Q: Are we new?
A: While our delivery service is new, the company behind it, Direct Global/Direct Co-ops, was founded in 2013 as a buying group for small and medium-sized businesses. After helping the Kensington Market community in Toronto in stopping a Walmart from opening and destroying hundreds of small businesses, the group evolved into a co-op platform allowing businesses and drivers to come together to lower their costs and compete with the largest big box stores and online companies. More about Direct Global/Direct Co-ops: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v1cDh-BtEsQ
Q: How are we different from the competition?
A: The service is similar, except we made it better and fair for everyone - businesses, delivery couriers and consumers. Businesses are only charged 5% per transaction (as opposed to 20-35% with the competitors), with no additional or hidden fees. Couriers get 90% of the delivery fee with equity (share) in their local co-operative, equal voting rights, dividend and residual income through our referral program (15% of the profit from every transaction, by businesses or drivers they refer). Consumers get to save up to 30%, thanks to the lower service fees. Our service is also better, since couriers are owners and care about the platform and its reputation.
Q: When are we launching?
A: We are currently operating in Toronto and Guelph and preparing to expand to all of Canada and USA. Direct Local Eats will launch in each city upon reaching the minimum number of drivers there (1,000 drivers for each major city, or proportional to the size of the population).
Driver Questions
Q: How do I become a driver/courier for Direct Local Eats?
A: The first step is to join our driver-owned co-op as a member. To start, please visit www.localdriver.coop and watch the about us video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WhIWhjiMGxs
Then, download the driver app from the following links (or from your app store):
iOS - https://apps.apple.com/ca/app/direct-local-eats-driver/id1563562612
Android - https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.directlocalca.driver
Q: How much do drivers make with Direct Local Eats?
A: We charge customers $0.95 per km or a minimum of $4.99 (below 5km). Drivers receive 90% of these fees and 100% of the tips.
Q: Do we provide insurance?
A: No. Delivery couriers do not need insurance to deliver food for Direct Local Eats, however, if driving a vehicle, they must have current auto insurance (drivers must provide their documents to deliver for Direct Local Eats).
Q: Do we provide delivery bags?
A: Delivery bags and other merchandise is available to our members at a low cost at: https://www.directcoops.com/shop/driver-necessities
Q: Can couriers deliver alcohol?
A: In Ontario, couriers must have a Smart Serve certificate to deliver alcoholic beverages. Direct Local Eats is licensed to deliver alcohol in Ontario.
Vendor Questions
Q: How far do we deliver?
A: The delivery distance is entirely up to you! Whether you only wish to deliver within your neighborhood, or to neighboring cities or towns, you can set your own distance in your settings.
Q: Do we provide a tablet?
A: We offer low-cost Android tablets to vendors who need them (see our pricing here https://directlocaleats.com/page-pricing-and-services). You can also bring your own Android or Apple table.Q: How do vendors know when orders are received?
A: When logged into the merchant app (Direct Local Eats Merchant) or the merchant web panel, you will hear an intermittent sound each time an order comes in.
Q: Are we integrated with receipt printers?
A: Yes, our merchant app works with most Star or Epson bluetooth receipt printers. You can also print your orders manually.
Q: How often do we pay?
A: Vendors can submit payment requests at any time. We pay within 24-48 business days of receiving a payment request for the available balance. Please note that to mitigate any charge-backs from the credit card companies, it may take up to 2 weeks for the balance from an order to clear.
Q: Will Direct Local Eats sync with our POS system?
A: We currently do not offer integration with any existing POS systems, however we do plan on providing full integration in the near future.
Q: Who can access the account? Do you have tiered access?
A: Yes, you can set up tiered access for your account. In your main menu, click "User" and "Add New", to set up a new account.
Q: If the restaurant is busy and does not hear or see the notification for an order, will it receive a phone call to make them aware of the order?
A: Once an order is received, you will hear an intermittent sound (every 10 seconds) until you take action. If the order remains unattended for 5 minutes, you will receive a courtesy call from us.
Q. Is there an option to provide pickup instructions to drivers at the restaurant?
A: This option will be added in a future update, via push notification or SMS.
Q. Will there be an option for charge backs to customers, who request additional items? i.e. extra sauce or replace one item with another
A: We currently do not offer this feature. For now, customers can coordinate directly with the restaurant and order the extra item(s) by checking out with the pickup option.
Q. Can drivers be tracked before pickup of order and during delivery of order?
A: No, once an order is ready for pickup, all drivers within a 5km radius will receive a delivery job notification. The first driver to accept, will get the job and the vendor will receive a notification that the driver is on their way to pickup the order. Vendors cannot track the location of the driver.
Have additional questions? Use this contact form to send us a message and we will get back to you as soon as possible!
