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Stop delivery from becoming so trashy

Restaurants have a unique opportunity to not only take advantage of the growing delivery market, but they also have the opportunity to appeal to eco-conscious consumers as well.

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December 16, 2019

By Ray Hatch, CEO, Quest Resource Management Group

It wasn't that long ago that food delivery was restricted to just a few local restaurants. Fast forward six years, and you can now have almost anything delivered at any time. Restaurants are jumping at the opportunity to ride the wave of this trend, and the results have been staggering. So far this year, the food delivery business generated $2.2 billion and is showing a year-over-year growth average of 9.6%. 

The biggest contributing factor to the boom in delivery business for restaurants has certainly been the development and availability of several different delivery platforms like GrubHub and UberEats. Just as with any new way of doing business, there are going to be new challenges —one of which will be the overall increase in waste. Restaurants have a unique opportunity to not only take advantage of the growing delivery market, but they also have the opportunity to appeal to eco-conscious consumers as well. 

Sustainability from the start
Consumer awareness is at an all-time high, and consumers are paying close attention to sustainability. As much as sustainability can be used to save  businesses money by reducing waste, it can be used just as well as a selling point. Here are some ways that your restaurant can combine sustainability and delivery options to reach more customers — including the eco-conscious ones. 

1. Kitchen
Food waste in restaurants is generally divided into two groups: pre- and post-consumer. With a delivery service, post-consumer food waste isn't nearly as much of an issue because people are readily in a position to save whatever they don't eat. Pre-consumer waste from spoilage and trimmings can be curbed by adjusting the menu options offered for delivery. Some restaurants are even going as far as utilizing ghost or cloud kitchens — commercial kitchens set up to prepare food from a menu specifically for the purpose of delivery services. These types of shared kitchens can help your restaurant avoid the cost and waste associated with renovating current locations to increase the space needed for a smoother workflow. 

2. Packaging
The most obvious source of waste that delivery services produce is the single-use plastics that are associated with take-out food. Every house in America that orders food delivered probably has a drawer full of random condiments and plasticware, assuming they don't just throw it directly in the trash. Many of the food delivery platforms are actually making condiments and plasticware an option that you have to request. This is also a perfect opportunity for a restaurant to offer sustainable packaging like compostable packaging. Showing your customers that kind of dedication to sustainability goes a long way. 

3. Fleets vs. Platforms
In the last few years, new food delivery platforms have made ordering food into an artform. They have the efficiency and logistics built-in that take some fleets years to develop. Taking sustainability a step further would require a restaurant to utilize a fleet of electric vehicles or even offer bicycle delivery within a certain range. 

In the end, as restaurants make a move toward a delivery-driven market, making the choices to proceed in a sustainable manner now means you won't have to re-retrofit your operation down the road. Consumers have proven time after time that sustainability matters to them. Take advantage of BOTH trends by infusing your delivery services with sustainable options.