Do you use your smartphones for easy orders of foods? Are you satisfied with the service of food delivery? Food delivery service is the concept of ordering or calling in food from a restaurant or a fastfood chain where they would then prepare the food you have ordered, and then send a driver or rider to your sent address to deliver the food.
People nowadays don’t have enough time to prepare foods for their family and friends… They spend to eat outside for easy access of food, buy cooked foods for instant preparation and with the strict implementation of lockdowns due to COVID-19 pandemic, people tend to discover new foods around and directly order their foods food via online.
The demand for food convenience has increased by ordering through online applications. According to Katie McCann of Touchbistro, there are advantages and disadvantages of Implementing a Food Delivery Service and here they are:
Pros
1. Increased check sizes
Restaurants have seen an increase in check sizes from online and delivery orders versus dine-in orders.
2. Make up for reduced foot traffic
Most countries have started some level of reopening for restaurants, but they face pretty strict restrictions that limit the number of guests allowed to dine-in at any time. Offering delivery can help offset the income lost from closed or half-empty dining rooms while reaching new customers who are either practicing shelter-in-place or still uncomfortable going out, even as restrictions lessen.
3. More business opportunities
Sometimes customers want your food paired with the comfort of their own home. By offering delivery, you’re able to serve a wider range of customers.
4. Less overhead
If delivery becomes the bulk of your business or if you shift to a ghost kitchen model, you could look at downsizing your space to save on rent or front-of-house staff to save on labor.
5. Exposure to new customers
Delivery can help you reach new customers outside of the regulars, locals, and other customers from surrounding neighborhoods, which is especially important when restaurants are operating at reduced capacity or people are still wary about dining out. Plus, it’s even more important in urban locations, where potential customers may not have access to a car. Third-party apps can help amplify this reach, since they double as marketing platforms.
Cons
1. Less control
Whether you’re using an in-house or third-party fleet, you have less control over a customer’s experience with delivery. Customers could have a bad impression of your restaurant due to traffic or road conditions or a wrong turn – delays that have nothing to do with you or your food. If food arrives cold or poorly presented after the trip, it could negatively impact a customer’s opinion of your restaurant. You also have fewer opportunities to turn a bad experience around because you aren’t there when customers eat your food.
2. More work to implement
If you choose to fulfill deliveries in-house, you have to deal with the hassle of looking for new staff and vehicles while creating a process for a successful service.
3. Smaller profit margins
If you’re using your own delivery fleet, you have to pay for the drivers, their insurance, their gas, etc. All these costs eat into your profit margin. If you’re using third-party delivery services, again there are costs. Even the best food delivery app companies will take deep cuts of each meal delivered, which means you have to have a high volume of orders to see any real profit. Third-party delivery apps have been widely criticized for their high fees – both before but especially during the pandemic.
4. More points of contact
When working with a food delivery service, there will be more points of contact between the order being prepared and the food ending up in the hands of the customer. And, you won’t be there to ensure the driver is meeting the standards you’ve set for your restaurant. Food safety is a top priority right now, which means customers want to feel comfortable ordering from your restaurant and any extra points of contact could make them feel less safe.
Sooner or later, this pandemic will be over. However, the trend of food delivery service will still remain and will continue to flourish. In this modern era, a lot of people, when hungry, will automatically use the food delivery applications to order their favorite foods. This new trend is good, but it is still recommended to eat healthy foods prepared at home. Learn new recipes and make cooking moments a bonding time with your family. Surely, you will be amazed discovering how good you are at cooking.
NO I Zhalimar A. Jakaria-Patulada
References:
Pros and Cons of Offering Food Delivery Service
https://www.touchbistro.com/blog/pros-and-cons-of-offering-food-delivery-service/
8 challenges that delivery restaurants face and how to solve them
https://www.deliverect.com/en/blog/online-food-delivery/8-challenges-that-delivery-restaurants-face-and-how-to-solve-them
Why are Food Delivery Services Becoming so Popular? https://folo.my/blog/why-are-food-delivery-services-becoming-so-popular