If you live in the Beacon Hill neighborhood in Seattle and have ordered food delivery in the past few years, chances are the smiling man who handed you your bag was Tony Illes. He’s been busy on the third-party delivery platforms. So busy that he figured that the area could stand a little competition.
Another satisfied customer.
“I’ve delivered in the market in almost every way, on bikes, in a car, on an e-bike. I understand the space. And I thought I could do it in a different way,” Illes said in an interview.
Last February he launched Tony Delivers, his one-man delivery service.
His initial pitch to the market, which he advertised in flyers around town, was simple: I’ll deliver your food for $5. He chose the flat fee as a response to the backlash the third-party delivery providers were receiving in Seattle for raising their prices after the city raised the minimum wage for app workers.
“My buddy and I were talking and we thought, Why don’t we just cut out the middleman?” he said. “I thought there might be an opening for a little guy. I decided to move into the moment.”
His delivery process isn’t as seamless as one finds with third-party delivery providers. What Illes asks of consumers is to treat him as a friend running an errand whom you will reimburse. It works like this. If you’re in his one-and-a-half-mile delivery area, send a text to Illes and ask if he’s available. If the answer is yes, make your order through the restaurant and request pick-up or take-out. Text Illes again with the estimated wait time and give him your address. Illes will take it from there. After he delivers your food, pay him with cash or through Apple Pay, Venmo, or other applications.
Illes has become a bit of a local celebrity since he launched his service, garnering gobs of media attention, of which he’s proud.
“I’ve had almost 100 million media impressions,” he said, noting how many times he has trended on Reddit.
Next up for him is launching an app and expanding into other markets, possibly New York, L.A., and San Francisco. The app will be ready later this month, he says. So will more drivers.
“We already have about 100 signed up to deliver,” he said. Drivers will pay a small monthly fee to drive on the platform.
His app will include a tech integration similar to the third-party delivery providers that will allow for payment to be made to the restaurant and a separate payment made to the driver. His plan will allow drivers to set their own flat fees for their service areas.
“I want to give them as much empowerment as I can,” he said.
He’s not the first independent driver to offer a local alternative to third-party delivery providers. Dave Welch of Metro Dining Delivery has been on the road in Lincoln, Nebraska, since 2006. Nick Waite has been pedaling meals around Virginia with his company GiddyUp! Courier since 2016. There are others.
But perhaps none have the Q rating of Illes. He’s a well-liked and friendly individual in the Emerald City. His slogan: “Delivering your food with enthusiasm for only $5!” Enthusiasm is the key. That’s his differentiator.
“I want customers to have a different kind of interaction with us,” he said. “You see our face, you see our name, you know this is our business. We want you to trust us.”
Illes is vetting the new drivers as best he can. But expanding involves risk. One bad experience shared on social media can compromise the brand. “The challenge will be not to disappoint somebody,” he said.
How will he judge success during this next stage? Easy.
“In six months I want to go on YouTube and see lots of reviews of people who used Tony Delivers and 90 percent of them are positive,” he said.
