Delivery Dudes becomes ASAP: What's next for the homegrown delivery service

Hannah Morse, Palm Beach Post
·3 min read

From its humble beginnings in 2009 delivering food and cannabis on the back of a moped to becoming a homegrown pioneer that led the charge before Uber Eats and DoorDash, Delray Beach-based Delivery Dudes is entering a new chapter.

Say goodbye to the “Dudes,” and say hello to ASAP.

ASAP, an online ordering technology platform, acquired Delivery Dudes in 2021 for $23 million in stock and cash, but the name change took effect just last month.

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After receiving an order from a customer on the ASAP app, driver Christopher Lamu picks up a meal from Two Fat Breggfast for delivery on Monday, October 31, 2022, in downtown Delray Beach, FL. As of October 20, the delivery service originally known as Delivery Dudes became ASAP.
After receiving an order from a customer on the ASAP app, driver Christopher Lamu picks up a meal from Two Fat Breggfast for delivery on Monday, October 31, 2022, in downtown Delray Beach, FL. As of October 20, the delivery service originally known as Delivery Dudes became ASAP.

Developed by Waitr Holdings, which began in 2013 in Lafayette, Louisiana, ASAP used to be referred to as “Waitr.” But the company had to change its name this year as part of a settlement with a similarly named delivery company.

Name change aside, ASAP's been on a growth path via acquisitions. Before buying Delivery Dudes, Waitr Holdings acquired Bite Squad, another food-delivery app, in 2019 for $321 million.

Christopher Lamu, a part-time driver for ASAP for three years, verifies a customer's address on the ASAP app after picking up a meal from Two Fat Breggfast on Monday, October 31, 2022, in downtown Delray Beach, FL. As of October 20, the delivery service originally known as Delivery Dudes became ASAP.
Christopher Lamu, a part-time driver for ASAP for three years, verifies a customer's address on the ASAP app after picking up a meal from Two Fat Breggfast on Monday, October 31, 2022, in downtown Delray Beach, FL. As of October 20, the delivery service originally known as Delivery Dudes became ASAP.

Delray Beach delivery company ahead of key players in delivery services

Delivery Dudes led the charge in the food-delivering industry, growing its presence in four other states, including Tennessee and Colorado. It also expanded its services by delivering alcohol through its "Dudes Liquor" service in 2015, and "Dudes Bodega" that delivered groceries, prescriptions and other goods just months into the coronavirus pandemic.

But the newer food-delivery services had something that the Dudes didn’t.

“The reality of DoorDash and Uber Eats is they got connected with some serious venture capitalists, and that really evolved and scaled just so dramatically quicker than Delivery Dudes, that we really became a regional delivery service where they became national delivery services, and we always wanted to be national,” said Chris Leary, director of dispatch and support at ASAP, and formerly the director of operations at Delivery Dudes.

Many of those who helped build up Delivery Dudes over the years remain with ASAP, but founder Jayson Koss and a few other higher-ups left this year, Leary said. Koss could not be reached for comment.

A “dream” of Delivery Dudes was to offer a monthly subscription service, Leary noted. ASAP has that. For $7.99 a month, an ASAP Unlimited subscription offers no delivery fees and reduced service fees on some orders. Grubhub, Uber Eats and DoorDash offer subscriptions for $2 more.

By being part of the ASAP, more items and brands will be available for delivery, from flowers to auto parts to luxury clothing. Hockey fans can also order from the concession stands at FLA Live Arena through their ASAP app, which started during the Florida Panthers’ home opener on Oct. 19.

“It just opens up the opportunity to really expand our overall partner list past the restaurant world,” Leary said.

Delivery Dudes users will now be directed to ASAP platforms either through the website or app.

Pictured is ASAP's headquarters on Monday, October 31, 2022, in downtown Delray Beach, FL. As of October 20, the delivery service originally known as Delivery Dudes became ASAP.
Pictured is ASAP's headquarters on Monday, October 31, 2022, in downtown Delray Beach, FL. As of October 20, the delivery service originally known as Delivery Dudes became ASAP.

“We’re going to be there to continue to provide the local customers who’ve been with us for years the same great service, but we’re also, on top of the new name, getting a lot of new bells and whistles and technology and new opportunities that we never quite got as the scrappy local startup that (fought) tooth and nail and clawed its way against the big boys and really held our own ground,” Leary said.

Hannah Morse covers consumer issues for The Palm Beach Post. Drop a line at hmorse@pbpost.com, call 561-820-4833 or follow her on Twitter @mannahhorse.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Delivery Dudes becomes ASAP after multi-million-dollar acquisition