Tricks Caterers Use to Deliver Last-minute Orders On Time

By Catering Staff | September 23, 2016

Restaurant chains with catering services, such as Bob Evans, whether these are the dine-in, pick-up, or delivery type, usually have a 24-hour policy for orders – clients must make their orders at least 24 hours before the event. But there are cases when a valued client, such as a small business or a large corporation with a standing account, makes a rush order (i.e., less than 24 hours’ notice).

What are the tricks of the trade that the best caterers use in these instances? You may be surprised at these methods but, if and when these methods mean on-time delivery of your rushed orders, then prepare for pleasant surprises.  

Every Employee Can Deliver

Even the most effective and efficient delivery system in restaurants can be overwhelmed by the catering orders, especially when the same system is used for standard deliveries. But the best restaurants can deliver on time apparently without a sweat, which works to your benefit.  

The trick: Every employee can be a driver for deliveries. Your caterer, for example, can tap into available employees with basic knowledge about your address to deliver your orders, perhaps even use a non-company car (e.g., taxi) for the purpose. You may not see the workings of the delivery system but you are sure to benefit from the tight ship the catering supervisor is running.  

If you want, you can give the deliveryman a tip for the job – it’s not necessary but it will be appreciated. This is also true for the servers and waiters in case of full service catering jobs.

Deliver Early on Others, Deliver Late on Others

The best catering companies know that flexibility in the delivery system is a must to survive the challenges of the business. In case of restaurants, the telephone answerers are usually trained to determine each of the customer’s actual time for eating the delivered food and drinks. You should be ready with the answer to the question of when the food and drinks will actually be served.

The trick: An 11:30 a.m. delivery can be moved to 11:40 a.m., just in time for the planned 11:50 a.m. serving time, which means the caterer can insert another delivery within the 10-minute period. While you want on-time, as-agreed delivery, you may also want to consider the caterer’s schedule, especially when all prior deliveries were made on time.  

Suffice it to say that for a client-caterer relationship to thrive, each party must be willing to make certain reasonable allowances. After all, each one benefits from the relationship in their own ways, thus, the give-and-take dynamics.