks know about your services.  Look at advertising in small local papers or with coupon businesses.      

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