More and more restaurants that may not have considered delivery in the past are starting to see the potential in making their food mobile. It isn’t just pizza that shows up on people’s doorsteps anymore. So, many restaurant owners are wondering if they should jump in and take advantage of the convenience that consumers are searching for. Most have two options. They can set up their own restaurant delivery software and remain independent, or they can take part in one of the already-established food delivery services. There are pros and cons to both decisions.

If you want to maintain complete control of the process, it’s a better idea to have your own restaurant delivery software. You have it set up an installed on your current system. There is no real middleman. Instead, customers are dealing directly with you the entire time.

This means that there is less miscommunication and you aren’t dealing with a third party and any reliability issues they may have. The system succeeds or fails based on you and your own employees. For most business owners, this is ideal. It ensures that you know what items are being ordered, who is delivering them, and even when they arrive.

This keeps you independent and gives you the power to make changes, offer discounts, and even quickly take care of problems when they arise.

While it is nice to have your own restaurant delivery software and system, there are some real drawbacks. One of the most noticeable is the cost. Not only are you going to need to purchase the software, which may or may not need maintenance and updating on a regular basis, but because you aren’t outsourcing the work, you are responsible for hiring and training more employees.

This is going to cost you more money and potentially require more of your time. You can’t count on anyone else stepping in with an instant workforce and a website that is already in place for ordering. The overall cost is often the one thing that prevents businesses from going ahead and making the leap to their own app and their own delivery service.

How can you know if your own delivery service and software are right for you? Take the time to weigh out how much it is going to cost to get started. Think about the cost of an app or the software. Think about how many people you are going to need to hire and train.

Think about the additional insurance costs that come with delivery. At the same time, remember that the added convenience to customers could mean that you are going to grow your business and quickly be able to pay for all of the upfront costs that you are incurring. Remember that other businesses are already out there handling their own deliveries and getting the attention of your customers. Then, decide what will work best for you.