Food delivery service is the easiest to start with compared to other food services businesses. It does not include services like table arrangement, food service by waiters and other catering services. Instead, a small counter with a telephone line can be set up to accept orders and only about two or three people are employed to deliver them.
Capital
Food delivery service requires smaller capital than that of the catering services because it only needs to have funds for food preparation and delivery. Aside from the capital for ingredients, food delivery needs funding for the purchase of disposable containers like styrofoam or plastic lunchboxes and plastic spoons, forks and paper or plastic cups. There are some who use biodegradable materials like brown paper bag, wax paper, wooden box and banana leaves.
Transportation
In delivering food, one can use motorcycle for faster delivery of the customer’s orders. If there is no sufficient fund for a motorcycle, delivery can be through public utility vehicles. If delivery is made in bulk, it is best to rent a vehicle for the purpose or just take a taxi. A minimum purchase can be set to minimize waste of time, effort and cost. Minimum purchase is the lowest value of order for food delivery business. However, if the place of the customer is just within walking distance from the business, the minimum order policy may not be applied; add a service charge to the bill instead.
Lunch Packs and Party Packages
- Lunch Packs are prepared meals placed appropriate containers and delivered to customers who are usually busy and are unable to go out to eat.
- Party Packages are special meals prepared and delivered to groups of not less than 20. They are usually served in meetings, picnics, seminars, conferences, conventions and other important gatherings.
Most customers of food delivery services are from offices, schools and factories. Look for contact persons in these institutions. Send them letters of introduction together with your menu and brochure. You may send a representative to take orders for food. Make sure to ask the permission of the building owner and guard before doing so. Or you may set a take-out counter within the eatery to take orders of packed lunch.
Points to Remember
Utmost care in the preparation of lunch packs and party packages is very important. The key in successful food service business is for the food to reach the customers properly and on time. The following are some important points to remember in this type of business:
- Prepare a good combination of dishes for party packages and lunch packs. For example, if there is fried fish or meat, these should be complemented by vegetables. Avoid dishes that are not good complements like rice and noodles, and kare-kare and chicken curry. Study the best combination of dishes and choose foods that do not easily spoil.
- Make sure that the food packages are clean. Styrofoam is usually used for this purpose because it keeps the food warm longer.
- Place food in lunch box at the right temperature. Example, pancit bihon should be cooled first before being placed inside the lunch box. There are dishes that easily spoil when exposed under the heat of the sun like ginataan and pansit bihon.
- Use containers with compartments. In this way, rice and different viands are not mixed inside the lunch pack. Waxed box, Styrofoam, plastic bag and banana leaves are used as containers of packed lunch. Plastic spoon and fork should be provided. It is also better if sauce or seasonings, like soybean sauce with calamansi, are included in the package.
- Make sure that the cooking and working area is clean. It is important in any type of food business to make sure that the food and its preparation area is clean, this is to avoid the spreading of germs or viruses carried by insects and pests.
- Make sure that the delivery personnel are dressed in clean and proper outfit.
- Food should be delivered properly and promptly. Remember that a prompt service is a good indicator of a prosperous business.
Principles of Quantity Cooking
source: www.trc.dost.gov.ph, photo from mobilewaiter.net
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thanks for the info…it really helps me a lot
I would like to start a business where I will sell seasonings for processed meats such as longanisa, tocinos, tapas and the likes. Coupled with this, I would like to teach them how to process meats. What licenses and permits do I need to secure? Your help will be mostly appreciated.
@Ma. Lourdes, nornally it’s the following:
* Business name registration (www.bnrs.dti.gov.ph)
* Mayor’s/Business Permit (check your local municipality/city)
* BIR TIN (www.bir.gov.ph)
* BFAD Certificate (www.bfad.gov.ph)
as for the additional permits and licenses for training and seminar, please inquire from DTI (www.dti.gov.ph)
Hi Ms. Lourdes,
I got your profile from linkedin. I am Dennis Bullo, Director of St. Paul Resource & Training Center. We are interested on your services as resource speaker for GMP, HACCP (not sure if you also have food safety training) for a group of companies. I will appreciate if you could drop short message and let me have your contact details so I can contact you directly and discuss this further. You can send a text message also to my cell number 0923.204.7288.
Thanks & God Bless,
Dennis
may i add one important aspect of food delivery service. to start with, one should know or have the knowledge of cooking.. you have your hard earn money to start the business but lack the know how,your capital would be drain by hiring a cook, butcher etc. i know of a friend who sell his property in the province to start a catering business with a cook/chef nephew, in the first 3 mos business is good, then came the problem,the nephew requested to a raise in the agreed salary, argument follows, he was left without a cook.. he hired another cook, but customers complain the different taste and style.. he took another cook, by now business is about to fall, in two months more the business CLOSE..I HOPE our kababayan who would like to invest in food business should really have the knowledge to cook.. titoernny
@titoernny, thanks for additional tip and advice.