Food delivery has always been about ease and convenience, but the limited selection of pizza, subs and Chinese food can become repetitive. So a delivery service that offers more variety to take-out customers to break up the monotony is an obvious niche.
Doorstep Delivery (Doorstep D) seeks to solve this problem for both customers and restaurants. The service gives restaurants that don’t usually offer delivery like Outback Steakhouse or Applebees the ability to deliver up to five miles away.
The company even has iPhone and Android apps, making it easier for customers to order their favorite food for delivery.
Customers basically go to the website or open the app, enter their zip code, and browse the available options. They can also call the company on the phone to place an order.
This video gives an overview of the company’s basic model and operation:
Doorstep D started in Gainsville Florida in 1999 with founder Tom Colangelo and his brainchild GatorFood.com.
Describing the company’s target audience, Colangelo tells Business Opportunities:
“Everyone who is sick of ordering the standard pizza or Chinese food, people who don’t feel like going out, and people who are catering for large groups all use Doorstep Delivery. Our business grows exponentially when it is raining out.”
Colengelo isn’t the typical food service entrepreneur. In fact, he came to the food delivery business in a very indirect way. He explains:
“My background is actually engineering. I have a mechanical engineering degree from the University of Florida and took many business classes. My specialization is actually something very unrelated — it is actually solar power engineering — but the business classes had me caught on entrepreneurship. I ended up finishing my degree and started working to start Doorstep Delivery.”
Entrepreneurs who think Colangelo’s idea is great but don’t want the headache of trying to reinvent his model elsewhere are also in luck.
The success of Colangelo’s initial business allowed him to expand, franchising the business in 2011, and today the service has spread to more than 15 cities.
The company now claims to be the largest restaurant delivery service in the U.S., with more corporate contracts than any other restaurant delivery service.
This means a potential of more selection for customers and is something to consider for those examining the business as a possible franchise opportunity.
Image: Video Still
Aira Bongco
this is a nice service for restaurants who don’t have a delivery team but want to offer some delivery service to their customers.