RDS Resolutions: Simple plays for a bigger 2026

 

3….2….1

Happy New Year! 

Not so fast. Before the confetti hits the floor, a little groundwork now can make 2026 your smoothest, most profitable year yet. This isn’t a “reinvent your business” manifesto; it’s a friendly nudge to pick a few high-impact habits and do them consistently. Think fewer fires, better margins, and partners who actually cheer when you walk in.

Your unfair advantage: you’re local

Here’s the thing, big apps can’t replicate: you. You know the neighborhoods, the traffic patterns, the owners’ names, and who needs a heads-up on Fridays. Being a face in a sea of faceless apps and support lines makes all the difference.

Make it a point to frequent your restaurant partners. Not as a sales call, show up, say hi, ask what’s coming up, and listen. That visit signals loyalty (and it’s often reciprocated). It also gives you a chance to spot small problems before they become public headaches: confusing pickup notes, weekend prep delays, new menu items without photos, doors that lock at 9:55 when your drivers arrive at 10:00. Five minutes in person can save fifty in tickets later.

Stay in touch (consistently, not constantly)

You can’t be everywhere at once, so let a light, predictable cadence do the heavy lifting. A weekly or monthly partner email or social post from you—the owner—goes a long way. Keep it human:

  • A quick update on routes, holiday schedules, or weather plans

  • One short story from the field (what you learned, a fix you made)

  • A tiny win from a partner (“New photo on the spicy ramen boosted orders 12%”)

  • A link to a shared folder with ready-to-post captions and images

That personal connection alone puts you ahead of the competition. It also invites useful replies: “Could we move our Friday cutoff?” “Can you add parking instructions?” Those tweaks compound.

Check out Zuppler Shop 

Start with the low-effort, high-return fixes

If you pick just one “operations” resolution for Q1, make it menu hygiene. Cleaner menus convert better and reduce last-second clarifications.

  • Require sizes where it matters

  • Cap “choose one” modifier groups (no more 3 drinks selected by accident)

  • Add photos to the top 10–20 items

Ten minutes of cleanup per partner saves minutes on every order, forever. Your support queue will thank you.

Be the easiest partner to work with

Your restaurants are busy. If you want to be their first call, remove work from their plate:

  • A two-field promo form (“What’s the deal? Dates?”) so you can quickly keep up with the restaurant's promotions 

  • A shared folder with pre-sized graphics and copy-paste captions

  • A one-pager SLA (prep times, cut-offs, cancellations) with a digital acknowledgment, less confusion, fewer escalations

Pro tip: end every visit with “What would make next month easier for you?” Then do that thing.

Listen to the people on the road

Drivers see issues first. Give them a super lightweight three-tap feedback form: location issue, wait time, parking tip. Review monthly, share the top three fixes with restaurants, and thank drivers whose notes saved the day. You’ll reduce wait-time variance, and drivers will feel like partners, not replaceable cogs.

If subscriptions are on your horizon

A delivery subscription model can be a smart layer: predictable revenue for you, sticky value for customers (and a reason to return to your marketplace first). Keep it simple:

  • Define a few clear benefits (free delivery threshold, access to featured partners, occasional member-only perks)

  • Select a small set of “hero” restaurants who love the idea and will promote it

  • Pick success metrics before you launch (member retention, member Average Order Volume vs. non-member)

If you’re interested, click here to be the first to try it out with Zuppler. 

A gentle 30/60/90 you can actually follow

  • Days 0–30: Menu hygiene pass for your top 10 partners; visit them; send your first owner email.

  • Days 31–60: Standardize windows and cut-offs; optimize your driver blocks; 

  • Days 61–90: Driver feedback loop; tiny SLA refresh + acknowledgments; evaluate subscription readiness.

If you track just a few numbers, checkout completion rate, on-time deliveries, and return customer rate, you’ll know what’s working without drowning in dashboards.

TL: DR - The short version

Show up. Stay in touch. Fix the obvious friction. Make it easy to buy local and easy for restaurants to promote you. Do those things on repeat, and 2026 won’t need a miracle, just a little momentum you started now.

 
Katy Boyer