Our guest on this segment of the Smallbiz Brain is a true entrepreneur. After several years in the wireless business, Ron Patel (with his long time associate, Jared Thrapp) launched Just Dine in Deliveries—-the company is a restaurant marketing and delivery company.
Ron Patel became an entrepreneur by forming “Just Dine In” with his long time high school friend Jared Thrapp in 2006. Just Dine In, now called Delivered Dish, will pick up takeout food and catering orders from the areas best restaurants and deliver to homes, offices and hotels all over the city. After merging with Delivered Dish in early 2014, the company now services 6 metropolitan areas around the United States in the states of Oregon, California, Colorado, New Mexico and Texas. During his time in the restaurant delivery industry, Ron served for 4 years as President of the Restaurant Marketing & Delivery Association, an international non-profit trade association dedicated to growing the restaurant delivery industry. In 2013, in following his #1 passion in life, (Soccer) Ron co-founded the minor league soccer team, Albuquerque Sol FC. The Sol play in the Mountain Division in the 65 team Premier Developmental League. They competed in their first season in 2014 and are anxiously awaiting the 2015 season! Ron helps serve his community on many boards, namely as the Partnership Chair for the Young Professionals of Albuquerque. Ron loves his involvement as a committee member for the March of Dimes which puts on the annual Signature Chef’s Auction event and is active in supporting the New Mexico chapter of the ALS Association. He is also a founding member of the Albuquerque Sol Foundation, a New Mexico non-profit dedicated to overcoming childhood obesity through the growth of soccer. In January of 2014, Ron became a published author by publishing a book entitled “That’s When It Hit Me. How to take an idea from a cocktail napkin to reality” Ron is engaged to the love of his life, Isabelle, and lives with his fiancee and her two teenage children!
Here are some of some of the questions covered in this segment:
1. Why did you initially move from wireless to the restaurant industry?
2. Let’s talk about Just Dine In—what is the business model and how does it work?
3. What was your process like—creating the business, then orchestrating the rollout of it?
4. In this business—-you have 3 basic “groups” of customers in the mix. Let’s walk through each type and talk about how you work with each of them.
5. As your business evolved—-did you have any challenges or bumps along the way that would be productive to share with our audience of small business owners and enthusiasts?
6. Le’s talk about the RMDA, the professional association for restaurant delivery service industry business owners. How does the organization support business owners like you?
7. For those that would like to learn more—-what is the website of RMDA?
8. If someone listening wanted to learn more about the restaurant delivery service, or RDS industry—-how would you advise them?