Initially, third-party restaurant services seemed amazing to many business owners. Postmates, DoorDash, Caviar, and others paved the way to make online ordering and delivery easy. Restaurants themselves appreciated the technology and additional orders that allowed them to focus on what they do best.
Initially, third-party restaurant services seemed amazing to many business owners. Postmates, DoorDash, Caviar and others paved the way to make online ordering and delivery easy. Restaurants themselves appreciated the technology and additional orders that allowed them to focus on what they do best: creating delicious food and serving customers.
The pandemic revealed the imbalance of this equation. Almost overnight, restaurants had to learn to adapt to a world centered around delivery rather than on-premise dining. The high commission rates (up to 30%) charged by these services further eroded profitability in a “ghost kitchen” world. Additionally, these third-party companies owned the data and touch points, so any opportunity to connect with customers in a meaningful way had been severed. Conversely, any problems associated with the delivery itself were attributed back to the restaurant, not to the third-party service.
As restaurants navigated an extremely challenging new world order, they’ve warmed up to the idea that they could manage their own delivery fleet and/or work with local, dedicated delivery partners, all in-house. While hiring and managing drivers was not a simple task, they found smart technology partners who helped them integrate their menus, track the drivers, and let the customers know their real-time delivery status. That is, restaurants used technology partners to solve this new "recipe for disaster." With the right integrations in place, now they could manage this new channel and therefore provide better quality control throughout the whole delivery process end-to-end while saving on expensive commissions.
We've partnered with Onfleet to help bring food delivery back under the restaurant's control. With this simple integration, restaurants of any size can supervise and fine-tune the entire delivery experience from menu considerations to couriers and so much more.
"Putting the power of delivery into the hands of restaurants with Appfront and Onfleet is a game-changer for these businesses,” said Robert Fierro, Onfleet’s Director of Partnerships. “And, the best thing is, it’s so easy to launch. Your next weekend rush challenge could be solved.”
Following a simple download and onboarding process, restaurants integrate Appfront and Onfleet. Using a POS (Point of Sale) menu ordering process, when Appfront sends an order to the POS, it triggers a delivery mission to Onfleet. From there, the delivery is automated after the order is placed:
Route Optimization: Operating – Onfleet Support Center
Once the food has been delivered, the customer receives an acknowledgement. The restaurant retains this final communication touchpoint and the customer data for repeat orders and future promotional outreach opportunities.
Appfront customers will be able to manage delivery service through the Onfleet and Appfront platforms, commission-free. This delivery solution now empowers restaurants to manage the customer ordering experience from conception to doorstep. Additionally, the customer receives up-to-date communications on their order from acceptance to delivery.
"This partnership was a no-brainer for us. We have been hearing our customer's frustrations with third parties throughout COVID, and Onfleet was the perfect partner to deliver a solution.," said Appfront co-founder Ori Weisler.
The partnership between Appfront and Onfleet will provide an all-in-one solution enables effective communication and is entirely manageable on the business side. Move over third-parties, delivery options are now more optimized, integrated, and tailored to your business and customer's needs. Discover how Appfront can help you take your delivery services to the next level today.
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