Zone Setup: The Make-or-Break Decision for Your Delivery Business
Your delivery zone determines everything: order volume, delivery times, driver efficiency, and ultimately, profitability. Yet most restaurants spend five minutes drawing a circle on a map and calling it done.
Polygon Zones vs. Radius Zones: Real Numbers from Agadir
Radius zones (simple circles) ignore geography. A beachfront restaurant in Agadir might draw a 5km radius that includes the ocean — useless delivery area that inflates promises.
Polygon zones follow actual streets and neighborhoods. You exclude the industrial zone where no one orders dinner. You include the dense residential area 6km away because it's straight highway driving.
| Zone Type | Coverage Area | Actual Customers | Avg Delivery Time | Driver Efficiency |
|---|
| 5km Radius | 78.5 sq km | ~15,000 | 28 min | 3.2 orders/hour |
| Smart Polygon | 45 sq km | ~22,000 | 22 min | 4.8 orders/hour |
Same delivery fleet. Same kitchen. 50% more efficiency by drawing smarter zones using polygon mapping in your food ordering and delivery platform.
How to Calculate Your Maximum Profitable Delivery Distance
Here's the formula every restaurant needs: Maximum Distance = (Average Order Value × Delivery Fee %) ÷ (Cost per KM × 2).
For a Casablanca restaurant with 180 MAD average order, 10% acceptable delivery cost, and 3 MAD/km driver cost: Maximum Distance = (180 × 0.10) ÷ (3 × 2) = 3 kilometers.
Beyond three kilometers, you lose money unless you charge higher delivery fees or increase order minimums.
Multi-Zone Pricing Strategy That Actually Works
OCHI's restaurant delivery software lets you create unlimited delivery zones with different fees and minimums. A burger restaurant in Rabat uses three zones:
Zone A (0-2km): 10 MAD delivery, 80 MAD minimum. Zone B (2-5km): 20 MAD delivery, 120 MAD minimum. Zone C (5-8km): 35 MAD delivery, 200 MAD minimum.
Result: 85% of orders remain profitable, distant customers order more to hit minimums, and drivers stay busy in efficient routes.
Driver Assignment Systems: Why Auto-Dispatch Isn't Always Better
Every food delivery management software vendor pushes "AI-powered auto-assignment." The pitch sounds great: algorithms optimize routes, reduce delivery times, maximize efficiency. The reality in Moroccan cities tells a different story.
When Manual Driver Assignment Beats Automation
Your experienced dispatcher knows Mohamed lives near the Marjane supermarket and always grabs orders heading that direction on his way to work. The algorithm doesn't.
For restaurants with under 50 daily deliveries, manual assignment by someone who knows your drivers, your city, and your customers often outperforms any algorithm. You lose the "tech magic" but gain real efficiency.
The True Cost of "Smart" Auto-Assignment
Auto-assignment systems optimize for speed, not profitability. They'll send a driver 4km for a single order while three orders wait going the same direction. They don't account for driver preferences, vehicle types, or local traffic patterns.
One Agadir seafood restaurant switched from auto to manual assignment. Delivery times increased by two minutes. Driver costs dropped 30%.
Building Driver Loyalty Without Breaking Your Budget
Loyal drivers know your customers, represent your brand well, and show up consistently. Building that loyalty doesn't require huge salaries — it requires smart systems.
Use your online restaurant delivery software to track driver performance: on-time rate, customer ratings, orders per shift. Share these metrics. Reward top performers with preferred shifts or zone choices. Small recognition creates big loyalty.
