The Winnipeg-based epicentre of Skip the Dishes.
As business stories go, this one's a winner.
In late 2012, the three Simair brothers launched SkipTheDishes.ca, an online restaurant delivery company. With an office in Winnipeg and one in Saskatoon, the brothers promised more than pizza and Chinese food delivered to your door.
No, no, no. Skip the Dishes delivers that and more. Today, the company delivers East Indian, French, gourmet and vegan burgers, Vietnamese, Thai, Japanese and Greek cuisine, among many others.
Skip the Dishes started with about 100 restaurants in Winnipeg and others in Saskatoon, Regina and Red Deer, Alta. As of 2014, there are 400 restaurants using SkipTheDishes.ca and Calgary eateries have been added to the mix.
In Winnipeg, some of those restaurants include: Fude, Elements, Chaise Café, Wasabi Sushi Bistro, Clay Oven, Casa Burrito, Gohe (Ethiopian) and Prairie Ink, among many other eateries.
Small, independent restaurants that don't have the staff or technological wherewithal to handle multiple take-out and delivery orders have benefitted from the service. SkipTheDishes.ca charges the restaurants for each order, but puts businesses on the site for free.
Insider's tip: SkipTheDishes.ca is a great option while hosting out-of-town guests.
The process is convenient and simple. Diners go online to skipthedishes.ca; punch in their area code; and local restaurants using the service pop up on screen. Diners can also search by types of cuisine and restaurants are also posted on the site. Diners choose their dishes and place their orders with a click.
People can pay by credit card and by Interac (as long as you’re set up for online banking).
The order is automatically sent to the restaurant and SkipTheDishes.ca follows up with a phone call to the restaurant to confirm the order has been acknowledged. As estimated delivery time is also posted online for each restaurant. Local food couriers (often students and seniors) pick up the food and deliver it to customers.
And then let the eating commence.
Inside the Winnipeg nerve centre of SkipTheDishes.ca
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