With most third-party food-delivery apps eating away profits of small restaurants, a White Rock software company says it created new delivery application that’s designed to help business owners save money.
White Rock’s Craig Peloquin and Vancouver’s Dennis Wilson recently launched Delivery Biz Connect.
Peloquin said while some of the major food-delivery apps charge restaurants up to 30 per cent for delivery per order, and up to 15 per cent for pickup orders, his app will not.
The smartphone application, which resembles other food-delivery apps, allows customers to place a delivery or pickup food order.
Key features of the application are that restaurants are only charged $1 for delivery and nothing for pickup orders. However, restaurants are charged $99 a month to be part of the service.
SEE ALSO: Skip the Dishes releases data on White Rock’s favourite foods
While the app is operational, Peloquin said they’re currently searching for more restaurants to join the service.
So far, eight restaurants have bought into the program. If potential customers attempt to use Biz Delivery Connect to order food from one of the restaurants not using the app, but listed in the service, their order will be rerouted to another third-party application, such as Door Dash.
“We want to make sure that (restaurants) don’t lose out on the delivery,” Peloquin said.
Peloquin said he got the idea for the app after hearing local restaurant owners complain about the percentage food delivery apps charge small restaurants.
“We saw what was happening to our favourite restaurants and my business partner and I said, ‘We’ve got to do something.'”
Peloquin said, from a restaurateurs point of view, the technology is identical to what they’re using with Skip the Dishes, Uber Eats, or Door Dash.
SEE ALSO: Restaurants feel squeezed by delivery apps’ commission fees
The cost of delivery for the customer is $4.99. Peloquin says the driver gets 100 per cent of that money plus tip.
“We also did something else unique that nobody else has,” Peloquin said. “We made an app that you can actually tip the driver, tip the restaurant, or split the tip.”
While the application is operational for customers to start ordering food, Peloquin stressed that they’re currently looking for more restaurants to join.
“We need more businesses before I go after getting more customers,” Peloquin said. “What I’m doing right now is I want to educate the businesses how to convert their customers away from the third-party apps. That’s my most important thing, I want to save them money. Then, once we have 50 to 100 restaurants on board, their customers are going to tell other customers.”
The Delivery Biz Connect app can be found here.
