BY HAYLEY SMITH
We live in a world where mobile apps are taking over the way we spend money. You need a new coffee machine by tomorrow morning? Amazon Prime. Your parents took the car? Uber. Looking for a date? Bumble. Hungry? Skip The Dishes.
Remember when Chinese food and pizza were considered the “take-out” of all foods. Now, mobile apps are streamlining the ordering process. Hungry people can order food from a wide variety of restaurants that don’t provide delivery, shipped right to their front door.
The convenience of these food delivery apps is inevitable but is this convenience worth the impact it is having on the restaurant business. On-demand food delivery is becoming increasingly more popular. People who don’t have a car, to people with busy work schedules, these mobile apps can bring food to wherever you are, without compromising the quality of restaurant food. These apps are simple to use and provide low delivery fees.
One of the best features in these apps is the tracking system. You are able to see your driver on a map as they’re driving so you know exactly where your food is at all times. A major bonus is that credit cards are linked to your profile, avoiding any payment at the door.
Anne Williams, a server at Jack Astor’s Bar and Grill has noticed a decrease in people at tables since the restaurant joined the app.
“The restaurant immediately saw a change. The kitchen was busier, but the servers and hostesses were not, which means less tips for us,” said Williams.
With fewer people sitting and ordering in a restaurant, servers are left standing around while the kitchen and drivers are collecting the money.
“We constantly have drivers coming by to pick up orders, especially at night time. It feels like I work in a drive-thru,” says Williams.
Workers at businesses are experiencing both pros and cons. This idea of a “drive-thru” is becoming a popular opinion, especially with the winter season in full swing. According to Edmonton Journal, Robert Carter, executive director of food service with the NPD Group, a market research organization, says the “digital door” (consumer spending on prepared foods ordered through a computer or smartphone) is worth $1.5 billion in Canada.
Many restaurant owners are happy with the success of food delivery apps. Owner, Mr. Xue of Halton Dragon is thriving from success since partnering with the Skip The Dishes app. The kitchen is busier, and as a small restaurant, this means the phone isn’t ringing off the hook, leaving staff being able to help package the food for deliveries. For smaller restaurants, with smaller eating areas, these mobile apps are proving to be beneficial.
The restaurant business is beginning to understand that more and more people want convenience. Being able to press a button on your phone and have food to your office or home, is ideal for every person with a busy lifestyle. With apps like Skip The Dishes, and Uber Eats, they have made it easy to eat.
For all those restaurant servers looking for a busy job with good tips, think about getting a kitchen job, or consider a restaurant that does take-out only.
