I was originally going to place this nugget in Fast Food Week. The more I thought about it, though, the more I realized it needed a post of its own. It’s the biggest advance in Pizza delivery since delivery service was widely instituted by PizzaPizza in the 1960s…
We pretty much take Pizza delivery for granted, these days. And it’s largely become a subset of the overall food delivery system, for some brands. But it all started back in the 1960s when PizzaPizza first handed off a boxed pie to a kid on the scooter for the race to someone’s front door.
Not much change over the years
Over the years, Pizza delivery has mainly been free. Though some pizza kitchens have tried instituting delivery charges of $0.50 cents to $2.00 at one time or another. But, until food delivery services such as Grub Hub and Skip The Dishes came along, delivery was generally free
More than one pizzeria had tried increasing the competitiveness of its delivery serve by promising delivery in under 30 minutes. Failure to get the pie there on time would earn the customer a small discount on their order – or a an entirely free pizza. But a shocking number of traffic accidents involving daredevil delivery drivers forced pizza parlous to lengthen their delivery time guarantees, for safety’s sake. Eventually, virtually all major pizza chains eliminated the gimmick.
One thing that has remained the same through all the decades that modern pizza delivery has been around? You needed a street address to get delivery.
Now, all you need is a landmark
For the first time in 60-some years, a major innovation has appeared in pizza delivery.
Someone at Domino’s had the inspiration to put together a whole bunch of existing parts to create a new system to both expand and simplify delivery.
Domino’s new Pinpoint Delivery service lets customers ‘drop a pin’ on a Google Map to indicate their location. Whether it has an official street address or not. Could be the park. Could be the beach. Could be anywhere within the brand’s delivery area.
You drop your pin on a map segment within the Domino’s smart phone app and the delivery driver simply meets you where the pin points. But the system doesn’t stop there. You’ll be able to track drivers’ GPS locations in real time, check wait times, and receive text updates about your order.
Some drawbacks to exist
The Verge explains the limitations of the Pindrop System with graphic examples:
“Sadly, though, you can’t get your pizza delivered straight to your beach chair. That’s because you’ll have to meet your driver wherever the app deems the best pickup spot for them to pull over their vehicle. There are some other caveats, too. You’ll only have four minutes to meet your driver — so good luck getting your pizza in time if your hiking trail or campsite isn’t close to a street.”
Okay. We get it.
Nevertheless…
I still think Pindrop is a great basis for any food delivery system. And I must reiterate my mild amazement that no other delivery-based organization put all the pieces together before now.
I also think it will ultimately take some getting used to, by both delivery drivers and customers, to place the pins just right to ensure the most efficient and trouble-free deliveries.
Bottom line: We’re entering a new era for food delivery. And the effects of Pindrop technology are going to be felt in other industries as well.
~ Maggie J.