In the midst of the current COVID-19 outbreak, which has been difficult for foodservice businesses, doorstep meal delivery has surfaced as a feasible option. Restaurant owners are increasingly shifting their focus to the online food delivery model in order to reach out to more customers while preserving their profits. When considering whether to utilise a third-party service or set up an in-house delivery system for your restaurant design, one of the most important considerations is whether to employ a third-party service.
While working with third-party services has its advantages, it also comes with costly commissions that can add to your costs. Having an in-house delivery system, of course, is a terrific way to streamline delivery operations and ensure that third-party delivery partners don’t take over your food delivery.
7 Advantages Of An In-house Delivery System For Restaurant design
Restaurants can engage a trained crew of dedicated delivery staff and purchase their own fleet of cars to deliver food packs to clients with an in-house delivery system. A fully-owned delivery system gives you more control over the delivery process, improves customer satisfaction, and increases revenue.
Maintaining your own delivery fleet is also less expensive than paying aggregators large commissions. For food services with restricted access to third-party delivery companies due to their location, creating an in-house delivery fleet is also an appealing option.
Let’s take a look at the several advantages of having a restaurant’s own delivery system.
1. Complete Command
One of the major benefits of having your own delivery system is that you do have complete control over the delivery process and can better match consumer expectations. If there is a problem with mismanagement or route optimization, you can make immediate modifications without contacting a third-party company. The establishment has full control over how delivery companies are managed and how delivery personnel are trained.
You can improve the effectiveness of your delivery operations by establishing your own methods and delivery rules with improved staff management. You may also incorporate a powerful delivery management programme that automates and optimizes the entire delivery process.
2. Customers will receive better service.
It’s critical to provide clients with a fantastic doorstep meal delivery experience if you want them to order again. Not only would you be ready to practice your delivery crew with an in-house delivery system, but then you’d be able to choose your own distribution model and product line. Your restaurant manages the entire delivery process, from taking orders to designating the delivery executive.
Your trusted staff are in charge of the entire order cycle. Because they are the ones who interact with clients, you can rest assured that they will provide the services you desire. If a customer requests a particular order, your company is better positioned to fulfil it, improving the customer’s entire experience. These strategies are the most effective at retaining customers and improving their experience.
3. Reduced Delivery Time
When a consumer puts an order through a third-party food delivery app, the food delivery executive assigned by the food aggregators may be managing orders from multiple restaurants at once. This might cause orders to be delayed and have a negative impact on a restaurant design.
An in-house delivery executive, on the other hand, takes less time to deliver the order because customer orders are customised to a single restaurant. Restaurant design management can directly assign a delivery executive as soon as the order is prepared, reducing delivery time and boosting the number of orders served in a given timeframe.
4. Increased Profit Margin
Having in-house delivery services can dramatically increase restaurant revenue. Restaurants with a built-in delivery system are more likely to earn more money and keep more profit out of each order. In addition, an in-house distribution system saves recurrent charges and other hidden charges that come with using third-party companies.
While establishing a restaurant-owned delivery service is costly, avoiding having to pay huge commission fees to third-party aggregators may appear to be advantageous in the long run. According to a study, maintaining an in-house delivery staff is roughly 50% less expensive than using third-party services.
Restaurants frequently have to change online menu prices to account for platform commission fees, which discourages customers from ordering. Restaurants can offer lower menu prices by removing the large percentages that must be paid to aggregator networks, making deliveries more appealing to potential customers.
5. Brand Loyalty Is Boosted
Having an in-house food delivery service allows you to maintain a consistent brand image across all platforms, which can help you stand out from the competition. You reward your existing client base with extra convenience and stand to benefit more in term of repeat customers and recommendations when you handle the entire food delivery.
Increased brand loyalty ensures that your company is not being eclipsed by the same third-party services that your rivals may be using. This contributes to increased interaction across all media.
6. Removes Barriers to Communication
The only point of direct contact with customers for delivery-only formats is the door-step drop-off. Giving up this power to a third-party service eliminates key customer interaction chances. In-house delivery, on the other hand, eliminates the problem that arises with third-party delivery. The only entities involved in the communication are your company and the final consumer from the time the order is placed to the time it is delivered.
Your company is in a better position to communicate with your customers throughout the order process. This makes getting feedback and making the necessary modifications easier. An in-house distribution system creates better customer satisfaction while reducing any possible communication failures with regards to orders and delivery, as direct contact has a good effect on the customers ’ experience.
7.Improved Order Processing
Adjusting prices and menu items takes a long time when restaurants engage with third-party delivery systems since such changes must first be approved by the delivery platform. It is, however, easier to update the online delivery menu and make essential modifications when a restaurant owns the entire delivery operation. Setting up an in-house delivery system in your restaurant design would need significant effort and resources, but it will pay off in the long term. Before you set up your distribution system, remember to think about all of the touchpoints and to address any consumer feedback you receive.
Should I Make the Switch to In-House Delivery?
The answer will vary depending on your budget and the goals you have for your restaurant design. An in-house delivery system can help you save money by reducing the fees you pay to third-party delivery providers, as well as lowering your business’s operational costs. All you need to do now is double-check that it’s the proper model for you!
