According to Market Watch, food delivery has more than doubled in the past couple of years, which industry observers say is a direct result of the pandemic. More people are choosing contactless, convenient options for their work time lunches and evening dinners. But, as the pandemic slowly winds its way down (very slowly in some regions), it’s essential to ask the question: are those food delivery services doing all they can to offer value to customers? Are they helping small businesses?
For a time, people made peace with paying steep service fees and waiting over an hour for delivery since further options for safe delivery were limited. Now, perhaps, it’s time to demand more.
A new wave of food delivery services, including forward-thinking platforms like get REEF, are revisiting the old food delivery models. They are exploring ways to get food delivered to your doorstep without the hassle and cost. In this post, let’s look at what this new wave of food delivery offers – and what you should be demanding from your meal delivery service.
Speed Is Essential
Between placing your order and the food arriving, a lot can happen. Your meal can get soggy and cold. Your appetite can wane or grow uncomfortably. And your dinner guests can get irritated by the delay.
That’s why speed is essential. You want your food to get to you as quickly as possible so you can enjoy a fresh, hot meal when you want it. Several food delivery platforms take a lax approach to timing, giving one estimate and then taking much longer.
But the new wave of food delivery platforms aims to streamline the process. They deliver your meal in 30 minutes or less. They can achieve this because they operate several delivery kitchens in neighborhood hubs, so you’re always getting food from a nearby restaurant.
Fight the Tacked-on Fees
Because this new wave for food delivery operates a network of neighborhood kitchens (rather than shipping your meal from the other side of town), they can offer fee-less delivery: no steep delivery fee, no costly service fee. You just pay for your meal and the applicable taxes.
Not everyone who orders delivery can afford the tacked-on costs. Many people need to order delivery – for safety and/or accessibility reasons – and these new delivery services allow them to get their meals without paying a premium.
Find Community-Oriented Services
Finally, food delivery services should benefit businesses and communities, too – not just consumers. Several restaurateurs have complained that the big, third-party delivery apps take far too much from their profits. Moreover, delivery vehicles traversing cities to reach distant destinations add to urban congestion and pollution.
Food delivery services that operate through a network of community hubs help solve this problem. Restaurateurs can open modular businesses and enter new neighborhoods without upfront investments. And they can serve their immediate community without placing more cars on the road.
It isn’t unreasonable to ask more from your food delivery service. Thankfully, a new crop of delivery services has emerged to address consumer needs and provide a more equitable model for business owners.
You may also read: Options of Reliable Takeaway Delivery Service
