The Restaurant's Guide to Delivery: It's Not Just About Volume

Food delivery has become a global market of $150 billion (£120b), according to McKinsey, more than tripling since 2017. In the UK, the food delivery market is set to reach $40 billion in 2023 (£32b).

But these impressive stats don’t tell the whole story. Multiple ordering systems, third-party delivery platforms, and in-restaurant POS systems are used to process and fulfil orders. Operations can become complicated. Many restaurants aren’t equipped to handle many orders, leading to inefficiencies, mistakes, missed opportunities, and unhappy customers.

While volume is crucial, the efficiency of delivery management is even more critical. Restaurants that can streamline their ordering and delivery tech are ideally placed to take advantage of the huge potential in the market, make the most of high order volumes, and dispatch food.

Navigating the Maze of Order Processing

The digital order journey is more complex than ever. New systems and processes are making ordering and delivery more efficient and cost-effective but also more complicated for a restaurant that delivers yet hasn’t got its tech stack in order.

Let’s take a look at the typical order journey and the bottlenecks and potential challenges at each stage: 

The customer places an order on a delivery platform

• The restaurant stores no customer data.
• The restaurant doesn’t own the customer experience.
• The restaurant has no control over how many orders are coming in at once.
• The menu the customer sees might not match the menu on the POS.

Restaurant receives order

• The restaurant is cluttered with multiple tablets taking orders from different delivery platforms.
• Staff have to re-enter orders into the POS, leading to mistakes manually.
• Orders are easily missed.

Kitchen receives order

• Confusion with orders from multiple platforms in different formats.
• Kitchen can be quickly overwhelmed by orders coming in from numerous sources.

Order is dispatched

• Customer experience is not owned by the restaurant.
• It’s difficult to manage orders for different drivers on multiple platforms.

The Myth of Volume as the Ultimate Success Metric

High order volume is undeniably a sign of a restaurant's popularity. But seeing the number of orders as your end goal can lead to problems. Just because orders are pouring in doesn't mean operations are smooth.

If the backend processes falter, those large order numbers can quickly become overwhelming. High volume without efficiency can lead to errors, delays, and a deteriorating customer experience.

If your operations are not efficient and consistent when orders are coming in thick and fast, those orders will soon dry up. Unhappy customers will not order again, and the negative stories will spread.

If, on the other hand, you can optimise operations to the point where you can handle large order volumes seamlessly, the consistency of output will foster better loyalty and positive customer reviews and recommendations.

The Benefits of Flawless Order Processing

When a restaurant nails order processing, the benefits extend far beyond immediate sales:

• Fewer mistakes – Inefficiencies when you’re busy lead to refunds and errors, food having to be remade, and a loss of profit margin.
• Better loyalty – Generate positive reviews and boost repeat business.
• Better customer experience – Fewer errors and faster service give your customers a painless, enjoyable experience.
• Better retention and morale – Your staff also benefit from fewer errors, happier customers and the satisfaction of running a smooth, successful operation.
• Better profitability – Fewer errors and more efficient order processing boost your bottom line.

Embracing Technology for Effortless Operations

Tech solutions can overcome delivery challenges, minimise errors, and supercharge efficiency. Deliverect has emerged as a game-changer in delivery tech by connecting delivery channels directly to a restaurant's POS system. 

It automates the order entry process, ensuring that the kitchen receives the correct details swiftly with no risk of human entry errors. This reduces the chance of slip-ups and saves precious time.

Deliverect’s integration with Stuart, a last-mile delivery partner, optimises the process even further. Stuart completes the chain by fulfilling the final delivery stage, and the integration ensures that order data flows through the system automatically and without hiccups.

With Stuart taking care of deliveries, you can take charge of your order processing and keep customer data for yourself.

The winning combination of Deliverect and Stuart ensures that restaurants can handle high order volumes without making errors and compromising on quality.

Moving Beyond Order Volume as Your Measure of Success

While a high order count can give you a buzz, it's just one piece of the puzzle. For restaurants relying on delivery revenue, it's not just about more orders but mastering the art of delivering each one flawlessly, even under immense pressure.

Once the systems are in place to handle orders without errors or delays, you no longer need to worry about being overwhelmed by too many orders. And you can instead enjoy the excitement of a busy kitchen without the fear of losing control.

With tools like Deliverect and Stuart in their tech stack, restaurants are well-equipped to do just that, ensuring that every customer's dining experience is nothing short of exceptional, no matter how busy the kitchen is.

About Deliverect
Deliverect is on a mission to help the food service community thrive in the digital age by enabling profitable growth and exceptional experiences through a powerful platform and partner network. Deliverect integrates online orders from food delivery channels (such as Uber Eats and 400+ platforms), allowing restaurants to improve operational service and increase customer satisfaction.