Overview
Lunchbox Delivery Dispatch is a system that connects restaurants to a broad network of delivery service providers. It allows restaurants to offer delivery directly through their own first party ordering platforms, without depending on marketplace orders or managing multiple third-party contracts. Orders are automatically routed to the best available provider based on configured preferences, helping restaurants scale delivery with less operational overhead.
Lunchbox Delivery Dispatch Benefits
Delivery Dispatch supports both operational efficiency and brand control. Core benefits include:
Flexible Provider Selection
Restaurants can work with multiple delivery partners and customize how deliveries are assigned, including backup providers during outages or surges.
Lower Operational Burden
Lunchbox manages the provider relationship and preferred rates, reducing the number of vendors a restaurant must maintain.
Branded Delivery Experience
Customers order directly from the restaurant’s website or app, keeping the brand front and center and avoiding marketplace commissions.
More Control Over Fees
Restaurants set delivery fees and manage tipping expectations to improve driver acceptance and reduce failed deliveries.
Scalable Delivery Operations
With automated routing, fallback logic, and integrated reporting, Delivery Dispatch supports both daily delivery volume and larger catering workflows.
Lunchbox Delivery Dispatch vs the Competitors
Limitations
Delivery Dispatch for Order Aggregation/Marketplace Orders are not supported (exclusive for 1st party delivery and 1st party catering delivery)
Only last-mile delivery partners that Lunchbox has negotiated and set rates with can be used with Lunchbox Delivery dispatch. The currently negotiated last-mile delivery partners are (with more to come):
DoorDash Drive
Uber Direct
Relay
Billing is account-specific and not location-specific. If the restaurant needs to have location-specific billing, we will need to onboard them onto multiple Lunchbox Delivery Dispatch accounts.
Dashboard Access and Visibility
Restaurants access the Delivery Dispatch dashboard from any tablet or computer, using any browser. They need to log in via https://delivery.lunchbox.io and see:
Real-time order tracking
Provider performance visibility
Delivery maps and routing data
Driver reports and incident submissions
Dispatch-only order reporting
💡To get onboarded onto Lunchbox Delivery Dispatch, REstaurant Partners need to have Delivery Dispatch in their contract or sign an amendment. Reach out to [email protected] to learn more!
Delivery Dispatch Strategies
Dispatch Strategies determine how a delivery order is assigned to a provider. They help restaurants balance cost, reliability, and speed by controlling how the system selects and reassigns delivery partners. Here are the possible options:
The No Preference option allows marketplaces to compete for orders based on rules set in Lunchbox Delivery Dispatch.
Preferred Integration is an option for which we set a tier of preferred partners, and Delivery Dispatch will try to assign to the preferred partner first.
Full exclusivity is the option that includes one of the Last Mile Delivery Partners as the only Delivery provider. This is needed when you have exclusive agreements with the Last Mile Delivery Provider and the Marketplace. (Example: UberDirect offered you a discount rate if the restaurant only uses UberEats as the third-party marketplace.)
💡The most common setting is to have auto-dispatch enabled.
Auto-Dispatch
When the Auto Dispatch toggle is enabled, a job will be matched with a delivery provider as soon as it enters the Nash portal. This means a delivery will be dispatched to a provider almost immediately. In most cases, this is the preferred method of dispatch. The selection strategy setting described below determines each job's delivery provider.
Driver Selection Strategy
Jobs that are assigned via auto-dispatch are assigned to a delivery provider based on one of the selection strategies:
Price-based strategy will compare the available delivery providers' quotes and dispatch the delivery to the one with the lowest price. This is the most common selection.
Ranked strategy allows us to set the preferred delivery providers. Jobs will be dispatched based on which providers are available for each job.
Reliability strategy will engage with Nash’s proprietary algorithm that ranks each delivery provider’s reliability. Several factors, including completion rate, cancellation rate, and on-time rate, determine this.
Future Orders Handling
Delivery Dispatch can schedule orders far in advance while respecting each provider’s lead-time requirements. If an order is scheduled more than 30 days ahead, the system holds it in Planned Selection. Once the order moves inside a provider’s allowable window, Nash automatically dispatches it and continues through the normal assignment process.
Future Orders Handling
Delivery Dispatch can schedule orders far in advance while respecting each provider’s lead-time requirements. If an order is scheduled more than 30 days ahead, the system holds it in Planned Selection. Once the order moves inside a provider’s allowable window, Nash automatically dispatches it and continues through the normal assignment process.
Order Pickup Time Calculation
When you enter a delivery time (dropoff time), the system calculates the pickup time based on distance and travel expectation.
Example:
Delivery time: March 28, 10:15 AM
Distance: ~5 miles
Calculated pickup time: 9:45 AM
The order is then sent to the chosen provider at that pickup time.
Driver Assignment Behavior
Different provider types assign drivers differently:
Catering Providers
Typically, assign drivers several hours before pickup, depending on availability.
This helps ensure reliable fulfillment for large orders
Gig Fleets (Uber, DoorDash Drive, etc.)
Assign drivers much closer to the pickup time.
A driver may not be confirmed until the moment the order is ready for handoff.
Driver acceptance depends on real-time availability, so early guarantees are not possible.
IMPORTANT NOTE: With gig fleets, Lunchbox cannot secure a driver far in advance. Assignment depends on live availability and acceptance at the time the request is sent.
Outages and Reassignments
If a preferred provider does not accept the order, Delivery Dispatch attempts the next provider based on your configured strategy.
Restaurants can set rules around when to automatically reassign orders to avoid delays and maintain service quality.
Lunchbox Delivery Dispatch Fees
Fees for Lunchbox Delivery Dispatch are negotiated with Lunchbox and signed into a contract/amendment by the customer per fleet (ie, Relay, DoorDash, Uber Direct, all have different rates). A restaurant can verify its rate for the fleet by hovering over the "Provider" for a job in their Delivery Dispatch dashboard.
IMPORTANT NOTE: Rates shown in the Dispatch Strategies section of Settings do not reflect the restaurant’s actual charges. These displayed rates are not used for billing. Restaurants will always be charged according to the pricing outlined in their contract.
