For the restaurateurs who can afford the upfront development costs, investing in a proprietary delivery system offers way better profit margins — and, often, a better customer experience — than third-party delivery services.
The food delivery experience needs improvement, and Dig Inn knows it.
The 26-unit fast casual chain, based in New York City, has offered delivery for a decade through various third-party services, including Seamless and its parent company, Grubhub. In that time, delivery has grown to account for up to 30 percent of order revenue in some locations, but the customer experience in the channel left a lot to be desired.
Delivery completion times fluctuated wildly. The meals weren’t always accurately delivered, and even if all the items were in the bag, there was a good chance that the food would arrive mangled and at the wrong temperature. Quality control was tough to maintain, as evidenced by Dig Inn’s declining Yelp scores on delivery meals.