Founded to help local restaurants survive a global pandemic in spite of greatly reduced operating hours and dine-in capacity, local co-op service delivers food from member restaurants.
937Delivers Successfully Launched In Downtown Dayton
NEW cooperatively owned delivery service 937Delivers, born out of a desire to help local restaurants and their employees struggling to make ends meet during the global pandemic, is off to an exciting start! Those who live or work within a 5-mile radius of downtown Dayton are the first to score delivery from member restaurants including Trolley Stop, The Dublin Pub, Lily's Dayton, The Pizza Bandit, Ghostlight Coffee, Fantasma Taco, Smokin Barbecue, Oregon Express, and Franco's Ristorante Italiano as of Monday, Nov 30. Check back frequently as they continue to add restaurants.
937Delivers launched on Friday, Nov 27. A post on their Facebook page late Saturday states “Our system got incredibly smoothed out and the feedback from the restaurants over our first two services has been amazing.” This is music to the ears of eager patrons and restaurants as well.
Robin Sassenberg of Trolley Stop is very excited to be a member-owner and says "the timing could have only been better if it were six months earlier". The Sassenberg's celebrated 25 years as owners of the city's oldest continually-operating bar last August. Trolley Stop currently offers dine-in, carry-out, and curbside service after declining to the pay thirty percent national delivery providers required. Robin is excited to offer delivery that won't drive prices up or bankrupt them.
Using 937Delivers is easy, visit the website, choose a restaurant, select the items you want to order, choose to pick up or delivery, complete the form (name, address, etc), place and pay for your order. If you chose delivery and are within the 5-mile radius, wait for the delivery to arrive. Ordering is permitted only during operating hours. They have applied for a liquor permit, so you will be able to order adult beverages soon (photo ID required on delivery). Just as with carryout service, a food purchase is required. Limit of 3 drinks per meal.
You’ve likely heard of national companies Grubhub, DoorDash, and UberEats, etc. They charge a delivery fee; but the bulk of their earnings come from the fees they charge restaurants, typically 30% or more of each order. Most local restaurants operate on slim margins. Add reduced capacity and they can’t afford to pay 30% to a delivery service. 937Delivers' cooperative model of member restaurant and driver ownership grants the restaurants more control over quality, customer experience, and once the new venture turns a profit, they'll share in that too.
It all started when Miami Valley Restaurant Association Board President Shanon Morgan was trying to find a way to help restaurants and their employees back in April. Putting together meal kits for unemployed workers while restaurants could only offer carry-out was something, but she wanted to do more. Morgan was interested in creating an app though lacked the necessary capital to fund the project. Soon after creating a Facebook page to support the restaurants and employees she received a message from CO-OP Dayton. A meeting got the ball rolling and now the local non-profit is handling the set-up and governance for the new delivery service.
If you live within 5 miles of Downtown Dayton please #supportlocal and use 937Delivers.
