Best Tricks For Running Food Delivery Business

Obtain appropriate permits from the sanitary and epidemiological service for the premises you have chosen and the implementation of all planned services (cooking, food storage, transportation, etc.). SES checks both working conditions and food preparation conditions. Your employees must have valid medical books, where they will enter the data of medical examinations and confirmation of the hygienic training / certification passed;

• obtain permission from the fire service, whose employees will also check the premises and document that it meets the necessary standards and requirements, and your employees have passed the necessary certification and can work with food;
• papers authorizing your activities must be signed by both the consumer market committee and Rospotrebnadzor;
• register a cash register and purchase a seal.

Remember that your business activity must be related to delivery services (you also need permission!), because you will have to conclude supply contracts, sign bills of lading and waybills for drivers.

Here's what it takes to start food delivery from scratch. However, you will need a full package of documents only if you buy and equip your own premises.

Important organizational issues

You need to decide how you will start working: will you be able to manage at first on your own or will you hire a staff of workers? It is also worth considering the order of work, that is, how and where you will purchase, store and prepare food. There are several options.

1. Products are pre-purchased and stored in cold stores and other related equipment. Of course, this means that the money has already been invested. However, there is a plus: you can post information on the site about the availability of a particular product, and the buyer will immediately become interested. A preliminary menu is also made for clients, based on their requests.
2. The second option involves the purchase of products and cooking with subsequent delivery only after the accepted order. On the one hand, you are less likely to be at a loss, but on the other hand, you will not be able to quickly accept and fulfill customer orders, which will lead to their leaving in search of someone quicker.

Equipment and raw materials

If you yourself equip your premises for a full production cycle, then you will need to spend a lot of money to purchase at least the most necessary things. The names and amount of the investment will depend on the specifics of your food, how you will cook it, what figure you are counting on, etc. Initially, you can not take imported and expensive equipment, because at a much reasonable price you can buy it second-hand y.

However, you will definitely need:

• all kinds of kitchen utensils (pans, pots, graters, knives, forks, spoons, cutting boards, etc.);
• get at least one good multifunctional combine that will replace your meat grinder, blender, mixer and other necessary appliances;
• gas or electric stove;
• microwave or pressure cooker (ideally both);
• special refrigerators and freezers for food storage.

In addition, be sure to take care of equipping the food delivery (transportation) itself: purchase special containers, thermal bags, etc. You can order napkins or plastic utensils with your company logo (brand) on them. This should be done before opening food delivery.

What's on the menu?

The assortment depends on the specifics of your business: do you prepare a varied menu for every taste or only dishes of a certain cuisine? Here we can advise not to go in cycles in one pizza or sushi, since the competition with permanent establishments of this kind is very big. It is better to focus on the variety of choice. This will help you attract more customers.

You can buy products on your own (at wholesale bases and markets) or negotiate with suppliers. Remember that all products must be fresh and of high quality, be sure to check the documents.

Assemble a decent team

For the success of your enterprise, you will also need to find good employees. Give preference to people who have experience and relevant references, as you cannot risk your reputation.

With a full production cycle (from order acceptance to its preparation and delivery), you will need to take on staff:

• operator (dispatcher) who will receive calls and place orders;
• cooks (one or more - according to the situation);
• couriers (usually hire employees with their own car);
• others can be hired as needed as your business grows and expands (security guards, warehouse workers, cleaning lady, in-house accountant, etc.).

Your employees must be honest, efficient and responsible.

In the future, it will be possible to purchase special vehicles that will be equipped with a thermal body. Transport costs will need to be included in the cost of meals, while you should calculate the real costs of car depreciation and fuel.

A competent pricing policy with various loyalty programs (discounts, bonuses and promotions) and a well-thought-out advertising concept will be able to attract people's attention and bring you the first stable earnings.