Local man bites into food delivery niche

By Shannon Wells

The Gresham Outlook, Jun 25, 2008, Updated Oct 30, 2009 (3 Reader comments)

Jim Clark / The Outlook

Jeff Bena has started Bellywarmers, a food delivery service in the Gresham area delivering food from restaurants to homes.

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Jeff Bena is not one to sit still for too long. An avowed fan of the road trip, his love of mobility is reflected in his 14-year career as a delivery driver.

“I like the independence,” he said. “I like helping people. I like the outdoors. I just like to drive.”

He used to drive for other business owners. Now he’s striking out on his own with the freshly launched Bellywarmers Delivery Service.

Bena, 39, arranges with locally owned restaurants between Sandy and Interstate 205 to deliver food to hungry customers who’d rather not head out themselves. For a $5 per-restaurant fee on a minimum $20 order, Bena will bring food and beverages from participating establishments to homes and businesses between 9 a.m. and 9 p.m. Monday through Friday and sometimes on Saturday.

Bena is placing brochure dispensers in participating restaurants and hotels while spreading the word about Bellywarmers’ Web site, www.bellywarmers.homestead.com

“There’s a lot of restaurants out here,” he said of East County. “If I get all the non-chain restaurants and cafes to contract with me and give the community more options, I just think that would be a cool thing.”

Bena recognizes it will take time and patience – particularly in a struggling economy – to build up a large clientele, but he exudes confidence in the benefits his business model provides. By distributing menus, featuring businesses online and just cruising around the area, Bena delivers public relations along with culinary offerings.

“I offer free advertising,” he said. “Here I am bringing food to customers. Food from Sandy to Gresham. These are customers (restaurants) wouldn’t ordinarily have.”

Wrenegade’s Bar & Grill on Division Street is one of Bena’s first and steadiest clients. Kitchen Manager Bill Olofson said he’s impressed with what Bena’s concept brings to the table.

“It’s a win-win situation for everybody involved,” he said. “It helps our business significantly. It’s word of mouth that gets around town beyond actual word of mouth.”

Bena envisions Bellywarmers as a freestanding business with a bevy of drivers. For now, he keeps it simple. Working from his Gresham home, he makes deliveries in a leased 2008 Dodge Caliber. Having a new, nice-looking delivery car is a key element, he contends.

“In 2009, I’ll be driving a 2009.”

In addition to his delivery fee, Bena’s potential for profit comes through deals he negotiates with individual restaurant managers. In some cases, venues offer a discounted price on menu items.

“It’s all negotiable,” he said. “It’s whatever they want to do.”

He’s also focused attention on local hotels that don’t have on-site food service. Bellywarmers is highlighted in the Days Inn welcome book.

“People (staying in hotels) don’t have a lot of options for food.”

Bena accepts payment by cash and business checks on delivery as well as time-of-order payments with Visa, Mastercard and American Express cards. As added bonuses to restaurants he works with, Bellywarmers absorbs credit card transaction fees and guarantees payments of orders not canceled before they were prepared. Bena provides condiments free of charge and offers full place settings for a nominal fee.

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