Wait Staff on Wheels, the local service to deliver takeout food to Valley residents which launched last year at Christmas will return this year.
The service was launched last year to do several things. First, it provided some work for wait staff whose regular gigs were canceled or closed down. Secondly, it offered a way for local restaurants to get their food to customers, helping those businesses and finally, it allowed residents and visitors a way to have local food delivered to them, something that has not been available since Bongiorno’s Pizzeria on Route 17 closed several years ago.
Jenna Rossbach, Moretown, is the founder of Wait Staff on Wheels (WOW). She said the service will be back offering delivery options for Fridays and Saturdays, starting December 17. She said that many of the restaurants that WOW partners with will be reopening the week prior.
“We want to let them reopen and get a week of service under their belts before we start adding to the pile,” she said.
“I don’t have everyone who drove last year back. Last year we had six to seven drivers. Some have gone back to their restaurant jobs and the changing restaurant landscape is changing most restaurants we partnered with,” she said.
Rossbach said it may be a challenge to find drivers, just as restaurants and ski areas are facing employment challenge. She said the fees from last year might be increased in recognition of rising gas prices. WOW doesn’t make money per se. All the funds paid by customers go to the drivers who also receive tips. The drivers tip the dispatch person who receives orders via the website and texts pickup and delivery instructions to the drivers.
Rossbach said that last year WOW found that weekend nights were the busiest and weeknights, even during holiday day weeks weren’t very busy. This year the service will stick to the weekend, including Christmas weekend, but will be open on New Year’s Eve.
“I don’t anticipate any less desire on the part of the customers to have their food delivered. All of our regular customers from last year used us for different reasons. They might have been quarantining or didn’t want to drive in the snow. But they’re all psyched to have us back. We knew last year that, pandemic or not, this is something people are willing to pay for. We will do a little more paid advertising this year and make sure we have info at hotels and restaurants and the ski areas,” she said.
