The following information only applies to shefs who are using door-to-door delivery in regions without drop off hubs.
Door-to-door delivery means that we will automatically schedule delivery drivers to pick up each order from your address, using a range of delivery services in your area.
How to use door-to-door delivery?
To get started with door-to-door delivery, please follow these instructions:
Select the ‘I will use door-to-door delivery’ option on the My Profile page of your Shef Dashboard.
Input the address you would like to use for orders. This address will be sent to the delivery driver who will be picking up your orders. You must add an address to your Dashboard before you will be able to receive orders.
Select all time windows you would like to offer for orders. Choosing more than one option allows each customer to select their preferred time window at checkout. 3:00-5:00 pm is most popular with customers!
Set your availability for orders on the My Availability page of your Shef Dashboard. You can select any day of the week.
Customers will be able to place orders for door-to-door delivery as soon as you set availability. Door-to-door delivery allows all customers within 15 miles to order from your menu.
As you prepare to receive orders, be sure to collect any supplies you will need to fulfill orders. This includes food containers, order label sheets, a regular home printer to print your order labels, insulated bags, and water bottles/ice packs as needed.
How will delivery day work?
All food on Shef is delivered cold. As a shef, you will prepare and refrigerate all orders, then ensure it is kept cold throughout the entire delivery process so everything is ready to reheat and eat at your customer's convenience.
As a shef, you are responsible for ensuring your food reaches the customer at a safe temperature (between 33°F and 41°F). This means all food needs to be quickly cooled after preparation and held at this temperature throughout the entire delivery process, until your customer receives their order. Failure to use materials that keep your orders at a safe temperature during delivery may result in not being paid for the order, or potential deactivation of your Shef account.
Here's an overview of how the delivery day works for door-to-door delivery:
Prepare your food and cool down to 41F (refrigerated temperature) for safe transport. Because you are responsible for ensuring your food reaches the customer at a safe temperature (41F), we recommend using insulated bags to package your orders. You can purchase insulated bags using this link, or from any other supplier. We also recommend using frozen water bottles or ice packs as needed.
Label each delivery bag clearly with the customer name for delivery drivers. We highly recommend printing Shef order labels from your Dashboard, because these labels include reheating instructions for customers. You can purchase more Avery labels using this link.
On delivery day, we will automatically schedule drivers to pick up all of your orders from the address in your Shef Dashboard, during the pickup windows you have selected. You can expect 1 delivery driver for each customer, from a range of delivery companies in your area. Please ensure your orders are ready for pick-up by the start of your pick-up window.
You will receive text message alerts when a driver is en route for each order. Please double-check the customer name with each driver when they arrive.
You will receive text message alerts when each order is delivered to the customer.
You will be paid as normal through your Stripe account, 1 day after each order is delivered.
FAQs
Can I offer both pickup and delivery?
No, for now, you can only choose one of these three options. We strongly recommend using door-to-door delivery, due to the larger (20 mile) delivery range and the popularity of delivery with customers. Shefs using our new door-to-door delivery option in DC earned 5x more in October, compared to shefs using self-delivery and pickup!
How should I package the orders?
Prepare your food and cool down to 33°F - 41°F (refrigerated temperature) for safe transport. Because you are responsible for ensuring your food reaches the customer at a safe temperature (33°F - 41°F), we recommend using insulated bags to package your orders. You can purchase insulated bags using this link, or from any other supplier. We also recommend using frozen water bottles or ice packs as needed.
Label each delivery bag clearly with the customer name for delivery drivers. We highly recommend printing Shef order labels from your Dashboard, because these labels include reheating instructions for customers. You can purchase more Avery labels using this link.
Do I need to take food to a hub or drop-off location?
No, you do not need to take food to a drop-off location! We only operate hubs and drop-off locations in our 6 original markets (Bay Area, Chicago, Los Angeles, New Jersey, New York, and Seattle). For shefs in all other cities, we will coordinate delivery drivers to pick up all of your orders from the pick-up address in your Shef Dashboard!
How many drivers will pick up my orders?
You can expect 1 delivery driver for each customer. Please double-check the customer name with each driver. The drivers will be different every time because they are coming from a range of delivery companies in your area.
Can I change the pick-up time window?
You can choose one or more of the available time window options in your Shef Dashboard. Choosing more than one option allows each customer to select their preferred time window at checkout.
Tip: 3:00-5:00 pm tends to be the most popular choice for customers!
How will payments work?
Shef will continue to use Stripe to process and deposit your payments for each order directly to your bank account. Shef has a 25% take rate for each order to cover the cost of delivery.
What if there is an issue with an order?
Our Support team will communicate directly with the delivery service and your customers to resolve any issues.