How to Set Up Restaurant Delivery Zones, Fees, and Minimum Orders

• Base areas on service reliability and contribution margin.
• Show fees and minimums before payment.
• Test boundary addresses and unavailable areas.
• Review late orders and margin by area after launch.

List the branch coordinates, normal and peak travel times, available drivers, average preparation time, packaging limits, and the maximum journey each product can tolerate. Review recent delivery addresses if they are available lawfully. A circle drawn from distance alone can cross roads, water, restricted areas, or traffic bottlenecks that make two nearby addresses operationally very different.

For each area, estimate driver time, vehicle cost, failed-delivery risk, packaging, gateway processing, and the contribution margin of a typical basket. Decide whether the restaurant will absorb the cost, charge a fixed fee, require a minimum order, offer free delivery above a threshold, or use a combination. Use your actual costs; a competitor’s delivery fee does not prove the route is profitable for your branch.

Draw the smallest reliable polygon first and give it a staff-friendly name. Add the fee and minimum order, save it, then create the next zone. Avoid overlapping polygons unless the product has an explicit priority rule. Keep the branch pin accurate and make the customer confirm the final address and useful delivery instructions.

Test several addresses inside each zone, directly on every boundary, just outside it, in towers and compounds, and at landmarks staff recognize. Confirm the correct branch, fee, minimum, payment options, and customer message. Submit a real low-value test order where appropriate and follow the address through the kitchen and handoff workflow.

Track order count, basket value, delivery fee collected, average travel time, lateness, failed handoffs, refunds, and contribution margin. If one area repeatedly creates late or unprofitable orders, adjust its boundary, threshold, operating hours, or fee. Communicate material changes before promoting the direct link again.