When people stopped dining in and started choosing to-go orders, the idea of a delivery service to meet the demanding needs of the customer seemed like a genius idea, and many restaurants jumped on board! Restaurants who did not have the means or ability to offer delivery, now had a way to serve more customers without having to hire more staff. While it seemed to work great in some areas, over time, issues have been brought to light that have made restaurants reconsider this business model, and some have chosen to look for other alternatives. Here are some of the problems causing restaurants to reconsider third party delivery.
1.Guest Relationships
Having a third party delivery partnership can put a strain on the restaurant’s relationship with the customer. There is no way to know who is delivering your food, how well they are caring for the to-go orders and the way they treat the customer when they drop the food off. You hope they have high standards and will do an excellent job, but the truth is, you have no control over how your restaurant is being represented. The customer’s experience will be a deciding factor in them choosing to dine with you again, so it is important to know how you are being represented and have control over the customer’s satisfaction.
2. Overwhelmed Kitchen Staff
The ability to serve more people means more food ordered and more profit, but there also comes the challenge of fulfilling all of those orders. You might need to hire more kitchen staff during peak times, but hiring additional staff is not always an easy process or feasible for your business. If you do choose third party delivery, it is important to know what times of the day your restaurant is the busiest and plan accordingly. You can also adjust your online menu to better accommodate your kitchen staff as well as your customers, giving them a better chance at having a great experience.
3. Chargebacks
This one can really hurt a restaurant’s bottom line. With third party delivery you are never sure what really happens after the food leaves your kitchen. If people are calling saying they didn’t get part of their order or their order was wrong, you don’t know if they are being honest and it was actually wrong, or if the driver snacked on their fries while making the delivery. This happens with dine-in customers as well, but it is usually easier to detect. With third party deliveries it is hard to trace where the discrepancy occurred and liability usually falls on the restaurant.
So while third party deliveries might be helpful to your restaurant’s bottom line, it could also be costly to the overall success of your business. Some restaurants have decided that even with the hiccups involved, it is still a good fit for their business, while others have moved to their own delivery or offering curbside as a cheaper alternative. Both customers and restaurants seem to like the idea of paying a little less and restaurants can have that face-to-face interaction while having more control over the entire to-go experience.
