Restaurant delivery service opens in Clinton
There’s a new option to get restaurant meals delivered in the Clinton area starting today (Wednesday, March 10).
A 13-year-old Chattanooga company called Dinner Delivered begins service here delivering meals from at least 10 Clinton-area restaurants, using local drivers the firm has been recruiting on Facebook for the past several weeks.
“So far, we have Habaneros, Apple Blossom Cafe, E, Claire’s Coffee House, Clinch River Coffee, Gondolier, Golden Girls, Gametime Pizza, Firehouse subs, Shoney’s and iKook Hibachi signed up,” said Jennifer Weyler, the company’s sales and marketing director.
Customers have three ways to order meals for delivery: using the smartphone app, going onto the company’s website (dinnerdelivered.com) or calling the order number (423-634-8899), Weyler said.
The app is available for downloading from Apple or Android phones, and there are menus with prices on the app and the website, she said.
Dinner Delivered, which already operates in the Oak Ridge area, will deliver meals up to 18 miles from a restaurant.
Customers pay a $4.99 delivery charge for up to eight miles away, $8.99 for 8-12 miles, and $14.99 for 12-18 miles, Weyler said.
Most of the restaurants also charge slightly higher prices for items on menus included in the app or on the website so they don’t have to pay a share of the delivery, she said.
The customer’s debit or credit card is charged the menu price plus sales tax and the delivery charge, and there are “no hidden fees,” Weyler said. Tips for the driver are extra, and can be put on the card when paying on the app, website or phone, or handed directly to the driver in cash at the time of delivery, she said.
The service operates from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. seven days a week, but is limited to a particular restaurant’s own days and hours.
“We’ve been in Oak Ridge for over a year now, and we’ve gotten great feedback about our plans to move into the Clinton area,” Weyler said. “Clinton is the perfect size town for us. We always do better in the more-rural towns than in the metro areas, because there are competitors in the cities. They usually just go a maximum of five miles, though.”
The pay for drivers is a guaranteed $11 dollars an hour plus any tips the driver collects, she said. “We’re creating job opportunities for the drivers, and helping out the restaurants. It can provide someone a good income, or supplement an income.”
Dinner Delivered still is recruiting drivers for the Clinton area, and there is an application on the company’s website.
Among the requirements to drive for the company:
* A neat and clean appearance.
* A friendly attitude.
* A safe and dependable vehicle.
* A good driving record.
* And an Apple or Android smartphone.
Depending on how long the order is, the wait to get food delivered “is typically 45 minutes to an hour,” Weyler said. “But it could be there much quicker. People have to allow for cook time at the restaurant, and factor in travel time.
“Once the order is placed, we email a receipt to the customer with a more-specific window as to when it should arrive. We always have drivers on call, but if we’re extremely busy, it can take longer.”
Other cities where Dinner Delivered operates include Cleveland, Athens, Maryville and Chattanooga, Tennessee; and Cartersville, Rome, Dalton, Fort Oglethorpe and Ringgold, Georgia, she said.