Self-delivery services are becoming increasingly convenient since they allow customers to order from their homes instead of having to physically visit a restaurant.
While many food service establishments around Malaysia remain closed for on-premise dining because of the COVID-19 pandemic, demand for restaurant delivery has skyrocketed.
For many restaurants and bars, fulfilling Self-delivery is a better option than outsourcing. Whether you want to launch or ramp up your restaurant delivery service, this article is for you.
Three models for restaurant delivery
Weigh all of your delivery options before choosing the system that works best for your business.
Third-party delivery for restaurants
This option involves outsourcing deliveries to drivers from third-party services like Grabfood or Shopeefood. While this is a popular and convenient choice that also helps expose your restaurant to new audiences, these services typically take 20%-30% commission and your restaurant loses control of the delivery experience.
Self-delivery
Self-delivery refers to fulfilling delivery orders with your own drivers. While this delivery model can take some time and resources to set up, it ultimately lets you retain more profits and have control of the delivery experience.
Hybrid restaurant delivery model
Many restaurants fulfill deliveries by splitting orders between their own fleet and third-party delivery drivers. This option lets you fulfill more orders while keeping some of the profits. A hybrid model can also refer to taking orders through third-party platforms but fulfilling deliveries with your own fleet.
Benefits of Starting a Self-Delivery Service
Access to complete control
One of the essential perks of owning a self-delivery system is that you have absolute control over the delivery process, which helps you fulfill customers’ expectations. By defining your own strategies and delivery standards, you can increase the effectiveness of your delivery operations with improved delivery staff management.
It won’t affect your business in no manner. Instead, it will enable you to have total control over how the operations of delivery services are managed by streamlining your delivery processes with complete automation.
Provide better service for customers
It is essential to provide your consumers with high-quality food delivery services at their doorstep if you want them to order from you again.
With a self-delivery system, you can not only train your self-delivery team but also design your own business model, pickup and delivery model, and delivery menu. Your self-delivery business has entire authority over the delivery experience, from taking orders to assigning delivery drivers.
Your reliable staff members oversee the entire order procedure
Since they are the ones who communicate with customers, you can be absolutely sure that they will provide the best services you expect.
If customers make special requests, your restaurant is better equipped to fulfill them. These strategies are most effective in improving the overall customer experience and retaining them.
Make higher profits
One of the benefits of the food delivery industry is that having self-delivery services can dramatically increase your restaurant’s revenue. Restaurants with a self-delivery system stand to make more income and profit from every order. A self-delivery system also eliminates recurrent charges and other hidden commissions connected with third-party services.
Although establishing a restaurant-owned delivery operation requires a significant investment, not having to pay huge commission fees to a third-party food delivery company can prove to be advantageous in the long run. Restaurants frequently have to revise online menu prices to accommodate commission fees for online ordering platforms, which dissuades customers from placing orders. Restaurants can offer better menu prices by avoiding the high percentages paid to third-party service platforms, making deliveries more appealing to potential customers.
Optimize delivery time
According to a survey, 73.4% of customers in Malaysia consider the speed of the service an important aspect when requesting a food delivery.
When customers make orders via third-party apps for food delivery, the food delivery executives assigned by them could be juggling orders from multiple restaurants at the same time. This can sometimes result in delayed orders and tarnish a restaurant’s reputation.
A self-delivery driver, on the other hand, takes less time to fulfill the order because the order requests of customers are unique to a particular restaurant.
Restaurant management can directly assign a delivery executive as soon as the order is ready, thus optimizing the delivery window and maximizing the number of order requests fulfilled in a specific timeframe.
Eliminate the communication gap
For delivery-only models, drop-off orders on the customer’s doorstep is the only source of direct contact with them. By delegating this responsibility to a third-party service provider, you lose potential customer interaction and involvement opportunities.
One of the benefits of the food delivery industry is that if you choose a self-delivery delivery model, on the other hand, it will eliminate the risk associated with a third-party delivery company. From the point order for food is placed until it is delivered, the only people involved in the communication are your self-delivery staff and your customers.
Your restaurant is in a better spot to stay in touch with your customers throughout the order cycle. This facilitates gathering customer feedback and implementation of required changes easier.
As you must know, personal communication improves the customer experience. Therefore, using a self-delivery system increases customer satisfaction while preventing potential communication gaps about orders and deliveries.
Now that you’re aware of all the significant advantages, let’s learn how to start a self-delivery service effectively and efficiently.
How to start a self-delivery service for your restaurant
Starting a delivery service can take a lot of leg work upfront, but it’s worth it. Here’s how to do it in five steps.
1. Get online ordering technology
Equip your restaurant with an online ordering tool. While third-party services like Grabfood will let you fulfill your own deliveries, they don’t necessarily integrate with your POS. Use an online ordering platform, such asOrderPin(it will help to create an online ordering page for free), that processes payments and integrates with your POS to speed up and streamline deliveries.
2. Staff up
Next, you need to assess your staffing needs. Do you have enough manpower to cook orders, package them and bring them to customers? Do you need to hire drivers, or an existing staff fill that role?
If you’re using your existing team, make sure they can handle the workload. If you want to hire drivers, ask fellow restaurateurs for recommendations. You could even create a driver co-op by partnering with other restaurants.
Make sure your drivers have a valid driver’s license, clean driving record, and talent for customer service. If they have their own vehicle, that’s a bonus.
3. Equip your restaurant with vehicles
Decide if you’ll use a company vehicle for deliveries, or if the drivers will need to supply their own vehicles. Buying a company vehicle will give you more control. While this option can be costly, you may be able to write off the payments as business expenses. If drivers use their own vehicles, plan on compensating them for gas and upkeep, and equipping them with commercial vehicle insurance.
You have several options when it comes to delivery vehicles.
Cars are the most expensive option. They also can hold a lot of food, are comfortable for drivers, and let you have a wider delivery radius.
Motor scooters and motorbikes are good middle options between cars and analog bikes. They’re more affordable than cars and can weave through traffic better than cars. However, they can carry less food than cars and aren’t temperature controlled.
Bikes are a popular option for congested cities with favorable climates. While they’re the most affordable vehicle to operate and maintain, they can’t transport as much food as cars and mopeds and will limit your delivery radius. Ultimately, the best delivery vehicle for your restaurant will depend entirely on your unique needs, type of food, and location.
4. Train your delivery drivers
Training your drivers in delivery logistics and customer service is critical.
Create a delivery process and teach drivers how to follow it. Develop a system for creating and optimizing routes, and communicating new pickups and deliveries. Don’t forget to train your drivers in COVID-19 safety protocols, like contactless deliveries and payments.
Personalized service will differentiate your restaurant from those that use outsourced delivery drivers, so make your customer service training count. Give your delivery drivers the same training your front-of-house staff would get. Provide drivers with tips for how to courteously communicate delays to customers, where to drop off bags of food, and how to engage with customers.
5. Stock up on delivery equipment
Get the right delivery equipment to ensure a quality drop-off. Insulated bags, takeout containers, and plasticware are the bare minimum of what you’ll need.
Consider inserting notecards in each delivery bag that includes a thank you note, reheating instructions, promotions, and information about your COVID-19 safety measures.
Choose Your POS
No matter what delivery models you are running, by utilizing the right online ordering software, you can handle significant growth in your delivery business, provide exceptional customer service, and reduce expenses related to shipping.Implementing a POS system that includes digital/online ordering capabilitieswill allow you to quickly launch your delivery business. OrderPin POS can help to create an online store ordering page for your F&B business at zero cost, and also help to boost your sales with the delivery platform integration feature.
