Food businesses face two kinds of delivery demand.
Some of it is predictable: the same routes, the same stops, every weekday. Some of it isn't: a corporate lunch booked on short notice, or an event order too big for a standard bike.
A reliable delivery partner has to handle both. Here's how Couri does it in practice.
Scheduled routes: Poilâne, London
A bakery's delivery operation can be deceptively complex. Orders have to leave on time, several stops must be completed within a defined window, and the products need careful handling. A missed or badly delayed stop doesn't just cause a logistics problem. It can strain the bakery's relationship with the customer waiting for the order.
Poilâne's London bakery has worked with Couri (formerly Vanuse) for more than five years. Couri runs two scheduled routes a day, five days a week, with around 25 drops per route. That's roughly 250 deliveries a week across London.
"We found it really difficult to find a good, reliable delivery service, until we found Couri (Vanuse). They are the best delivery partner we have ever had. Our requirements are complex and Couri (Vanuse) handles it all without issue. We have been with them for over 5 years now." — Poilâne, London
The value isn't simply access to couriers. It's a repeatable delivery operation the bakery can plan around, instead of rebuilding its delivery capacity for every route.
On-demand catering: corporate and event orders
Catering is a different challenge. Orders may be one-off rather than recurring, but the timing is even more critical. A corporate lunch or event has a fixed purpose and a fixed time. If the food is late, the customer can't move the event.
Couri fulfills catering orders through Nash for corporate and event clients. Most orders are booked one to three days in advance, and Couri also takes same-day orders when demand comes in at short notice.
These are usually larger orders that won't fit on a standard bike or moped, so Couri:
- Assigns e-cargo bikes with 1–2 m³ of load capacity
- Uses couriers experienced in catering delivery
- Commits to a ±15-minute delivery window
That gives the catering operation flexibility without maintaining an in-house delivery team for every possible demand scenario.
One flexible fleet for both
The bakery routes and the catering orders are two sides of the same problem. Reliable delivery has to work when demand is predictable and when it isn't.
Couri brings on-demand delivery, scheduled routes, restaurant and catering delivery, large-item transport, real-time visibility and operational support together in one flexible fleet. The goal is simple: make delivery a dependable part of the operation, not another variable to manage.
When delivery works, customers experience the food. When it fails, they experience the failure.
Talk to Couri about your delivery requirements or request a tailored delivery solution at couri.co.uk.
