There are more ways to get food delivered than ever before — and the service is growing

A least two restaurant owners say new customers who typically would not come in their doors are now eating their food.

They reach those customers by using food delivery services.

Several cities in Middle Georgia, including those in Bibb and Houston counties, are seeing growth of food delivery businesses, such as Waitr and KNG. These companies contract with locally-owned and chain restaurants to deliver food to homes, hospitals and offices.

“From my standpoint it was a nice way to get my product outside of downtown,” said Lee Clack, co-owner of Kudzu Seafood Co. at 470 Third St. in downtown Macon.

Kudzu signed up with KNG about a year ago and signed with Waitr when it came into Macon about six months ago.

“We were actually doing delivery in-house to the downtown area prior to that,” Clack said. “And it gave me the opportunity to basically let somebody else manage it. ... For me, it’s great. It frees up the phone lines.”

Brad Cork, co-owner of Margaritas Mexican Grill, said the restaurant used to have its own delivery person, too. But he signed up with the outside delivery businesses about the same time as Kudzu because “it’s a lot easier.”

Waitr, which moved into Macon in April, recently announced the success there prompted “quick expansion” into Warner Robins. It officially launched this week, and dozens of restaurants have already signed with the company, according to a news release. It delivers to customers in Bonaire, Centerville and parts of Kathleen.

The company expects to need 50 to 100 drivers for the expansion. Candidates can apply at www.waitrapp.com/become-a-driver.

The company serves more than 200 cities across the South, and in addition to Macon and Warner Robins, it’s in Columbus, Augusta, Savannah and Athens.

How it works at Waitr: Restaurants contract with the company, customers go to the website or app, choose a restaurant, select their food and remit payment. The order is sent to a tablet in the restaurant and to a driver, the food is prepared, and the driver picks up the order and delivers it. The restaurant pays a commission on each order.

Waitr has no minimum order requirement and a flat delivery fee of $5 or distance charge. Delivery fees for OrangeCrate, which is based in Perry, begin at $3.99. KNG charges a minimum fee between $3.99 and $4.99 depending on location, plus more over certain mileage, according to its website. There are various minimum orders with some of the delivery companies.

The delivery fee does not include a tip for drivers. Waitr drivers are paid an average of $12 to $15 an hour, including tips, according to the company’s website.

Delivery has become a necessity

Even though nationally there is an overall weakness in the restaurant industry, Cork said “carry out or delivery has seen something like 30-percent growth.”

A recent study of the restaurant delivery industry by Chicago-based NPD Group agrees.

“Delivery has become a need to have and no longer a nice to have in the restaurant industry,” Warren Solocheck, senior vice president with NPD, said in an April news release. “Restaurants need delivery in today’s environment in order to gain and maintain share. It has become a consumer expectation.”

Interestingly, growth in delivery has been strongest for breakfast and lunch, the study shows. And national third-party delivery services, like UberEats, Grubhub and DoorDash, contribute most to the growth overall. There is no indication that one of these big players is planning to move into Middle Georgia.

According to The Statistics Portal, a provider of market data, the online food delivery business saw worldwide revenue of $81.7 billion in 2017 and is expected to increase to $146.7 billion by 2022.

But third-party delivery is not the only way to go — some restaurants are adding their own delivery service.

Panera Bread is bucking the trend by building its own fleet of drivers. The company has about 13,000 drivers and employees supporting its delivery program in nearly 900 cities, according to a Nation’s Restaurant News article. Macon’s store on Tom Hill Sr. Boulevard offers delivery within a certain range.

Also, according to national reports, Popeyes and Chipotle restaurants are offering deliveries at some of its stores but not in Macon at this time.

Delivery service brings in new business

Shortly after Margaritas at Mercer Village began accepting orders at 11 a.m. Thursday, three popped up on the restaurant’s Waitr tablet.

“It goes on all day long and seven days a week,” Cork said. “From the minute before we open to 15 minutes before we close. ... It’s perfect for a restaurant with our proximity to a hospital, Geico and the downtown doctor’s offices — they utilize the service like crazy.”

He said deliveries are about 10 percent of his business — and growing.

Both Cork and Clack, with Kudzu, said they believe the service brings in new business, and it’s not just replacing their in-house customers.

“I think it means more business,” Clack said. “It’s hard to quantify, but I see the numbers I do in delivery in a week, and I probably would not have had those sales otherwise.”

The delivery service “is a luxury” for many people.

“We are reaching people who just don’t want to leave their house or maybe don’t feel like coming downtown and looking for a parking space,” Clack said.

Most delivery orders are for individuals, not groups, which Clack said was surprising.

“But one order (Wednesday) was for 12 people,” he said. “When you get an extra $200 order that you don’t have to wash silverware and dishes for and pay a server to wait on them, that’s pure money.”