new take out place has delivery questions

we are your kitchen, a very small take out kitchen at 4009 n albany. we opened in january and have fabulous food, i f we say so ourselves. we are thinking starting delivery but are not sure how that works. anyone out there have any ideas? thanks!

um....i'm wondering what you need to know, specifically.

basically,

you advertise delivery, wait for someone to call. then, when they call, you take their order, make the food, and bring it to their door. you ring the doorbell, they pay you, you give them the food. repeat (hopefully).

was actually looking for specifics - insurance, how does driver get paid, etc. but thanks for your input.

delivery drivers are usually paid as a tipped employee. i don't know what the current minimum for tipped employees is, i'm sure you can look it up at some state employment website. make sure they report their tips so you can calculate the withholding, FICA, etc.

insurance, i don't know.

I discovered recently that insurance is usually the responsibility of the driver, but you should make them aware that they will need to insure their car as a delivery vehicle, which means a higher premium.

thanks, mhays and elakin - very helpful!

determine your delivery area
delivery times (lunch and dinner on busiest days)
fee (gas insurance ware and tear on car milage and finding drivers with a good record that is dependable and avaiable)
we have found delivery to be tough to keep drivers busy enough
if your business is good do not deliver
if you business is slow enough to need delivery sales
i think you could find better ways to increase your sales other than delivery
i see delivery as a last option

i think you should deliver catered orders not 9 and 10 dollar orders
i dont think that will pay off

if you really want to get into the delivery business i would talk to a pizza guy or two that is in the neighborhood and they can give you some input on delivery

bottom line for me is its hard to imagine getting the volume to sustain delivery drivers hours and income

good luck

On a mostly unrelated note, I had a really good tuna melt with hand-cut fries from Your Kitchen a couple of weeks ago. I live a few blocks away and would definitely welcome the delivery option. I'm close enough that you could walk though, so I imagine the insurance premiums would be low

baby ray - thanks for your help. definitely more food for thouhgt - pu intended!

kennyz - glad you liked the food. stop in and say hi!

I would definitely try you out if you deliver to Albany Park!