Monique Powell, managing director and sole shareholder in Powell Interactive Ltd, which trades as QuickPlate, left her full-time job as regional marketing manager [Digital & Social Media Marketing] at Scotiabank to focus on a new dining delivery service.

The decision, she said, was a sign of the level of her confidence.

QuickPlate is a technology-driven food ordering and delivery service which seeks to serve both customer and restaurants. Powell has invested her resources in developing the service for Jamaicans who want to eat well without leaving their homes and without entering their kitchens.

“We serve …diners, for whom we provide an online portal through which they can quickly and easily order from local restaurants and have the food delivered to their doorsteps,” the managing director states.

There are currently eight restaurants on the company’s website. Payment is made by credit or visa debit card. Delivery time promised is one hour. Delivery charge is $500.

QuickPlate is an international franchise which is currently seeking partners for its technology-driven service throughout the Caribbean region.

In Jamaica, QuickPlate, which was registered at the start of 2016, has been operational for close to three months after launch on March 31.

Powell has her eyes on other Caribbean markets, even as she builds out the local operation.

The company targets the restaurants which QuickPlate helps to tap into the delivery segment, and generate additional revenue “without the hassles typically associated with setting up e-commerce facilities and managing deliveries”, Powell states.

She says that $1.5 million has been invested to date in build-out, primarily in technology, logistics planning and a delivery service. The company is headquartered on Molynes Road in St Andrew with a team of six individuals.

Currently customers and restaurants in Kingston and St Andrew are the target, but Powell says, “we do have plans to build on our current technology, drive increased awareness of online food ordering as an option, and expand beyond the Kingston and St Andrew area and into other parts of the island.”

Challenges include keeping to that one-hour deadline. Powell explains, “Staying on top of the logistics side of the business takes quite a bit of co-ordination and effort.

“When customers order their meals, they generally expect to get them in less than an hour…and when you factor in food preparation time as well as the time it actually takes to get to and from the restaurant, one hour is not as long as it seems. We do, however, leverage advanced fleet-management technology that allows us to ensure that delivery personnel get where they need to be as fast as possible, and allows diners to track their assigned delivery riders on a map in ‘real time’.”

The fledgling company is also challenged by attitudes to online marketing locally.

“The other thing is that while internet penetration has been continually increasing in Jamaica, convincing some restaurant owners that getting online and partnering with us would be a worthwhile addition to their offerings does sometimes take some persuasion. On the other hand, however, there are those that see the value right away and don’t need much convincing,” Powell said.

The managing director said that while all efforts are now concentrated on rolling out the service islandwide, there are plans to eventually expand to other parts of the Caribbean.

Breakeven for the local operation is expected by the third quarter of 2017, Powell opines. The market, she states, is still largely untapped, even with completion such as OrdazExpress and CutDiLine.

“There are business offering services that are similar but not quite the same,” Powell commented. “’We’re working continuously to increase our share.”

She stated, “Based on our research I strongly believe there is a sizable market for the services we offer (that strong conviction factored into my decision to leave my full-time job)…and I believe that if we continue to scale efficiently, focus on continual service improvement and listening to our customers, we can claim a large part of that market.”