How to do food delivery the right way

The food industry has evolved over the years to prioritise not just great tasting food but ambience and convenience. Many food businesses have found that they can’t afford to wait for customers to go to them, they must deliver food to their customers as well. This trend, which was already commonplace, was kicked into high gear during the pandemic.

While everyone is doing deliveries, you can be the restaurant that does it best and stand out. Here’s how.

Ensure communication is clear

The first thing you need to get right is the communication even before the food is sent out. When a customer places an order, confirm what they have asked for and how much it will cost. Because of miscommunication, people can end up with the opposite of what they ordered for.  

In addition, communication about your delivery terms should be very clear. Information about how long it will take you, what the delivery radius is, what it will cost, cancellations and so much more should be readily available.

Pay attention to the packaging

When it comes to delivering food the right way, packaging is almost as important as the food itself. Make sure that the packaging can keep the food as intact as possible, that the food will remain at its temperature during transit and that the packaging looks good.

Great packaging also extends to the delivery vehicles and the people doing the delivery. These are all representatives of your brand and they should portray the right picture to your customers.

Offer the same customer care to customers who want a delivery

Walk-in customers tend to get the best customer service because your servers can see them. They will get a polite hello and maybe even the server’s name. The server will have a chance to engage them about the food, suggest add-ons, or share the days’ offers and specials.

Treating customers well will increase loyalty, an aspect that is good for business. Stellar service should extend to those who call in and if possible those who order online.

In-person customers also get some flexibility that those who ask for a delivery may not. An extra pack of ketchup may be available to them at no cost. When customers call in to order and ask for something like this, exercise flexibility sometimes and toss in an extra without always adding it to the bill.

Ask for feedback

Feedback can help restaurant owners to improve. It also provides an avenue to both train and motivate staff. Once a delivery is done, take the time to check in with customers. You can also send out a regular survey to find out how customers feel about your delivery service.

When it comes to the type of feedback, seek as much detail as you can. A rating system on a 1to 5 scale is good, however, a question like ‘What can we do to improve our delivery system?’ will yield more useable information.