It’s no secret, the pandemic has forced many businesses to pivot. Sweet Ride has reshaped its model to respond to the needs of the community. The Hershey startup is offering free food delivery to the region with the ideas of growing in the near future.
“It’s a very novel and unique marketing platform,” said Mike Kucharski, co-owner of Sweet Ride.
Born out of a driveway idea, co-owners Mike Kucharski and Chase Kozlowski built Sweet Ride from the ground up, bringing free food delivery to the Hershey region.
“We think if this is done properly, there is a way that the bill can be fronted by our advertising partners,” said Kozlowski.
Like many food delivery services, the user will soon order and pay for grub through an app. But instead of both the restaurant and customer paying fees, some of Hershey’s finest foods will come to your doorstep via a Tesla wrapped in a business or company logo. That marketing is picking up the tab.
“It’s a really busy advertising space. Everyone is vying for attention. This is a way to kind of stand out from the crowd,” Kozlowski said.
Normal delivery service costs restaurants 15 to 30 percent. With thin margins, in an already stressed industry, the savings can be immense.
“’m really excited to help the restaurant industry by eliminating all delivery fees and also at the end user level,” Kucharski said.
And the sky is the limit. Originally, the idea was to provide a free rideshare around Hershey. Pandemic pivoting meant food delivery is now the focus. But serving the community is always the ultimate goal.
“We want to build it for them. We will listen always. We will try our hardest,” said Kozlowski.
“We want to help the business community. We want to help the restaurants. We want to help people keep more money in their pocket,” Kucharski said.
Right now, Sweet Ride is working on a pop up model with the app technology rolling out in the next few weeks. It is serving the Hershey region with the intentions of growing larger in the coming years.
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A sweet deal is now available for people looking for food delivery in Hershey. And the best part is that there are no fees. Sweet Ride is servicing a handful of restaurants in the region with the idea of growing this concept into a brand.
“We knew we could do something better with Sweet Ride. Families and restaurants have been struggling so why not help both out with our free service,” said Sweet Ride Co-Owner Mike Kucharski.
In the near future, a user will be able to order food on the Sweet Ride app. The company-paid driver will deliver that food from the restaurant to the customer with no fees for either party. There is no catch. Corporate sponsors pick up the tab and in return are able to advertise through signage on the delivery vehicles and literature with food.
“In a very crowded online advertising world, we’re giving companies a way to stand out from the noise,” said Chase Kozlowski. “By wrapping our Sweet Ride Tesla Model 3 electric cars with their advertising message or providing printed ad materials to customers through our service, we’re giving companies a different and memorable way to reach their target audiences,” he added.
Right now, delivery is focused on the Hershey area but the company hopes to expand.