Location is King

Waiter on the Way is growing in more ways than one. 

The Fort Wayne-based restaurant delivery service recently relocated to a downtown office at 701 South Clinton Street, across from the Allen County Courthouse. 

Owner Derek Berkes says that there were many factors behind the move. One of the most obvious being that Waiter on the Way had outgrown its previous location; the new one boasts four times the space. The downtown address was also by design, he says. 

“We wanted to plug into the downtown scene. Everything is cool and fun downtown,” he says. “There is a lot of creativity here.” 

In just a few months’ time the location has boosted the Waiter on the Way brand, Berkes says. The building is in a prominent, high-traffic location, which provides great exposure to customers and potential staff. Also, logistics played a role in the decision. By being centrally located, Waiter on the Way can better serve customers all over the city. 

Speaking of cities, Berkes has plans to take the Waiter on the Way concept to other locales by franchising. If numbers are indicative of success, Waiter on the Way is ahead of the curve in several ways. For example, most restaurant delivery services have between 15 and 40 restaurant partners. In contrast, Waiter on the Way has 160. It also averages between 1,200 and 1,500 deliveries per week, compared to 400 for some restaurant delivery services in other cities. 

For these reasons and more, Berkes says it’s time to make the leap to other markets. 

“We’ve been doing this for 22 years and it’s time to take the experience customers know and love to other cities,” he says. “We’re excited about bringing on franchise partners in 2014.”

What are the benefits of becoming a franchisee? There is the opportunity to tap into Waiter on the Way’s considerable investment in state-of-the-art systems. That means a website with secure ordering, customer support, history and more. Access to an integrated dispatching software is part of the package, as well as a proven marketing plan and on-going support and training.

“It’s really about the information, knowledge and experience,” he says. “And there is continued support for those operations going forward.” 

Comments