Thursday evening, just past nine: three orders in the queue, one driver on the road. A fourth order comes in and you promise thirty minutes, because that is what you always write. It arrives after fifty-five, and cold. The problem is not the fifty-five. It is that the number you gave was never real in the first place.
Where the real time comes from
Delivery time is not one number but three added together: how long the order waits before cooking starts, the cooking itself, and the trip. Most restaurants estimate the second and third and forget the first.
- Preparation: time ten ordinary orders with a clock, from the moment each arrives to the moment it leaves the kitchen, and use the average and the worst, not the best.
- The trip: test every area you cover at peak hour, not on a quiet morning. Nearby neighbourhoods can be slower because of traffic.
- The wait: when you are busy, add the time an order will sit in the queue, which changes with how many orders are open right now.
Promise a little more, arrive early
A shorter promise attracts the order, but missing it destroys trust. The reverse also holds: a guest told forty minutes whose food arrives in thirty feels looked after, and a guest told thirty whose food arrives in forty feels let down. So make the stated time the one you can meet on most days, not the one you wish for.
Consider two different times depending on how the kitchen is doing: one for quiet hours and one for rush hours. If your site lets you change the stated time, raise it when the kitchen fills up instead of leaving one number all day.
What to write, and where
- Give a range, not a single number, such as “35 to 45 minutes.” A range is honest by nature.
- State the time before the guest pays or confirms, not after.
- When time differs between areas, do not apply one number to all of them.
- Use status updates if your system offers them: “we have started your order,” “your order is on its way.” A guest who knows what is happening does not call.
When you are late despite everything
You will be late sometimes: an oven fault, a stuck driver, a huge order that arrived out of nowhere. Hiding it does not fix anything. The rule is simple: tell them before they ask.
- Tell the guest as soon as you know
A short message or call: “Your order will be about fifteen minutes late, sorry,” with a new time that is realistic.
- Give the reason, briefly and truthfully
No story needed. One sentence is enough, and the guest appreciates being treated with respect.
- Offer something small
A drink, a small dessert, or a little off the next order. The aim is to show you noticed the inconvenience, not to buy silence.
- Write it down
If lateness repeats at the same hour or in the same area, the problem is the stated time, the number of drivers, or the kitchen's capacity, and you adjust that.
On certain days, such as Fridays, weekends, or holidays, cut the number of items or pause orders for a while when the kitchen is full. An order politely declined is better than one accepted and delivered late and cold.