In the post-pandemic world, delivery has evolved from a nice-to-have option to a fundamental business imperative for restaurants. Modern consumers expect the convenience of having their favorite meals brought directly to their doorstep with minimal effort—whether through a quick phone call or a few taps on their smartphone. Forward-thinking restaurant operators are finding innovative ways to not just adapt to this shift but to leverage the delivery boom as a significant growth opportunity.

Streamlining Your Menu for Digital Success

Many successful restaurants have discovered that a simplified menu performs significantly better for delivery orders. This approach is particularly effective since most customers view menus on mobile devices, where complex layouts can create friction in the ordering process.

A recent industry analysis highlighted this difference by comparing two operations: one that offered its entire menu online—forcing customers to navigate through six different screens—versus a grilled cheese concept that featured just six items on a single page. The results were striking: the streamlined grilled cheese operation averaged 30 orders daily, while the operation with the extensive menu generated no more than three orders per day despite offering more options.

Overcoming Key Delivery Challenges

Restaurant operators face several significant hurdles when scaling their off-premise offerings. Here are effective strategies to address these challenges and position your business for success in the delivery economy:

1. Boost Sales of High-Margin Items

One common challenge is that delivery customers often avoid ordering high-margin add-ons like beverages, appetizers, and desserts—items that traditionally drive profitability in dine-in settings. Customers frequently assume these items won’t travel well or can easily be substituted with options from their own refrigerator.

Innovative operators are counteracting this tendency through strategic recommendations. Since many customers believe carbonated beverages lose their fizz during delivery, chains like McAlister’s, Church’s, and Schlotzsky’s now actively promote non-carbonated alternatives such as lemonades and iced teas—often offering family-sized options that complement multi-entrée delivery orders.

2. Ensure Food Safety and Quality with Premium Packaging

Concerns about hot beverages or foods spilling during transit can be effectively addressed by emphasizing high-integrity containers. Family-sized sealed containers for soups and sides not only preserve quality but also address growing consumer concerns about food tampering.

GP PRO’s Automated Sealing Machine offers an innovative solution for restaurants seeking to enhance food safety and prevent tampering during delivery. This advanced technology provides visible evidence that food hasn’t been compromised between preparation and delivery, building customer confidence in your off-premise offerings.

Temperature management is another critical factor in delivery success. Heat-resistant packaging for cold items and heat-conserving containers for hot foods help maintain optimal temperature and ensure the integrity of your culinary creations from kitchen to doorstep.

3. Optimize Kitchen Operations for Delivery Volume

Many restaurants struggle with kitchen overload during peak times when delivery orders compete with dine-in service. Forward-thinking operators are addressing this challenge by creating separate preparation areas dedicated specifically to off-premise orders. Chipotle, Potbelly, and Panera Bread have all implemented second production lines exclusively for outgoing orders.

Other innovative approaches include:

  • Ghost Kitchens: Canter’s Deli in Los Angeles established a delivery-only kitchen in an emerging downtown neighborhood, expanding their delivery reach to new markets without the overhead of a full restaurant.
  • Commissary Kitchens: These shared, licensed facilities allow multiple restaurant concepts to rent space, enabling them to expand production capacity for delivery operations while sharing overhead costs. This model works particularly well for distributing prepared foods through various channels, including food hall “storefronts” or direct delivery services.

4. Strengthen Brand Identity Through Delivery Packaging

Every delivery order represents a brand touchpoint, making it essential that your packaging reinforces your restaurant’s identity. Rather than generic containers and bags, invest in branded packaging materials that remind customers about the source of their meal.

Strategic branding opportunities include:

  • Branded bags, boxes, wraps, napkins, and cups
  • Including your menu with delivery orders to encourage future dine-in visits
  • Offering loyalty incentives to drive repeat business
  • Requiring third-party delivery drivers to use branded hot bags with your logo
  • Building positive relationships with delivery drivers to ensure they represent your brand well (for example, Red Robin provides drivers with complimentary fries with each outgoing order)

Some operators leverage deliveries to incentivize direct ordering through their proprietary app rather than third-party services like GrubHub or DoorDash. Including a coupon for discounted future orders placed directly can help reduce commission costs while building direct customer relationships.

The Path to Delivery Success

Thriving in today’s delivery-focused restaurant landscape requires aligning your capabilities with community demands. If your lunchtime delivery business is booming, consider implementing ghost kitchens or commissary setups to reduce strain on your primary kitchen team. Streamline your menu for digital platforms and invest in quality packaging that ensures food arrives in perfect condition.

By implementing these strategies, restaurants can transform delivery from a operational challenge into a sustainable competitive advantage in today’s convenience-driven marketplace.

Take Your Delivery Operation to the Next Level

Ready to elevate your restaurant’s delivery experience? Visit GP PRO today to explore their complete range of innovative packaging, food safety, and tamper-evident solutions designed specifically for off-premise dining. Their team of industry experts can help you identify the right products to enhance your delivery operation, improve customer satisfaction, and protect your brand reputation in the growing delivery economy.

This updated article is brought to you by GP PRO, providing innovative packaging and food safety solutions for the modern restaurant industry.

Written in partnership with Tom White