Wednesday, September 17, 2003

Virtual Takeout delivers to Fayette

What does a secretary tasked with ordering lunch for 40 staff members, a working mother too tired to cook, a family spending their first night in a new home and a fast paced executive have in common?

You guessed it, ordering takeout.

What was once a cumbersome task of searching for something other than pizza and Chinese food has just become a lot simpler in Fayette County. Gone are the days of spending hours calling restaurants or driving long distances to pick up food. Simply call Virtual Takeout; a new locally based

restaurant delivery service (RDS) serving Peachtree City, Fayetteville, Tyrone, Sharpsburg and Newnan. Virtual Takeout can deliver meals from your favorite restaurant right to your home, office or hotel room.

“We make ordering delivery hassle-free,” said Tracy Oden, the 36-year-old owner of the Atlanta franchise. “Our order center processes food orders for our participating restaurants. The customer places a food order by calling the Virtual Takeout order center or by ordering online. Our mobile waiters ensure that the food is delivered, hot and fresh, and in a timely fashion.”

The cost, in addition to that of the food, is a $5 delivery fee and a customary 15 percent tip for the mobile waiter.

“Our mobile waiters are a cross between restaurant waiters and delivery drivers,” said Oden. “The 15 percent gratuity, which is customary if you were dining in a restaurant, is even more greatly appreciated and earned by our waiters. They work extremely hard and go above and beyond that of a traditional waiter in delivering food to our customers in a timely fashion.”

Virtual Takeout is a new business investment for the former television news journalist and information technology executive. Oden says she formulated the idea to start a restaurant delivery service after years of living out of a suitcase. “My careers have traditionally required a lot of traveling and many late-night working ventures. I very rarely had time enough to sit down, let alone cook a decent meal.”

Oden says she would often jump for joy while traveling when she discovered that an Restaurant Delivery Service (RDS) was operating in the area in

which she was doing business. “Like most people I love Chinese food and pizza. During those times on the road; however, I typically just wanted an alternative to the traditional delivery food choices that were offered. I believe most people feel as I do, regardless of whether they are ordering delivery for business or for pleasure.”

Virtual Takeout began operating in Fayette and Coweta counties Aug. 1 of this year. Currently the RDS delivers for several prominent Peachtree City and Fayetteville restaurants including Olde Mill Steakhouse, Malone’s Steak and Seafood, Schlotzsky’s Deli, Valentino’s and Chic’n D’Lite. “We have additional restaurants scheduled for inclusion in our delivery network and will be included on a release schedule. Many include large, branded, chain restaurants and others are prestigious independents. We look forward to providing our customer base with an enhanced dining selection.”

The company believes it will be a success mainly because of Virtual Takeout’s win-win relationship-based operating model.

“Virtual Takeout operates with customer relationship management as the core of our business operational processes. We believe we are offering a service to the community by delivering delicious food, in real time, straight to the consumer’s front door,” said Oden. “The consumer wins because they can order delivery from a variety of restaurants in one place and can receive their food, hot and fresh, without having to leave the comfort of their home,

business or hotel room. Our restaurants win because they receive an excellent return on their orders.

“Takeout revenue increases without the cost of delivery overhead and the restaurant’s sell to market expands immensely. Where once, a restaurant mainly had to rely on foot traffic, today VirtualTakeout opens a new revenue pipeline with exceptional growth potential. Virtual Takeout offers something for everyone.”

Menus are available at www.virtualtakeout.com. The company will also e-mail or fax menus upon request by calling their order center at (800) 431-7046.

“In today’s fast paced society, Virtual Takeout is a necessity,” said Oden. “We meet a need and we’re ready to service it.”

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