New Macon business delivers restaurant food for $5 — no matter how much you order

When folks are hankering for some food from a restaurant, but don't want to go get it, a business is coming to Macon to help with that. And it's hiring.

Louisiana-based Waitr is a restaurant on-demand, internet-based company connecting people with local restaurants. It is launching at 5 p.m. Thursday at Wild Wing Cafe at 5080 Riverside Drive, in Macon, according to a news release. Attendees at the launch can expect appetizers, cold drinks and some "swag" items to take home.

The Waitr app lets you order from 22 restaurants with another six to be added soon once an account is created, according to its website Monday afternoon. The list includes Fincher's Bar-B-Q, McAlister's Deli, Back to Edenz, Francar's Buffalo Wings and Wild Wings Cafe. The menus on Waitr's website include full-color pictures of each item.

Once the order is completed, a Waitr driver delivers it for a flat $5 fee.

"If you order a milkshake or 20 meals, it's the same $5," said Dean Turcol, public relations director. The delivery zone "is basically a 20-minute drive from the restaurant."

Or for free, customers can place an order using Waitr, and pick up the order themselves. For carryout orders, customers "are alerted at the exact time when the food is ready for pickup," the release said.

The company also expects to hire about 150 people in Macon to work as drivers. Anyone interested may apply at waitrapp.com/become-a-driver. The job pays $12-$15 an hour on average and offers flexible shifts. Applicants need: valid driver's license, reliable vehicle, clean driving record, valid insurance and a smartphone.

Macon is the third city in Georgia to get Waitr. When it debuted in Columbus in February it "had a record-breaking launch day," the release said. It launched in Augusta March 15.

Waitr was founded in 2015 in Lake Charles, Louisiana, with a goal to expand the reach of local restaurant menus, the release said. It is available on the web, and on iPhone and Android devices. It has more than 4,000 restaurant partners and "hundreds of thousands of users" in more than 150 cities.

The current list of Macon restaurants included at waitrapp.com are:

Francar’s Buffalo Wings

Papa’s Wings & Seafood

Daylight Donuts

Osaka Hibachi & Sushi

Chang’s Corner

Back to Edenz

Hotlanta Wings

Yvonne’s Natural Market

Firehouse Subs on Forsyth

Firehouse Subs on Presidential Parkway

McAlister’s Deli on Presidential Parkway and on Zebulon Road

Tropical Smoothie Cafe on Tom Hill Sr. Boulevard

Hooters

Sumo Steak & Sushi

Macon Pizza Co.

Firehouse Subs on Riverside Drive

Wild Wing Cafe

Macon Swirls

LaDDa Bistro

Zeafood Time

Chico & Chang

Coming Soon

Which Wich on Forsyth Road

Tzango Cocina

Harp & Bowl Labistro

Fincher’s Bar-B-Q

China Max

Stoner’s Pizza Joint

This story was originally published April 9, 2018 at 7:14 PM with the headline "New Macon business delivers restaurant food for $5 — no matter how much you order."