Relay Delivery: What is it & How Does it Work?

July 12, 2024

Over the past few years, the restaurant industry’s reliance on delivery has skyrocketed from zero straight to hero.

Since the unprecedented times of early 2019, U.S. revenue from online meal delivery has grown 149%, from 34.92B in 2019 (the “zero”) to 86.91B in 2023 (the “hero”).

And, according to predictions from Statista, that number is only going up, with revenue anticipated to reach 111.7B in the next four years.

Now, while 111.7B is an impressive (albeit barely comprehensible) figure, we’re just talking third-party apps here. DoorDash, Uber Eats, Delivery Hero… you know the ones.

But what if there was another option?

A different kind of delivery that reduces commissions, increases restaurant control, and gives you access to your customer data?

Lucky for you, there is.

And it’s called Relay Delivery.

Before We Get Started... Why Now?

Now, before we dive into what Relay Delivery’s all about, you might be thinking to yourself:

“The restaurant industry has had so many years of third-party app supremacy… why are we looking at something different now?”

It’s a good question. And it’s easy to answer, too.

In April 2024, The New York City Council announced its consideration of a bill that would “significantly increase what third-party delivery apps are allowed to charge restaurants.”

Under Int 762, a restaurant’s third-party delivery fee would increase from the previous maximum of 23% (set back in 2021) to a whopping, almost-doubled 43%... and unsurprisingly, nobody is on the same page about it.

In an email to Restaurant Business, an unnamed GrubHub spokesperson spoke positively of the increase.

They said it would not only allow “New York’s small, independent restaurants [to] once again have the necessary flexibility to market themselves,” but also help grow their customer base and better compete with the “big chains.”

Andrew Rigie — Executive Director of the New York City Hospitality Alliance — couldn’t agree with GrubHub less.

“The delivery giants say they just want to offer restaurants more ‘marketing services’ but this political sleight of hand would let them bury restaurants in search results if they don’t pay up,” said Rigie. “[It’ll] make it harder for New Yorkers to find local restaurants that can’t afford to, or don’t want to pay to play.”

So, “why now?”

Well, it’s not that we’re ditching the third-party platforms completely — they’re still good for marketing!

It’s just that it’s much better to weigh your options at 23% than at 43%... don’t you think?

Hometown Coffee Mobile App

What is Relay Delivery & How Does it Work?

Okay, now that we’re all in agreement about why we’re here… let’s dive straight into the commission-free, money-saving, power-restoring delivery option that is Relay Delivery.

Put simply, Relay Delivery is… well… a delivery company.

Founded in 2014, Relay was created to ease the operational pressure on restaurants doing in-house delivery with in-house couriers. Described as the solution to “keep [operator] costs manageable,” Relay offers restaurant owners a way to optimize deliveries with their courier services while relinquishing control over things like data and fees.

Here’s how it works:

Meet with a Relay specialist to talk about your restaurant's delivery needs
Create and set up your account and Relay management system for orders
Toggle on the “self-delivery” option on your third-party platforms (yes, you can still use them!)
Wait for a delivery to come in via phone, website, app, or third-party platforms
Sit back and relax while Relay automatically sends a courier to pick up/deliver the order

Pretty sweet, right?

The Benefits of Relay Delivery (& How It's Different)

Relay’s “delivery only” focus is definitely unique… but it’s not the only way they’re different.

There are a few major ways that Relay Delivery stands out from the third-party crowd (with major benefits for you).

Relay saves you money: Because Relay is considered “self-delivery” (and because they don’t charge you commission) their services can cut your current delivery costs by 75% or more!
Relay takes orders from everywhere: Whether you’re using your own custom app, taking orders through DoorDash, or going old-school on the phone, Relay delivers orders no matter where they come in.
Relay pays their couriers ethically: Unlike other delivery platforms, Relay pays their couriers a set hourly wage. They also limit deliveries to a 2-mile radius, reducing travel time and related costs.
Relay is reliable and fast: Relay’s 2-mile limit also means that drivers are always close by and ready to rock when you need ‘em. It also means your customers get their meals faster and fresher.
Relay gives you back control: Relay doesn’t have an app, so any customer data that comes through your delivery system is 100% yours to use for retargeting and loyalty building.

And, if you’re wondering just how different Relay is from the other guys… I’ll just leave this comparison here.

Relay: Restaurant & Courier Info

$5.75 flat rate per delivery
The restaurant owns customer data
Available in 6 cities across the U.S. (New York City - NY, Hoboken - NJ, Jersey City - NJ, Philadelphia - PA, Washington - D.C., Miami - FL)
No self-delivery options
Couriers keep 100% of tips and set their own hours/shifts with an hourly pay based on the city’s hourly rate

UberEats: Restaurant & Courier Info

Pricing Plan:
- Lite Plan → 20% for delivery; 10% for pickup
- Plus Plan → 25% for delivery; 10% for pickup
- Premium Plan → 30% for delivery; 10% for pickup
The restaurant can access customer data, but UberEats owns it
Available in over 500 cities across the U.S.
Self-delivery available with a 15% fee
Couriers keep 100% of tips and set their own hours/shifts with payment for every pickup/dropoff + a per-mile rate

DoorDash: Restaurant & Courier Info

Pricing Plan:
- Basic Plan → 20% commission per delivery order; 10% commission per pickup order
- Plus Plan → 25% commission per delivery order; 8% commission per pickup order
- Premier Plan → 29% commission per delivery order; 8% commission per pickup order
The restaurant can access customer data, but DoorDash owns it
Available in over 7,000 cities across all 50 U.S. states
Self-delivery available with an unspecified “lower commission rate”
Couriers keep 100% of tips and set their own hours/shifts with a base pay for every order + extra pay for optional promos, challenges, etc.

Use Relay Delivery with a Craver App

You know by now that Relay is a delivery-only platform.

But how do you actually accept the delivery orders?

Well, you could use third-party apps like Uber Eats or DoorDash.

Or… you could use your own app with Craver, because custom-branded mobile apps and web ordering platforms are what we do best.

Commission Free Deliveries - Craver

And, because delivery is what Relay does best, we’ve made sure our custom-branded apps and online ordering platforms integrate with Relay as seamlessly as they do with your POS and payment systems.

That means it’s easier than ever for your customers to order delivery, and cheaper for you to manage that delivery process, operating completely commission-free.

And, when you work with Craver you automatically gain access to a whole other range of opportunities that you might otherwise put on the back burner, like: