Where delivery fits in a direct ordering strategy

Talk about going direct sometimes sounds like talk about abandoning delivery. It should not. Guests want food brought to them, and that is not changing. The real question is what you own in the transaction.

Separate the order from the driving

A marketplace bundles three things: discovery, ordering, and the courier. You can unbundle them. When the order itself happens on your own page, you keep the guest relationship and the order data even if a third party handles the driving. The car matters far less than the checkout.

Your own drivers, on your rules

For restaurants with a tight delivery radius and steady volume, in-house delivery keeps the whole experience in your hands, from the bag check to the doorstep greeting. It is work, but it is also the version guests remember as yours.

Couriers without the marketplace

The middle path is growing: direct orders on your page, fulfilled by on-demand couriers dispatched per order. You pay for the driving, not for the customer. Kitchn is building toward exactly this model, so keep an eye on our integrations as courier delivery lands.

However the food travels, the principle holds: let anyone drive the car, but never give away the guest.