Behind the Scenes: How We Are Partnering With Local Start-Ups to Create a Superior Last-Mile Delivery App
by Nate Harris
Delivery apps are in "hot water"
Last-mile delivery has been a huge topic of discussion in the restaurant industry since the beginning of 2020. Customers forced to stay at home during the height of the pandemic caused an increased need for third-party delivery apps. Meanwhile, restaurateurs could only look on as some of these apps allegedly collected in excess of 40% commission fees from them.
As if dealing with loss in revenue from the lockdown, labor and supply chain shortages wasn’t enough for the food and beverage industry, third-party tech giants continued to allegedly implement unfair business practices by leveraging the market’s elasticity. USA Today reports that the city of Chicago is suing Doordash and Grubhub for deceptive practices during the pandemic. Similarly, The Washington Post has recently reported that a handful of delivery apps are suing the City of New York for placing fee caps on the delivery apps.
It is time the industry got an overhaul on delivery apps
At what point does enough become enough? For our team, that point became apparent through the realization that COVID not only left millions of us displaced, it brought about an all out assault on an industry that had supported us when nothing else would.
A small concerted effort to curb Big Tech
We started with the understanding that we have the ability to fix the delivery crisis and that we share an obligation to protect our industry and what has become our way of life.
We are pleased to announce that, with this focus at the forefront, we have made two strategic partnerships with like-minded start-ups that will help aid us in our quest to reclaim our beloved industry by curbing commissioned deliveries.
Supporting actor roles
Townee App, with a user base of over 1,600 people, has started beta testing an Order Now button that allows its users to place orders from businesses within the app. Its unique features allow “Townees” to earn free rewards by using their social media feeds to market businesses. If you would like to claim your business on the Townee App, please visit this LINK.
The other addition to the team, responsible for tying the ordering process of Townee to our on-demand delivery platform, is Mi Lonchera, which translates to My Lunchbox in English. Mi Lonchera not only brings solutions to the online ordering domain by offering to help small businesses grow their slow item sales, they have on-boarded Pili’s Party Taco and La Poblana food truck.
With the addition of both partners, we can provide the community with a powerful alternative to the less sympathetic options on the market today.