Its All in the Delivery (OPINION)

Two years ago, takeout delivery in Northwest Arkansas consisted of one guy on a motor scooter.

Chris Selby started Clunk’s Hungry Express Wagon (or CHEW) in 2011, tapping into a base of eager customers who were either too busy to cook or who craved the luxury of ordering in.

As a one-man show, however, Selby’s services didn’t extend far past downtown Fayetteville, and delivery options elsewhere in the region were limited.

But now, all that has changed. After Fayetteville-based NWA Delivery was formed in June 2014 and Little Rock-based Chef Shuttle moved into the region last summer, CHEW is no longer the only gig in town. And yet, Selby says business has only improved.

“Competition is good in any market,” said Justin Day, NWA Delivery owner.

Day did, however, admit to initial unease when Chef Shuttle — which found success in central Arkansas before also launching in Memphis — came to town.

But, now several months in, Day says he’s doing just fine. NWA Delivery is seeing six-digit monthly sales, he said.

Day employs 40 drivers and, as a U.S. Army retiree himself, aims to hire veterans when possible.

For its part, Chef Shuttle has 27 local drivers, making hundreds of deliveries per week, said CEO Ryan Herget, who credits what he considers to be a franchise-ready business model.

Each region-wide service has its share of happy customers, if Facebook reviews carry weight. And each enjoys working relationships with a number of restaurants, but there is little overlap.

Chef Shuttle recently forged an exclusive partnership with Chick-fil-A in central Arkansas, but Herget says there’s no such arrangement in NWA, yet.

Regardless of potential future deals, plenty of people believe the delivery services can simultaneously thrive in NWA.

As one local restaurant owner put it: “People want as many products brought to them as possible.”  

NWA has gotten a taste of what restaurant delivery services have to offer, and it looks like it will only be hungry for more.