Meal delivery is a service-oriented activity. It involves delivery to a customer, either through restaurants or independently. Customer orders can be made over the phone, via a website or app.
Meal delivery to offices or homes is increasingly in demand around the world. According to a recent study, the sector attracts a lot of investment, making it an activity with considerable potential, especially since it is still in its infancy. We are witnessing the creation of many small meal delivery companies made possible by social networks and mobile payments that can enable young people to get into this activity.
The necessary knowledge
The advantage of meal delivery is that it is an activity that does not necessarily require having a restaurant. Indeed, one has the possibility to create an independent service of bringing cooked foods, or for those who wish to produce the dishes themselves, settle from home. To get started, you need to have knowledge about the packaging for the transport of the meals to be brought, the number of drivers needed, the schedules, and the optimal perimeter for its activity. It is also useful to have accounting knowledge for inventory and cash management. Knowledge of digital development can be a great help for those who offer an online application or ordering site.
There are three types of delivery service
- Independent delivery: partner with different restaurants to provide food services regardless of their activities.
- Personal restaurant: this is only for its restaurant and menu.
- Liaison with a well-known restaurant: this means operating its delivery services exclusively with a particular restaurant.
How do I learn?
No diploma is required for this occupation. You can open this business without having studied. However, it is necessary to document the trends of the sector. On the other hand, if you decide to bring meals yourself without recruiting drivers, you must know how to drive and have a license (for those who own vehicles).
What budget to get started?
Food delivery is not an expensive business, you can start with as low as $1,000 as seed capital (if you have a vehicle) to source raw materials and packaging. Costs are usually covered by customers. Transportation services such as taxis or motorbikes can therefore be used but it is recommended to have your own vehicle.
What equipment or equipment?
The basic equipment for providing a delivery service includes:
- packaging or boxes for transporting meals (insulated bags, rigid boxes, bubble wrap)
- car, scooter or bicycle are to be studied according to the distances to travel (if you wish to have your own means of transport)
- Kitchen equipment (for those who wish to offer their own meals)
Where to get your supplies?
Packaging and food can be found in supermarkets and local markets. If you don’t have a vehicle but know how to drive, you can get an affordable use car at Zemotor.com. You don’t need a luxury car. There’s a lot of choices you can pick at Zemotor.
How do I find customers?
The clientele consists of workers and families located mainly in urban areas. Indeed, a large part of the population in the city is made up of workers who can hardly cook themselves, which makes the food service a very profitable business.
What volume do I become profitable?
There is a price set mainly for the delivery of food according to the country, but one can also model its own prices according to the offer in order to better make its business profitable. On average, for an investment of 90,000 CFA francs, up to 330,000 CFA francs can be made in monthly sales because workers do not have time to leave their offices, especially in the rainy season, or to cook during working days.
A little tour on the web, some basic keywords typed in Google and, you will have no trouble finding home meal delivery sites.
Not a business-minded person? You can join these delivery companies (Europe and North America)
If you are not a business-minded person but still want to deliver and make money, you can join the following companies.
DELIVEROO
Deliveroo is a British food company with a presence in several countries. As one of the major players in the meal delivery sector, the company offers a mobile application allowing customers to order from their partner restaurants.
Founded in 2013, the company is gaining ground and is expanding rapidly after several investment funds were invested in the company in 2016.
The site allows its users to make a “still journey”, to make culinary discoveries, giving them the opportunity to order French dishes but also Mexican, American, Thai, etc.
UBEREATS
Uber Eats is a ready meal delivery service created by Uber founders Travis Kalanick and Garrett Camp.
UberEats users can track their order via the app, they even have access to the identity of their drivers (names and names, photo, etc.). The site relies on fast service to attract not only more customers but also to expand its network of partner restaurants. It would take an average of 15 minutes to bring each order.
FRICHTI
Frichti, a French company founded by the couple Quentin Vacher and Julia Bijaoui in 2015, is one of the most popular meal delivery services in France.
The main objective of the platform is to deliver ready meals, without additives and preservatives, based on fresh and seasonal products. The menu on the site offers dishes made from simple recipes, by professionals in the central kitchen.
Frichti offers its customers the opportunity to choose ingredients from their dishes for specific orders.
Frichti also offers a service dedicated to businesses, organizations: canteen 2.0. Frichti groups the orders of a company for its employees and brings them before lunchtime. Group orders receive free shipping and a discount of at least 10%.
SEAZON
Seazon offers varied and balanced dishes, adapted to different types of diet, through their special offers: the sports box, the diet box, the gluten-free box, the vegetarian box, etc. The site publishes an exact description of all the components of each dish it offers.
Customers must choose the dishes they want to be brought in one go in box form, for the week. Seazon states on its website that the dishes delivered do not contain any dye or preservatives. The dishes are packaged in empty trays of air, with a protective atmosphere under the operculum.
A consumption deadline is indicated on each dish. Dishes brought by Seazon can be eaten on average, up to 5 days after receiving. Just keep them cool in the refrigerator.
Seazon offers different subscription packages, without commitment. Customers can not only cancel their subscription at any time, but they can also easily switch from one rate offer to another.
JUST EAT
Formerly known as Allo Resto, the British company was founded under the initiative of Sébastien Forest in 1998. The launch of the mobile version in 2010 contributed greatly to the success of Allo Resto. 2016 was the year of the rebranding of Allo Resto renamed “Allo Resto by Just Eat”. Allo Resto has definitely named itself Just Eat in 2018.
Just Eat has a broad and diversified portfolio of partner restaurants, much to the delight of its customers who can order vegetarian, low-gluten, and halal dishes.