4 ways a third-party delivery platform can enhance restaurant business

Restaurant delivery is big business. 60% of restaurant operators say they are receiving more takeout orders compared to 2016 ¹, while about one-fifth of consumers say they are ordering delivery more often than they did in 2016. For consumers who are ordering delivery more often, the No. 1 reason they’re doing so is because it’s easier to order food now through mobile apps.

For many restaurants, partnering with a third-party delivery platform makes offering delivery much easier, because the restaurant doesn’t need to hire their own delivery staff. Beyond the actual delivery service, though, these third-party platforms help restaurant businesses in other ways. Here are four ways third-party delivery platforms enhance restaurant businesses.

¹Technomic’s 2018 Takeout & Off-Premise Consumer Trend Report

While delivery is increasing in popularity, restaurants’ delivery staff may only have the ability to drive so far, which can lead to the problem of not being able to serve all interested customers. Using a third-party delivery platform, however, can expand a restaurant’s delivery zone. This can lead to an increase in incremental sales due to increased exposure—sales on top of whatever the restaurant had planned for. With a larger delivery zone, not to mention visibility on the apps themselves, restaurants can expect to reach many more consumers in their area. Because third-party platforms have thousands of users, it’s easy to see the correlation between being listed on the app and more orders coming in.

One aspect of implementing delivery service that operators may be hesitant about is streamlining the order processes and staying organized. However, partners like Uber Eats understand that frustration and deal with it by proactively setting up restaurants’ dedicated tablets and helping integrate them into the restaurants’ point-of-sale (POS) systems. This way, all transactions go through the same place.

Restaurants can also opt to use their own tech if they wish; whichever way they go, third-party delivery platforms will be able to help them integrate the orders into the POS system so that no orders ever get missed by kitchen staff.

Third-party delivery platforms provide a level of promotion that restaurants may not have thought was possible. From the ordering process, including listing promotions or ads for the restaurant, to the delivery itself, with bags prominently displaying the restaurant name, third-party delivery platforms help increase restaurants’ brand awareness simply by showcasing the restaurant on the app. What’s more, restaurants also benefit from those third-party platforms’ marketing spend. Because the apps advertise to attract new customers and users, the restaurants benefit from those new users as well.

Restaurants can also set up their own in-app marketing campaign to extend their visibility even more. Using Uber Eats’ Restaurant Manager platform, restaurants can create the campaign; customize the offer with details such as how long the promotion should run, the audience and the budget; and track success by metrics, including the number of new customers acquired and total sales generated by the promotion.

Quality control is another area of delivery that restaurants may grapple with, especially if they choose to partner with a third-party delivery platform. Operators may be worried that the food they send out for delivery may not arrive in top condition—it may be too cold, for instance. But with the right partner, restaurants can feel at ease. For instance, Uber Eats’ 15-minute delivery speed from door to door—and 30-minute delivery average from the time the order is placed—means customers get their food fast. Customer have just enough time to get ready to enjoy their meal, thanks to ample drivers on the road.

For restaurants that are hesitant to get into the delivery business, working with a third-party delivery platform can provide a host of benefits, from incremental sales to POS integration, built-in marketing opportunities and quality control. There’s nothing stopping restaurants from getting their slice of the delivery pie.

To learn more about partnering with Uber Eats, visit ubereats.com/restaurant/signup.