1/ For the past 4 weeks I've been delivering food from my restaurant by bike during Colombia's quarantine. Here are some observations on my experience as a deliveryman:

http://rossgarlick.com/2020/04/22/rappiross-observations-on-delivering-food-from-mesa-salvaje/

2/ I can estimate with a decent amount of certainty that about 50% of our daily deliveries will be within 10 minutes walking distance, 30% within a 10 minute bike ride, and the remaining 20% further away. I didn’t realize that we had frequent customers who lived so far away.

3/ Different customers have different patterns of ordering, but each tends to order predictably. E.g. some customers will always schedule orders in advance; some customers will predictably order a dessert; some customers are very concise in ordering/receiving their plates etc...

4/ The bigger backpacks designed for deliveries are much better than a regular backpack for keeping food secure while cycling, but they can be heavy. I wonder how much $$ a delivery guy needs to spend on xtra calories to make up for the energy spent lugging the backpack around

5/ This one is obvious, but I find it funny just how obvious it is when other delivery drivers are actually delivering vs. when they are just cycling back from a delivery or otherwise just waiting around. I fly by so many guys who aren't actually delivering.

6/ I like going to a repeat address – I know which route to take, exactly which building it is, where to park the bike, how to contact the customer when I arrive etc… Lots of precious moments of time are saved in each step, and time is everything in the delivery game.

7/ Building doormen/women can take different approaches to dealing with delivery drivers. Some see themselves as a few notches above the humble delivery driver, and can be very rude – no greeting, lazily answering the phone etc... Others can be just lovely. Makes a difference!

8/ Interactions between customers and doorman/woman are fascinating to watch. Some people know their porter well and will have simple but nice small talk upon coming down to receive their meal; other customers will be polite but basically accept their meal and head back upstairs.

9/ If a couple is ordering, oftentimes the woman will make the order and the man will be the one to collect the order when it arrives. Small sample size, but I’ve had the cognitive dissonance of expecting a woman only to be received by a man enough times that it is noticeable.

10/ I don’t know if it is just Mesa Salvaje customers, but people can be very understanding if there are mistakes or delays. I think it helps that we’re not on a platform and so they are speaking with us directly, rather than complaining through an App.

11/ Bikes are so precious to delivery drivers, and a punctured tire may ruin a day's earnings or more. It is a huge difference to think of a bike as essential to one’s income than just one of many transport alternatives. Bikes are incredible.

12/ Thanks for reading – remember to tip your delivery drivers well!