In-House Delivery: It’s Not That Difficult

What Third-Party Companies Don’t Want you to Know

• Maintain direct relationships with customers
• Avoid bad reviews caused by third-party companies
• Control the quality of your food and customer service
• Avoid significant revenue loss by eliminating any third parties

Why In-House Delivery is Easier Than You’ve Been Led to Believe

Today restaurateurs need practical and affordable off-premise solutions. It is an absolute must! In the midst of a pandemic, issues like customer loyalty, quality control, and staff management do not go away. In fact, more than ever, these are serious and legitimate concerns. That’s why Tría has developed a program that lets you begin your own in-house delivery service. Tría provides you with the needed tools and teaches you efficient methods to deal with each of these concerns.

In-house delivery is a critical part of any off-premise program. It’s also much easier to set up than most people realize. There are several great reasons to provide this service—and why Tría can help you get it up and running! It lets you control the delivery process in terms of speed, service, and quality. In-house delivery also provides you with an opportunity to overcome one of the biggest challenges in the off-premise process.

But another interesting and somewhat alarming statistic highlights why off-premise delivery through other parties is dangerous: it can damage your brand. According to a report published by Raydiant.com almost 40% of restaurants have received negative customer reviews due to problems caused by third-party delivery companies. This finding further solidifies the case for in-house delivery.

Tría’s delivery recommendations are simple and practical. We don’t claim to be professionals in the restaurant industry—but we excel at solving complex business problems. Therefore, we encourage you to consider: 1) our solutions, 2) the tools we provide, and 3) the support that has helped restaurants like yours. This Tría trifecta can help you succeed in the current challenging environment. Don’t believe the web spun by third party delivery services, when they claim that only they can crack the delivery code.

How to set up delivery

Our off-premise restaurant guide discusses how you can use Tría to start your own delivery service. And yes, that is possible. Remember, this is your business, so why let a third party represent you?

The first thing Tría recommends to any restaurateur who wants a successful in-house delivery is to follow the golden rule of PPD: Plan, Package, and Deliver!

Plan: If you’re new to delivery service, you certainly need to understand how important it is. Remember, your restaurant should be built upon a culture of excellence. Your food should be so delicious that customers want to come back for second servings. If they do, you have constructed a solid foundation. So make the curbside experience reflect this same value of excellence. If you do, then the process (plan) you build on this foundation will equip you for success.

Planning for success—not survival—is critical when implementing delivery service. So here are some things to consider as you build your delivery plan:

• What kind of marketing will you use to promote this service?
  • Signs and banners (on-premise)
  • Current customer list (emails and text messages)
  • Advertising on social media channels
  • Bonus loyalty points offered for every customer’s first order
  • Tría coupons to promote repeat business
  • Delivery specials or discounts at special times and days
  • Required use of safety features (i.e., masks, gloves, and sanitizer)

Packaging: Restaurants normally package food in closed containers. These containers are placed in sealed paper bags, or plastic bags that have been closed with a knot. But customers normally check their food delivery, to ensure their order was accurately filled. So we highly recommend using our complimentary “Checked For Accuracy” stickers. We also strongly suggest you implement the best practice of double-checking all outgoing orders. Why? Because there is nothing more frustrating for a customer to receive their order—and then realize his order is wrong.

• Focus on quality assurance—not only the order itself, but also the condiments, utensils, and packaging.
• Ensure all staff adheres to a uniform standard, and that the staff reassures each customer that the standard for their order’s packaging has been followed.

When it comes to packaging, train staff about the importance of consistent and accurate practices. This is often overlooked or not given enough attention—but proper packaging is actually a segue to other opportunities to provide excellent service and attention to detail. Your customers will appreciate that.

Delivering the order: This may seem so simple and very obvious but keep in mind that we are striving for excellence here. Excellence = satisfied customers = more business = more profit…or, GOAL MET.

• Take the initiative. When the order is ready for delivery, be sure to check the delivery instructions. For example: does the customer prefer that you securely place the order at the front door? Or leave it elsewhere?
• Make sure to verify the customer’s order by their name and order number.
• Offer incentives based on staff accuracy. For example: 100% accuracy in one week equals a specific bonus.
• Encourage satisfied customers to leave positive reviews—or, if something needs improvement, to provide feedback. This can be easily done through a verbal request or a small flyer in the customer’s package.

A successful delivery program is not only possible, but with the Tría platform, it’s very easy. We want to end the “hit or miss take-out order” stereotype. We not only disagree with this perception—we strive to make the off-premise experience the best a customer can have.

The Tría team is committed to the success of each and every one of our clients. Not only do we continue to improve our ordering platform, we provide training and coaching that is second to none. We strive for excellence in all we do, and our culture is founded on that principle. In the midst of a pandemic, we can rise to the top and achieve more, displaying resilience while providing a customer experience that says “I appreciate you”.