In Direct Ordering, a Delivery Zone determines which customer addresses are eligible to place delivery orders from a restaurant. Each store's Revenue Center has its own Delivery Zone, which can be set using one of two options:
- A Circular Radius around the store's address.
- A Custom Shape drawn directly on the map.
Why Accurate Delivery Zones Matter
Delivery zones determine the geographic areas from which customers can place delivery orders, so setting them accurately ensures orders are accepted only from areas the restaurant can serve.
- Coordinate with delivery partners: Verify whether the zones are based on a circular radius or a manually drawn map, and reflect the same configuration in Direct Ordering so the partner processes delivery orders correctly.
- For last mile delivery integrations: Direct Ordering supports last mile delivery integrations for transmitting orders, but delivery zone configurations are not received from delivery partners and must be set manually in Direct Ordering.
Delivery Zone Options
There are two methods for setting a delivery zone:
| Feature | Circular Radius | Custom Shape |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | Suburban or less dense areas where delivery coverage is consistent in all directions, and locations where a simple distance from the store determines delivery. | Urban or high-density areas with irregular delivery patterns or geographic limitations, and stores needing precise boundaries based on roads, traffic, bridges, tolls, or other constraints. |
| Geography fit | Areas with minimal delivery obstacles (such as highways, rivers, or zoning). | Cities with boroughs, natural barriers, or split neighborhoods (such as NYC or San Francisco). |
| Nearby stores | Stores spaced far apart, where zones are unlikely to overlap. | Stores located close together, where overlapping zones need to be carefully avoided. |
| Delivery platforms | Aligns with providers using basic mileage-based delivery (for example, within 5 miles). | Necessary when providers such as DoorDash Drive use manually drawn service areas. |
| Recommendation | Use when speed and simplicity are more important than precision. | Use when accurate, custom coverage is critical to match real-world delivery behavior. |
Setting a Delivery Zone
Follow the steps below to set up a delivery zone:
The video below shows the same steps:
Delivery Zone Priorities
When several stores are close together and their delivery zones overlap, the zones can be prioritized so the stores receive orders at different times of day or on different days of the week. Priority is set using numbers, in the order the stores should be prioritized.
For example, Store 1 can take over Store 2's delivery zone on weekends when Store 2 is closed. Expand Store 1's delivery zone to cover the same area as Store 2, then set Store 2 as priority 1 and Store 1 as priority 2. Store 2 then accepts orders over Store 1 when both are open.
A few guiding principles for priorities:
- 1 is higher than 2: Think of it as 1st priority, 2nd priority, and so on.
- 0 means no priority: It comes after everything else.
- More than two overlapping zones is fully supported.
To set up or edit delivery zones and zone priorities:
What Customers Experience in Multi-Location Areas
Customers do not see the specific boundaries of each store's Delivery Zone. Instead:
- They enter their delivery address on the ordering page.
- Direct Ordering automatically checks which store locations deliver to that address.
- Only the eligible stores are shown to the customer.
For example, a customer in Chicago visits the ordering site and enters their address. Five nearby stores are available, but only three have Delivery Zones that include that address. Direct Ordering shows the customer only those three eligible locations, so they do not have to guess which store to choose. This creates a smooth ordering experience, even in busy urban areas with multiple locations.
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