Providing delectable food and great service is the heartbeat of many large catering companies and restaurants. Growing a business through repeat orders and new customers also takes the ability to scale quickly and deliver orders lightning fast, especially during peak hours.
It’s the new normal since Uber, DoorDash and other on-demand delivery models have disrupted the food services industry.
Since 2018, Philadelphia-based Dlivrd has been a lifeline for catering companies and restaurants throughout the United States. Tapping into Dlivrd’s convenient delivery-for-hire services gives busy caterers the lift and scale they need to grow their businesses.
“Catering operates on tight timelines, making it hard to staff and manage drivers. Through crowd-sourcing, we help companies adapt and scale so they can accept more orders than they’d be able to on their own,” says Chris Heffernan, CEO and owner at Dlivrd.
The last two years have been particularly beneficial for Dlivrd. The company grew its revenue 3X from 2019 to 2020 and saw another 3X lift from 2020 to 2021.
Dlivrd drivers work as independent contractors, with all the flexibility and convenience that comes with it. Currently, the company is operating in 52 markets across the United States, and Chris expects to be in 60 markets by the end of the year.
One thing that attracts new drivers to Dlivrd? The ability to get paid fast.
“Waiting for a payday is no longer an option, especially in the gig world. Everyone wants access to their pay as quickly as possible, and I understand that,” says Chris. “I am confident that we would lose, or never onboard, at least 20% of our contractors if we didn’t offer an expedited payment method. Being able to give people money when they complete the delivery — it’s not a benefit, it’s a requirement.”
Prior to switching to Everee, the Dlivrd team was experiencing hiccups with their previous pay system. And due to the scale they were growing at, it was harder and harder to finance payments to drivers.
“I was loading my personal credit card up and maxing them out every month just to float these payments to drivers,” Chris says. “The interest I was paying and the credit card fees was just insane.”
Thanks to Everee and Everee Credit, hefty fees and pay delivery delays are a thing of the past.
Optimizing cash flow & savings
One of the largest challenges when opening a new market is maintaining enough cash flow to pay contractors quickly. Dlivrd leverages Everee’s credit line to make daily payments to workers, freeing the company to invest cash back into the business rather than move money around to pay people.
“The financial benefit is great. Everee compares pricewise to our previous provider while offering extra features. I’m saving money on interest and bank fees to the tune of hundreds or even thousands a year,” says Chris. “Everee has allowed us to optimize our cash flow, so we can consider expanding our service offerings.”
Everee makes it simple for Dlivrd’s drivers to see their earnings, giving them payment information right in the Everee app. Having that information readily available means the Dlivrd team saves time responding to pay inquiries.
“Organizationally, it’s quicker to process payments with fewer errors and issues,” Chris continues, adding that the solution also delivers cost savings compared to the previous provider. “Everee’s API made it really easy to automate and pay drivers. It didn’t take a lot of engineering time, it was just quick and easy to execute.”
Everee also automates the annual 1099 filing and reporting process for Dlivrd: “Getting that time back is amazing,” he says.
Recruiting & retaining the best
Dlivrd knows that to attract drivers and compete for their time with larger gig platform companies, they need to pay fast.
“Fast pay absolutely matters,” says Sam Hart, Operations Team Lead. “With a lot of our drivers, the reasons they’re doing gig work is because of the speed they’re getting paid. With Everee, they’re earning as they’re working.”
In the past, Dlivrd drivers would have to wait at least two business days to get paid. Now, they receive their money the day after their shift ends.
“With Everee, paying delivery drivers is much easier, and we can do it daily, which is critical to competing with the larger companies like Uber and DoorDash,” says Chris. “Our average delivery is more than $200, so it’s essential that our drivers go the extra mile. Finding and retaining the right people is key.”
Everee’s ability to pay people daily not only gives Dlivrd a competitive advantage when recruiting workers, it also does right by the people who work for him, which is more important to him than anything. Thanks to Everee, drivers can easily communicate with Dlivrd and see, at a glance, when they can expect payments. They also know how they’re going to receive their tax documents and 1099s.
“We would not be here without Everee,” explains Gemma Hanson, Director of Operations. “It’s a fantastic option for a payment provider.” And the best part? She can run payroll in less than 10 minutes.
Ultimately, Chris says, “Success is about feeling good about something you’ve built and cultivating a positive environment for the people who work for you.”
Want to learn how Everee can improve your cash flow and pay your drivers fast? Book time with us here.