When you run a restaurant, there are many ways to impress your customers and bring in new business. One way is to offer delivery services. Many people are choosing to have their food delivered for convenience and will specifically choose restaurants that offer delivery as opposed to those requiring eat-in or pick-up services. However, you shouldn't rush into this decision. Here are some steps to take before you begin offering delivery services.

Decide How Far You Will Deliver

The first thing you need to do is decide exactly how far you are willing to deliver your food items. Take into consideration the type of area your restaurant is in first, as this can make a big difference. If you are in a relatively remote area, you might want to extend your delivery area, otherwise you might not get much delivery business. On the other hand, if you're in a busy city, your food may not stay hot if the person delivering is dealing with a lot of traffic and road congestion. Another thing to consider is the type of food you serve and how long it wills tay fresh for. Set the perimeters for how far you can deliver food and make sure anyone taking phone or Internet orders sticks to these restrictions.

Determine Who Will Deliver the Food

You also need to decide who is going to deliver the food. If you run a family-owned business, you will most likely have one of your current employees delivering the food. Keep in mind that this might take away from their other duties, such as being a server or dishwasher. You may want to hire one or two people who will only handle deliveries if you start picking up business. This allows you to stay on top of deliveries. There is also the option of outsourcing delivery services. This is often beneficial when you get a lot of delivery business, such as if you run a popular Chinese restaurant like Express Dragon Traditional Chinese Restaurant. You will pay someone to pick up the food and deliver it, who doesn't actually work for your restaurant but arrives as requested.

Choose the Right Delivery Packaging

Before you begin offering delivery services, make sure your delivery drivers are able to keep the food hot and fresh. You can do this by placing the items in delivery bags meant for the temperature of the type of food. There are insulated bags that either keep food hot or cold. This is why you should keep hot and cold food and drinks in separate bags or containers. There are insulated bags meant for pizza boxes, while others work good for Chinese food containers or boxes that hold other foods, like sandwiches or hamburgers.

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