Self-delivery vs managed delivery; what’s right for you?

Leanne Patterson
May 4, 2022

You don’t need us to tell you about the boom of food delivery. We’ve become so used to ordering from restaurants, takeaways and other hospitality businesses. We order our food to be delivered straight to our doors and expect it quickly and efficiently too!

If there’s one takeaway from the last two years for the hospitality industry, it’s the importance of having a strong infrastructure for food delivery. One of the key decisions you will need to make will then be between third-party and in-house delivery. So what is the best option for you?

 

Sophisticated courier delivery services continue their stellar rise 

 

When we say courier we are referring to a model where a third party service handles your restaurant or eatery’s courier logistics.

If your brand is only just starting out – choosing a reputable courier could make a lot of sense. You may simply not have the time, experience or resources to manage every aspect of your business’s food deliveries directly, and that’s okay!

By partnering with an outsourced delivery service, your time could be freed up, allowing you to focus on what you do best – cooking up irresistible dishes that will delight your customers’ taste buds at home, to the same standard as when they visit you on site.

And even if you could invest in self-delivery, you might still favour partnering with a delivery specialist who can help you scale your operations and handle a high volume of deliveries. At Slerp, we routinely empower hospitality brands to sell directly to the customer in the knowledge that we handle all the delivery logistics

We manage relationships with both local couriers and national delivery providers – big names such as Royal Mail, DHL, DPD and more – to ensure customers receive their orders ASAP. We can build the complete food delivery ordering system for your restaurant, so that your customers only associate your brand with the finest things in food.

 

For some, self-delivery makes sense. 

 

Perhaps you’ve decided to invest in your own fleet which can handle local deliveries for you – if so, perfect! Slerp can set you up to receive the orders, and you handle the delivery logistics. If you’re concerned about the quality of hospitality and customer experience with managed delivery – don’t be! Standards are high, and issues are rare. But either way, we have options to suit every requirement.

Before making your decision however, it’s worth considering the commitment of self-delivery. Investing in your own fleet naturally comes with an initial set-up cost, and requires time to get started.

But if you are prepared to take on these responsibilities, building your brand’s own delivery service is a big plus! It gives you the opportunity to control every stage of the customer’s experience from start to finish. You could maintain direct communication with your customer from the moment they order, right up to the arrival of their food at their doorstep. Also letting you receive direct feedback, and implement changes as needed.

Restaurants that set up in-house delivery systems are actually often surprised by how good an option it is for minimising operational overheads.

 

  

 

So… which delivery model should you go for? 

 

Well ultimately the answer to this question will always be, “it depends”. Each solution has its own opportunities and downsides, and your final choice will come down to which one is the best fit for your business.

However, know that whatever decision you make, Slerp is here to help. Whether you need a little more time and information or you already know we’re the partner for you, contact the Slerp team today.

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