By staying home and practicing social distancing, we are all doing our part to stop the spread of COVID-19. This week we spoke to Urjit Dave, co-founder of a new grocery delivery service in the GTA, about how his company is doing their part to stop the spread.
What is your business called and what does it do?
Our business is called Food To You! We are a grocery delivery service helping individuals across the Greater Toronto Area with a clear emphasis on safe food handling.
What made you want to do this work?
During one of the seemingly never ending days of quarantine (for COVID-19), we were having a discussion about what we could do to help Torontonians navigate this storm. It was clear that the only thing preventing people from staying in their homes and stopping the spread of the virus was getting their groceries from their local store. We knew there were solutions that already fulfilled this exact need but we also knew that they were severely backlogged due to the spike in demand caused by the worldwide pandemic. Food To You has entered the space with a team of shoppers who understand the importance of safe food handling and quality item sourcing.
What problem does this solve?
At the core, delivering groceries solves the day-to-day needs of millions of people across the Greater Toronto Area. Our cause is dramatically increased during times of uncertainty (i.e. the coronavirus), as we promote individuals to stay home, reduce in-store traffic, reduce traffic on streets, reduce overall pollution, and prevent the spread of the virus.
Who are your clientele/demographics?
Anyone and everyone residing in the GTA (for now!). Food To You emerged to fill an important need, especially for people with disabilities or other factors preventing them from leaving their homes and buying their groceries.
How does your business make money? How does it work?
Food To You has an online store with a catalog of products you would find at your local grocery store. The business itself generates revenue by charging a $14.99 delivery fee regardless of the size of your order!
Where in Toronto can we find your profession?
What is the best question a prospective customer could ask a member of your profession when comparing services?
Why should I pick Food To You with my grocery order and what sets you apart from the rest of the providers like Instacart?
Here’s the answer:
– Food To You places a high value of importance on customer satisfaction and as a result has every shopper trained to source quality items, contact customers when it comes to making substitutions based on their needs, and treat the items with safe food handling practices
– Our team does not aggressively mark up products on the catalog, unlike other grocery delivery services
– Our shoppers are compensated more than fairly based on the size of the orders they fulfill and have flexible schedules with unlimited earning potentials
– Frequent promotions & giveaways
– Constant communication with our customers
What is the best part about what you do? What is the worst part?
The best part of what we do is going through our emails to see the customers thanking us for our help and expressing their appreciation. The worst part is when supply is limited due to factors out of our control, leading to some missing items for our customers. Of course, the necessary refunds are processed immediately but we still strive to complete all orders!
What is your favourite joke about your own profession?
That we get to sleep in now that we’re not working 9 – 5 jobs!
PAY IT FORWARD: What is another Toronto business that you love?
I’m a fan of the StartupFuel initiative that was born in Toronto to connect startups, investors, and other critical resources from around the world to accelerate the growth of meaningful ventures.
