How a former microbiologist left the lab to start a Charlotte food delivery business
Author’s note: This story was originally published by CharlotteFive on Jan. 31, 2017.
At first blush, one might assume Samuel Hanna is way out of his element. He’s a former microbiologist who left his lab to run a food delivery business in the age of Postmates and GrubHub.
But Hanna, 31, is adamant that his company touts something the big-name competitors can’t: He’s local. He’s loyal. And he uses science — yes, science — to make sure the food’s warm when it gets to you.
In its six years of existence, Hanna estimates his TakeHome Delivery has delivered meals for more than 100 Charlotte-area restaurants.
“We’re your friendly mobile food waiters,” Hanna said. “We don’t cancel orders on customers like other delivery services. We always make sure the food is hot. The type of service you would get at a restaurant is the same kind of service you should get with us.”
Photo courtesy of Samuel Hanna
His concept seems to be catching. TakeHome makes up to 1,000 deliveries a month, employs about a dozen drivers and dispatchers, and regularly delivers food for more than 50 restaurants in Charlotte, including well-known eateries Kabuto, Saffron and American Burger Co.
Hanna doesn’t see signs of it slowing down. But the question remains: How is TakeHome any different from the other food delivery services rolling through Charlotte?
“We’re a local business and we’re going to work with people on a local level,” he said. “I want to do business with a handshake.”
TAKE WHAT HOME?
Ordering from TakeHome is simple, though delivery zones are limited. Food orders must be at least $12.99. Customers pay $4.99 for delivery orders from restaurants within a 5-mile radius of their home or office. Requests beyond that distance are $7.99, with the understanding that delivery times may take longer.
“We’re not flying drones,” Hanna said. “Not yet.”
To Hanna, relationships are key. So is communication.
Once customers place an order, the driver gives them an estimated time of arrival and keeps them updated on their delivery’s progress. Hanna trains his drivers on how to properly pack and handle particular food items.
AND HEREIN LIES THE SCIENCE
The food is stored in double-insulated bags that keep meals hot for up to 45 minutes. That’s three times longer than the amount of time it usually takes for food to lose its warmth, said Hanna, who did the calculations himself.
“The restaurants we work with work hard to provide a great product,” he said. “I want to make sure the customer gets to try the food from the restaurant the way the restaurant intended it to be.”
For Robert Trevillian, general manager of the American Burger Co. at Rivergate, working with TakeHome has been a boon for business. “We’re able to reach people we would not normally be able to serve,” Trevillian said. “(Sam’s) talking to people who have no idea who we are.
“He extends my dining room into anywhere in the city.”
Photo by Diedra Laird, The Charlotte Observer
DANGER IN DELIVERY
So where does Hanna get this knack for forging relationships that undergird his business?
His dad.
For years, his father, also named Samuel, has operated a seafood delivery business in Florence, S.C. During his summers off from school, Hanna worked at the business. As a teenager, he helped establish relationships with owners of local fish markets.
“I think that’s where the seeds were planted,” said Hanna, who earned a bachelor’s degree in biology UNC Charlotte and a master’s in epidemiology from UNC Chapel Hill.
And those seeds grew, despite a few bumps along the way. After college, Hanna got a firsthand lesson on the dark side of delivery.
While visiting his then-girlfriend at her University City apartment, two masked assailants approached Hanna. One punched him in the face as he clutched his groceries and held the door open for a pizza delivery driver. Hanna’s glasses broke, he stumbled to the ground and a shard of glass flew into his eye, he said.
The attackers stole the pizza the driver had been delivering and ran off. Police never caught them, and Hanna says he’s still not sure why they attacked him.
But the experience stuck with him, which is why he makes his drivers’ safety a top priority.
“I don’t want anyone to be hurt in the process of delivering food,” he said. “In six years, we have not had a single incident.”
WHAT LIES AHEAD
Hanna started TakeHome with just a few thousand dollars in the bank, a couple brochures and a website. In the early days, he visited restaurants and offered to make their deliveries. He passed out menus at corporate offices and in Harris Teeter parking lots.
He landed his first restaurant client, a now-closed seafood joint on Nations Ford Road, after dazzling the owners with his shirt and tie and printed Power Point presentation.
His plans for the future? Integrate more technology into TakeHome without sacrificing its core mission — warm, friendly delivery that’s reliable, he said. The business has also partnered with area food trucks to offer more delivery options.
“At the end of the day, we’re taking food, putting it in a delivery bag and delivering it to the customer with a smile,” he said. “That’s the foundation of the business. Everything else gets layered on top of that.”
Order from TakeHome on its website or by calling 704-469-7182. Hours: 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Monday-Friday; 3-10 p.m. Saturday and 2-7 p.m. Sunday.