Hartford Business Journal

www.HartfordBusiness.com • June 29, 2020 • Hartford Business Journal 15 the food is delivered to customers. "[Customers] expect a certain level of quality, and if that doesn't go through, they tend to put it on the restaurant, not the delivery company," Barnett said, likening the phenomenon to blaming the IT guy for problems with your computer. "Unfortunately, we don't believe Uber Eats or DoorDash do a great job representing our brand." That's a big reason why Wood- n-Tap is currently rolling out an in-house online ordering platform, Barnett said. Through Atlanta-based tech and professional services com- pany NCR Corp., the new system al- lows customers to place and pay for orders online, Barnett said. When the customer pulls up to a delivery spot, posted signs instruct them to text a number, and a restaurant staffer then brings the order to the customer's car. It costs the restau- rant $80 per month per location, Barnett said. Barnett said his restaurant group is considering a delivery option, and that the system has the additional benefit of removing the sometimes labor-intensive order-by-phone sys- tem it previously used. However, the restaurant still sells food through third-party apps, Barnett said, for the sake of marketing. Giving away business Rob Maffucci, who owns V's Trattoria on Trumbull Street in downtown Hartford and has been a fixture in the city for about two de- cades, said that while his restaurant has a good relationship with local food delivery services like Dine In Connecticut, he now refuses to work with the national players. "I would rather not do an order than give away 30% of it," Maffucci said. "It doesn't make sense, especially in times like this where there's zero vol- ume. It's not worth the marketing." Maffucci has used his own online delivery platform through St. Louis- based Executive Dining Company for about a decade, he said. The system in- cludes a delivery option, and Maffucci's employees (and sometimes Maffucci himself) delivers the food, he said. Dolch, of the CRA, said he advises restaurants to use the larger apps as a marketing tool, since they really can help smaller eateries get brand exposure. He also wants app compa- nies to make it more worthwhile for restaurants, a low profit margin in- dustry that's currently in dire straits. "I want to be able to work with these delivery companies, I just want it to be more fair across the board," Dolch said. "I want to make sure there's a great partnership." IS YOUR ORGANIZATION TAKING THE STEPS TO IMPLEMENT HEALTH & WELLNESS PROGRAMS? GO TO >> HARTFORDBUSINESS.COM/HBJ-EVENTS CLICK ON CONNECTICUT'S HEALTHIEST EMPLOYERS & NOMINATE! NOMINATE TODAY DEADLINE 7/14 PLATINUM SPONSOR: Wood-n-Tap Bar & Grill co-owners Mike Hamlin (left) and Phil Barnett have developed their own online ordering service. V's Trattoria owner Rob Maffucci (far right photo) said he no longer uses food-delivery apps operated by large companies. PHOTO | HBJ FILE PHOTO | HBJ FILE

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