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What are the long term career prospects for food delivery drivers?

This is still a relatively new business which is going through enormous changes, and is likely to do so for the foreseeable future. There are ground floor opportunities for ambitious people to make a great deal of money, whether self-employed, working as employees, or running their own businesses.

Fast food delivery is already a multi-BILLION pound industry; it is growing rapidly and is expected to continue to do so as the eating habits of the British public continued to evolve. there are opportunities to cash in on this, either by providing the food itself, delivering it or becoming part of the tecnical and marketing side of the business.

Isn't fast food delivery already dominated by the big players?

Perhaps it is today but things can change very quickly. For example it is not very well known that Deliveroo came very close to going broke at the start of the Covid pandemic! They were running out of cash rapidly and laying off staff, and were only saved by a cash injection from Amazon, who may well be making their own foray into the business soon.

Just Eat have massive financial resources and they have ambitious plans for not only food delivery but also producing the food. However they are having to be little more careful about the charges they make to the restaurants and fast-food outlets that they serve. Whilst many of these businesses had little choice about signing up with this relative newcomer during the lockdowns, when they had to either switch to delivering food or close down completely, they are now finding that what they are being charged by them is a burden.

It can be difficult to make a profit on producing food if the delivery company, after VAT, is charging around 40% of the price the customer pays. Admittedly these businesses benefit from better exposure as a result of the marketing and heavy advertising of the big companies but the more people eat at home the fewer are going to eat in a restaurant, where they are likely to also want drinks (which normally carry a high profit margin) as well as starters, deserts, coffee et cetera. Many owners of restaurants, in particular, would prefer to run their own show.

A lot of these outlets may well set up their own delivery businesses and some admit to poaching delivery drivers who work for the big three; after all these are self-employed people and free to switch to any other employer - or business partner - they wish.

What is the future for home deliveries?

One fast-growing industry is the 'dark kitchen'. These are food outlets with no seating for customers, no collection facilities, but which rely on home delivery only, advertising their meals over the web. the advantages of running a dark kitchen are:

• An absolute minimum of staff. With no customers visiting the kitchen, all efforts can be concentrated on food production.
• Fast turnover. Food is produced when it is ordered, and it is paid for in advance and then delivered direct to the customer.
• Minimum overheads. The kitchen can operate from any suitable premises; an expensive high street shop front may be necessary for a restaurant but for a dark kitchen it would be an avoidable expense.
• Flexibility. Whilst restaurants usually have to build up trade in their own particular speciality, a dark kitchen can follow trends and switch from one type of food to another very quickly, just by changing their advertisements.
• Multiple brands; a single dark kitchen could offer, for example, Italian, Spanish, or vegan restaurant class food, or fast-food like burgers, pizzas or kebabs, all created under the same roof but under different brand names.

The way we buy goods is changing; our appetite for ordering online, whether we are buying a three-piece suite or burger and chips, is increasing rapidly and so the likelihood is that there will be an even greater demand in the future for people to not only deliver goods straight to the customer, but to create them as well. This will provide opportunities not only for those cooking food or those delivering it, but also those who want to create the websites, apps and other marketing systems that make it easier and easier for consumers to buy whatever food they wish, whenever they wish, and have it delivered straight to their door quickly and economicaly.

What is the future for home delivery drivers?

Actually delivering the food can be the first essential step onto an worthwile and well paid career in an industry that will never go out of fashion. After all, everone needs to eat!

Before you start, though, you'll need food delivery insurance to stay within the law. Click the link now!