Why we won’t deliver within 30 minutes
There is a lot of conversation around delivery workflow for stand alone food delivery businesses and how to achieve profitability while keeping delivery times low.
When we started out, our volumes were very low and orders rolled out at the same time as these were all subscription customers. So, we hired part time delivery executives who only worked for those many hours. We had a fair idea of what the volumes for the day would be like and did not accept orders after 12 pm. This reduced last minute changes and gave us ample time for preparation.
As we transformed into Souvee, we were clear about the kind of business we wanted to run. We wouldn’t keep food ready in a massive container to be heated and shipped out. We were not that kind of business and also were not into that kind of food. If we were selling Biryani, it would make complete sense to make batch that was slow cooked and was finished off with a “dum” . But we aren’t.
We start preparing food only once the order is placed. All the food you get, has been prepared after you called for .
Souvee, is the way it is, to provide ease of ordering and to be available for on-demand customers while providing the same quality of food. We start preparing food only once the order is placed. All the food you get, has been prepared after you called for it.
Our kitchen workflows have been set; not around catering businesses, but around high traffic restaurants. We finish prep for the next day a day before. All sous-vide meat is made ready at night for next days service and all salad elements are chopped early in the morning.
However, even with prep, food takes time to prepare. We try and complete the order in 20 minutes so that we leave enough time for packaging and delivery. Also, some things need to cool down before they are shipped. Example: sous-vide chicken that has been finished on the pan, needs to rest before you can slice it for a salad. With so many parameters, food takes an hour to reach the customer.
We could understand what that hour means for someone who is hungry, but people wait all week for Friday, can certainly wait for good food. We know how blasphemous it is in this day and age when a pizza chain promises 30 minute delivery and establishments pride themselves over getting food quickly. We believe good food takes patience and want to be send the sort of food people don’t mind waiting for.
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