Restaurateur 102: When to Outsource Delivery…Or Not

Welcome back to the second part of our blog series on takeout success!  Last time, we here at Dean Supply explored the importance of packaging and the role it plays in maintaining a quality brand image for a restaurant’s food and reputation, and it was a huge success!  This time around we’ll focus more on the takeout delivery model itself, and compare the pros and cons of traditional in-house takeout delivery and hiring a delivery service to do it for you.

• In-House Delivery: 

A big problem a restaurant faces when developing a takeout delivery service is how to manage staff properly to transport takeout food to customers.  Using in-house delivery is often preferred because managers can maintain control of the entire operation, from vehicles to staff assignments to payroll.  Employees that make deliveries work for you, so enforcing rules and maintaining the brand identity you want is that much more precise.  In addition, in-house labor means that employees are usually familiar with regular customers and help to maintain a personable reputation in the community, stimulating repeat sales. 

• Hiring a Delivery Service:

Some might say you can’t put a price on control, but choosing to use in-house labor for deliveries generates a large range of additional costs, all of which can combine to make managing takeout deliveries both expensive and time-consuming. Using staff for deliveries means less manpower to run the restaurant, payroll issues over tips and fuel costs, and (if you’re being thorough)purchasing insurance to cover any damages or injuries in the event your drivers suffer accidents in-route.  Hiring a delivery service takes care of all that.  Often times for a flat rate, delivery services will take on all of the liability and costs for transporting your food to your customers.  That means no additional payroll, no staff shortages, and no vehicle maintenance or insurance costs.  With no logistical juggling to maintain and no risk of liability, using a delivery service can be worth the loss of direct involvement.
While there’s certainly more detailed issues we could discuss when it comes to choosing the right delivery method, Dean Supply is confident that we’ve covered the basis pros and cons of in-house delivery vs delivery services.  If you have any specific questions don’t hesitate to contact us, but in the meantime thanks for reading and keep an eye on our blog for our next post!