Now is the best time for dine-in restaurants to set up a food delivery system. While delivering to the doorstep will ensure you retain your regular customers, you can also win over new clients by increasing your online presence. However, running your business over the internet is not easy. It has several prerequisites, such as a well-organized website and virtual payment options, among other factors. To help you in this challenge, we have created a checklist of things you should consider while upgrading to food delivery.

Fix your delivery partner
Fixing your delivery partner is the single most crucial point of starting your restaurant online. Most small restaurants will find this very challenging since expenses can shoot up significantly. There are two primary options you can consider – setting up an in-house food delivery team or choosing a third-party service:

• Setting up an in-house team: An in-house team will need a hefty initial investment to purchase vehicles, boxes, hiring drivers, and upgrading your POS. However, this will work profitably in the long run. You can hire employees with cars. Or, you can buy vehicles, add your restaurant logo, and hire drivers to use these vehicles. Employees with cars will be cost-effective, while owned vehicles can add to the brand value. So, understand what you are looking for before deciding.
• Choosing a third-party service: Before selecting a third-party delivery app, research its popularity and service and discuss all points of concern with them before signing up. Start with a short-term contract – see how the relationship with the drivers is going and check if payments are coming on time seamlessly. Also, negotiate the fees. Paying unreal levels of cut should not eat away your profits.

Remember that you can also go for a combination of in-house and third-party food delivery. However, this is more suitable for restaurant chains that are willing to invest more. You can also sign up with multiple delivery partners; most end users who order food download different apps. Your presence on multiple platforms helps you reach different customer types. Comparing your performance in each app can help you decide whom to retain and leave out once the contract expires.

Start marketing
Once you have a food delivery system in place, it is time to start marketing. You can reach out to your existing customers from your database through a personal call, text message, or email and inform them about your new delivery service. You should also use social media for this purpose; it is economical and has a broader reach. Besides, you can lure customers by offering discounts and cashback if they order online.

Train your staff and have a trial run
No doubt, your kitchen staff may be trained for peak hour service. Still, they might have to adjust the speed at which they work and service online and offline orders simultaneously. Timely delivery is crucial, and a trial run will help you understand problem areas. It will also ensure that each employee in the kitchen and the delivery area is clear about their roles. Most importantly, do not forget to train your delivery staff to be courteous if there are delays due to traffic or weather.

Change the menu
Another crucial point is to modify your menu to include those items that are easy to transport without creating any mess and spillage by the time they are delivered. The menu should have convenient options to take out. In addition, choose good quality and eco-friendly packing material. The package should be tamperproof and spillproof. Good packing is essential so that when the customer opens it, it looks compact, untouched, and fresh.