I Had That Idea: The Vision of Food Delivery Before Smart Phones

In an age before smartphones and the World Wide Web were?readily available, food delivery was reserved for your local pizza spot or favorite local Asian restaurant. ?Reflecting on those early days, I can’t help but think about an idea I had long before the convenience of apps and GPS tracking.?

Topeka, Kansas 1995

In 1995, I felt a shift coming.? I was 19 years old?and made significant decisions that would shape my life for the future.? Due to challenges at home and poor attendance, it took everything I had to finish high school by the skin of my teeth in 1993.? I was the only one in my circle of friends who graduated high school.? I moved out immediately after graduation and got to work in Topeka, Kansas.

After a year and a half of working two jobs, I knew there had to be a better way.? I left both jobs and?had enough money saved to attend Kansas State University for one semester, despite the recommendation of my ACT results. I didn’t have enough money to live on, and jobs that would work with a school schedule weren't readily available in Manhattan, Kansas (The Little Apple).

One of my first jobs in high school was delivering pizzas for a local pizza restaurant.? They had expanded to two locations, so I contacted an old manager about working Friday to Sunday every weekend. ?It was about an hour away to get there, so I would couch surf?with friends to make this happen.?

It was here that I met my wife, Erin.? She knew I was going to school and staying with friends on the weekends, though she found out later that I didn’t always have my plans solidified, and to keep from bothering anyone, I would spend many nights in my car.

I traded my 1985 Ford Thunderbird Turbo Coupe for a more economical 1987 Honda CRX, a two-seater hatchback for my weekly commutes and weekend delivery.? ?Somewhere between delivering pizzas and my weekly commutes, I would daydream about a service I could do and potentially make a living.

The Challenges

Back then, the logistics of food delivery posed significant challenges.? In the early days of pizza delivery, we would take the address of the order and refer to the big, oversized city map taped on the wall, with a personal paper map in the car.? Over time, we would learn the streets and numbers and rely on each other to know where to go.

More reliable communication is needed to coordinate orders and deliveries.? At the pizza place, we had a 5-minute rule: if we were unsuccessful in going directly to the address, we would go to the nearest payphone to call for better directions.? The concept of restaurant partnerships and payment processing systems was still in its infancy, but I believed it could be possible.

The minimum wage was $4.25 an hour, and gas was $1.20 per gallon.? Getting a cellular phone was expensive then and less reliable than today. I could section out my hatchback for different orders and have coolers for hot and cold foods.? Except back then, most pizza restaurants still offered free delivery. Who would pay to have food delivered?

30 years later

Fast forward to today, where food delivery is integral to our daily lives. Apps like Uber Eats, DoorDash, and Grubhub have become a booming industry. Technology has streamlined the process, allowing customers to browse menus, track their orders in real-time, and pay seamlessly from their smartphones.

While I may have had the spark of an idea before its time, it’s a testament to how innovation can take root and flourish when the right conditions arise. Today, food delivery is not just about convenience; it’s a cultural phenomenon that caters to our fast-paced lifestyles.? I had the idea and the concept, but I couldn’t see where it could be enough to make a living in those days so long ago.

I had a professor tell me once that things usually have a way of working out.? I have found this to be true. ?I left Kansas State to pursue a relationship with my wife of 27 years, but I didn’t abandon my studies.? I attended five more colleges while working full-time, completing an associate, bachelor’s, and master's degree.? Over the course of my career, I have gained valuable skills and experience working in the?CPG industry?in supply chain management, category management, demand planning, and account management.

A Shift is Coming

Another shift is?coming.? Over the last few years, AI technology and data analytics have come into play with the changing times.? How will the world look 10, 15, or even 30 years from now?

In an interview for one of my former roles, a manager asked me, “What makes you tick?’ ?From this point forward, I am working to become the best version of myself, develop my brand, and determine my leadership style.? This journey will allow my network to discover what makes me “tick.”