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CLARKS SUMMIT — Wyoming Valley residents soon will have more options to get take-out food delivered as iDeliverEATS expands into the Wilkes-Barre area.
iDeliverEATS is a two-year-old business venture by Scranton-native Ralph Del Prete, offering a restaurant delivery service to customers in the Clark Summit and Scranton areas.
Del Prete plans to enter the Wilkes-Barre region within the next three to four months. This will enable local restaurants without delivery to offer the service and reach more customers.
A 15-year veteran of the restaurant industry, Del Prete started iDeliverEATS after moving back to the region from Philadelphia, where he owned and operated several bars and restaurants.
He quickly identified a business opportunity in Northeastern Pennsylvania.
“There were several restaurant delivery services in Philadelphia,” Del Prete said. “There was nothing in this (the Clarks Summit-Scranton) area.”
Placing orders
Hungry residents can place an order with a few clicks of a mouse or a quick call into iDeliverEATS’ call center and place an order.
• Online: Diners can visit, www.iDeliverEATS.com and enter their zip code for a listing of iDeliverEATS’ restaurant partners. Menus can be reviewed and orders placed.
• By phone: Diners can call 570-586-8578 and order through a call center.
• Delivery fee: Orders do have a delivery fee of about $4.99 depending on mileage, payable by the consumer.
• Drivers: Called mobile waiters are notified immediately with a specific time of pick-up and delivery destination.
Del Prete said the time from when the order is placed to delivery to the customer can range from 45 to 60 minutes.
“Each restaurant has its own order prep time,” Del Prete said.
Order up
Tom Hill, owner of State Street Grill in Clarks Summit, said orders are received by phone from Del Prete’s call center.
Drivers have an app on their cell phones which connects them to the call center and tracks their vehicle’s progress.
“Timing is key,” Del Prete said. “The driver is at the restaurant as soon as the food is ready. It has never happened that the food does not arrive to the customer hot.”
Agreements between Del Prete and his restaurant partners detail specifics, such as prep time and commission percentages.
“I do not disclose the details of the agreements,” Del Prete said.
Since launching the service in January 2013, Del Prete has developed a base of 23 restaurant partners in the Clarks Summit and Scranton area and a range of regional customers requesting delivery to their home or work.
Consumers’ desire to order take-out as part of their weekly routine is on the rise.
According to a National Restaurant Association study from 2014, 1,000 adults were surveyed on their restaurant take-out habits. The survey reported more people, 55 percent of women and 46 percent of men would use a take-out service more often if offered.
Del Prete said customers can pre-order by calling and requesting a specific delivery time.
“They get home and our mobile waiter (the delivery driver) arrives at the same time with their dinner,” he said.
At peak-hours, between 5 to 8 p.m., Del Prete may have as many as 12 mobile waiters on the road.
Service
The service offers benefits for both consumers and restaurants.
Restaurants use the delivery service, which they might not regularly offer due to travel and insurance expenses. They also receive additional marketing and advertising through Del Prete’s website, social media and printed materials.
“I have a strong online presence,” Del Prete said.
Hill has been using the service for the past two years and has been very happy. His restaurant receives between seven to 15 orders a week from the service.
“It has been driving a lot of traffic to us from those who may not want to leave their home,” Hill said.
Hill said his busiest time for take-out orders is Sunday nights between 6 and 8 p.m.
His customers enjoy having the convenience of the service, Hill said.