You might think the big freeze of 2018 would have been a boon for Waitr, the south Louisiana-based tech startup that provides restaurant delivery service through its signature app.
And demand for deliveries has been way up this week, as Waitr users from east Texas to Georgia have been affected by the storm that covered the south with a wintry mix and rendered roads impassable.
But the same icy roadways that kept people cooped up in their homes craving comfort food, prevented many Waitr drivers from being able to get to restaurants—if the eatery was even open—to pick up and deliver orders to customers.
“We were probably 30% down from a regular Tuesday night,” Waitr founder Chris Meaux says. “But if the roads hadn’t been covered in ice we would have been at least 30% over a typical Tuesday because everyone wanted food. We’re just asking our customers to understand that if they can’t get out to get food our drivers probably cannot get out to get food either.”
Though all 150 of Waitr’s markets were affected by the freeze, south Louisiana was the hardest hit, Meaux says. By Wednesday afternoon, the Baton Rouge area was only about 50% operational, compared to Waitr’s other markets, which were fully functioning.
“When it snowed last month, we were able to get around because the roads didn’t freeze,” he says. “But with ice, it doesn’t matter if you have four-wheel drive or snow tires. Nobody can get around.”
While the winter storm proved to be a challenge for Waitr, as it was for many businesses, the minor setback comes on the heels of a year of explosive growth for the four-year-old company. Waitr now does business in 150 markets in six states throughout the south and growth in 2017 increased 390%—nearly four times—over the previous year.
Meaux will not disclose company revenues, but Waitr customers placed more than $85 million in orders last year with its some 3,600 member restaurants.
“Most of those sales were incremental,” he says. “It was business they would not have had except for us.”
In 2018, Waitr is aiming for more impressive growth. Plans are to double the number of markets in which Waitr does business to 300, and to more than double restaurant food sales, from $85 million to $200 million.
Says Meaux: “It’s been unbelievable.”
—Stephanie Riegel
