Restaurant food delivery services for restaurants are vital for achieving restaurant success. The decision to partner with delivery service providers holds the potential to transform a brand. For one, it can assist restaurant marketing efforts. But more importantly, using these services can help maximize profits.

Throughout this blog post, you’re going to uncover all the details regarding food delivery services for restaurants. We’ll begin by talking about their importance. Then, we’ll list several options and outline a handful of their best features.

The Importance of Food Delivery Services for Restaurants

Food delivery services for restaurants are vital, as they nurture a great customer experience. Maybe you operate an upscale restaurant. Or, perhaps you run a casual dining establishment. Either way, food delivery services are essential within the modern restaurant industry. Not everyone is in a position to dine out. So, these services give people a convenient alternative.

Without food delivery services for restaurants, a business’ potential can drastically decrease. When an eatery doesn’t offer any kind of off-premise service, they’re severely limiting the number of customers they can reach. And if the brick and mortar restaurant doesn’t service a full house during every shift, it’s inevitable that sales will be low.

Best Food Delivery Service for Restaurants

Are you searching for the best multi restaurant food delivery app? Or, are you trying to determine which food delivery service is best for restaurant owners? Luckily, there are many stellar options to choose from. Consider partnering with one or more of the following food delivery services for restaurants to optimize your business with food delivery software:

1. DoorDash
2. Grubhub
3. Uber Eats 
4. Caviar
5. goPuff
6. Postmates

Once you decide which food delivery services for restaurants you’ll utilize, the research isn’t over! Ensure that they can integrate with your POS system and online ordering platform. Then, it’ll be time to pick and choose which features will be best for your restaurant business. More on that in the next section.

Ultimate Features Offered By Food Delivery Services for Restaurants

Food delivery services for restaurants often include a vast selection of features. Most of these features are meant to nurture guest retention and brand loyalty. However, almost all of them have benefits for the business, too. See below for several of the best features that should be part of food delivery services for restaurants.

Restaurant Loyalty Program

Loyalty program integrations are great for expanding brand awareness. They're also ideal for promoting longevity. By integrating such a program with food delivery apps, point redemption will be just as easy for the customers as it would be for the business. As people place orders through the delivery service, their account will automatically start accumulating points. Then, they can redeem those points for reward using the app. 

Live Order Tracking 

Real-time GPS tracking is ideal for online ordering apps and the eCommerce website. After a customer places their order, they’ll be able to monitor its progress. Once the driver leaves the restaurant with their items, map functionalities can show the driver’s location and estimated time of arrival. This feature gives the customers peace of mind regarding where their order is located. Meanwhile, it is beneficial for the host, as they’ll rarely experience customers calling in to ask tracking-related questions.

Order Customizations 

Leverage delivery services where people are able to customize their orders. Some restaurants just opt for a checklist under each dish where customers can select their preferences. Meanwhile, others will allow the customers to voice their requests with a text box. In recent years, there has been a surge in the number of people with food allergies and dietary restrictions. Therefore, this feature will enhance customer satisfaction.

Dish Recommendations 

The best app for food delivery are those with upselling features (see: what is upselling). Have you ever opened a delivery app and an eatery’s page shows you popular dishes? Or, if you’re a returning customer, you might see past purchases. Adding these elements are prime examples of upselling techniques. The best one? When the restaurant recommends menu items upon checkout. Upselling techniques in restaurants are a proven tip on how to increase food delivery sales and cart values. Just make sure that you understand the difference between upselling vs cross-selling.

Flexible Payment Methods

Use food delivery services that offer customers a variety of payment processing options. Considering that an app or website is part of the equation, digital payments are certainly the way to go. But which ones? Credit cards, debit cards, and mobile wallets are the most popular options to date. Plus, they all use data encryption and follow PCI protocols to ensure safety.

The Option to Leave a Tip 

If there’s one thing that the restaurant staff will appreciate, it’s the ability to leave drivers a tip through a delivery platform. Many customers might not order with an app where this isn’t an option. In this case, the lack of this feature hinders business. On the other hand, the possibility of receiving more tips will be beneficial for employee retention.

Frequently Asked Questions About Food Delivery Services for Restaurants

Food delivery services for restaurants can make or break a business. This idea is primarily due to the fact that many eateries heavily rely on delivery services to remain successful. A restaurant seating chart can only hold so many people. Therefore, it’s vital that restaurants conduct off-premise business, too.

When you decide to utilize food delivery services for restaurants, there will be quite a few concepts you’ll have to learn about. So, we’re about to cover five frequently asked questions and answers about this very topic. Read on!

What Are the Most Popular Food Delivery Services for Restaurants?

The most popular food delivery services for restaurants include:

• DoorDash
• Uber Eats
• Grubhub
• Postmates
• goPuff
• Instacart

What Food Delivery Service Is Best for Small Businesses?

The best food delivery service for small businesses is DoorDash. This is primarily because it’s the most popular delivery app amongst consumers. Small businesses can have a hard time gaining traction and establishing brand loyalty. But when they become accessible to a vast number of customers, it all becomes a bit easier. Plus, it often ranks at #1 for the cheapest food delivery app for customers.

Does DoorDash Partner With Restaurants?

Yes, DoorDash partners with all kinds of restaurants. They even offer fast food restaurant delivery. The third-party delivery app integrates with the eatery’s online ordering platform and POS system. Then, customers can browse their menus and place orders for delivery or pickup.

Which Is the Most Used Food Delivery Service for Restaurants?

The most used food delivery service for restaurants is DoorDash. There are thousands of restaurant locations across the country that use it. Plus, it’s one of the most preferable choices for consumers due to its speedy turnaround times and great customer service. 

Are Food Delivery Services for Restaurants Declining?

The use of food delivery services for restaurants are not declining. However, we understand why it may seem that way. During the COVID-19 pandemic, there was a surge in online ordering services. After all, in-house dining was completely off limits. Now that related data is beginning to level out, it’s appearing as though there’s a massive drop. This is just a prime example of how data can get skewed very easily.

Achieve Success With Food Delivery Services for Restaurants

Using the best food delivery services for restaurants is an ideal strategy to achieve success. Partnering with the right service providers will grow your customer base by a long shot. Then, using a variety of innovative features will suit all your customer's needs. Over time, this combination will nurture customer retention and brand loyalty. Ready to begin? Book a demo with an industry expert today to learn more!