The 5 Biggest Food Delivery Risks

Food delivery services encounter many risks during delivering food to the designated addresses. Here are some of the common risks that we’ve compiled for you so that you as a restaurant owner can take precautions to avoid them and make your business grow.

Food Safety

Hot food should be kept at 140º F or higher, while cold dishes at 40º F or less. You can keep food fresh by following these ranges. However, it’s sometimes challenging to do that. Unpredicted traffic or other issues can spoil the food, and run the chance of it skewing from these figures. Because of this, the food quality may be harmed resulting in food poisoning, which definitely will damage the brand image as customers will stop trusting you.

For keeping the food quality higher and delivering temperature-controlled foods safely, you should consider essential factors:

Opt for food delivery services that provide refrigerated services. Ask the third-party delivery service providers what kind of boxes and bags they provide to drivers to ship the food safely.
Maintain proper temperature of the food until the arrival of the third-party drivers.
Use containers that keep the right temperature for the food.
Show customers that their food was not touched by the driver or anyone else through another layer of protection. For example, seal the take-out bags with an adhesive.
Ask yourself whether the food that you deliver will arrive the same way it is now. Are the french fries crispy? Is the burger fresh? We’ll touch on this point in more detail in a minute.

Selling Food That Spoils Quickly

When you are sitting in a restaurant and waiting for your food, you know that your food will arrive freshly and properly, as it takes only a couple of minutes to bring your food to your table. However, the same cannot be said about the delivery to home or office or any other place. On the road, many dishes lose their initial taste and texture. For example, french fries become soggy, the greens of dressed salads get wilted, and more. The food delivery can take up to 40 minutes typically, depending on the destination. So, when you put food on a menu that becomes inedible after up to 40 minutes, customers get upset.

Here are some of the common foods that can get unappetizing very quickly:

French fries or any other fried foods - These foods soften during the road and become soggy.
Dressed salads - The greens of the salad wilt very quickly.
Frozen foods - They may melt during the delivery.
Burger buns - They become soggy.
Sushi - Can go bad if it is left out for too long unrefridgerated, especially during the summertime.
Breaded foods - They may get soggy on the road and quickly lose their heat, becoming cold.
Calamari - It becomes chewy and soggy in a short period of time in the box.
Sauced Noodles - They get mushy.

To prevent such situations:

Restaurant owners should consider what menu items are offered for diners who eat in and those who order delivery.
Use innovative delivery containers, such as vented fry containers to deliver fried foods as crispy as they are.

Also, they should:

Separate garnishes and condiments from main foods.
Provide the needed utensils, condiments, and napkins.

3. Data Breach

Technology evolved and people started to use the Internet and their mobile phones a lot these days. Most of the time, whenever people are at home or the office and want to order some food for their lunch, they place their order electronically.

Customers like to browse the menu of a particular restaurant and request an order, paying for the food via the Internet. However, there are some risks with these. Even though these online transactions are easy, quick, and convenient, they pose some risks to restaurants that are linked to the transfer and gathering of personal data from clients, including their phone numbers, IDs, credit cards, addresses, etc.

These kinds of data can be hacked by current skillful hackers. Food services that don’t have proper dependable security systems are at risk of cyberattacks. This threat can cost a lot of money to businesses and cause customers to lose their trust. The business may even cope with a pricey lawsuit in some situations.

Conducting a security audit to analyze your system may be necessary to prevent such instances. Some small businesses partner with food delivery services, however, they should ensure that these services keep their customer data safe.

4. Spread of Virus

Especially during this pandemic, people started to pay attention to food safety even more so as not to spread viruses. There is no evidence that the virus can be spread through the food, however, food containers or the packaging is not safe. Businesses will lose their trust if, after their food, customers will get poisoned or sick. Not to spread germs through packaging, restaurants should:

Advise customers to wash their hands before eating.
Teach them to disinfect the food containers.
Ask them to use their home (own) utensils or provide sealed utensils.

5. Driver Risks

Drivers may encounter many risks during delivery that can include transportation incidents, injuries, theft, etc. You can avoid pricey liabilities if you have the correct insurance plan in place.

Whenever restaurants hire delivery drivers, they need to have commercial auto liability insurance. There is a higher possibility that drivers may encounter vehicular crashes and be involved in accidents. The cases are more probable when drivers are in a hurry to make delivery on time.

These were some of the common risks of food delivery services that you should consider. Food delivery is growing in popularity as sometimes people prefer to order foods rather than prepare them. That is why restaurant owners must be completely aware of the risks associated with food delivery. You can take smart steps to avoid future problems only if you understand these food delivery risks thoroughly.