Delivery Types
Hub and Spoke (Standard Delivery / pizza delivery model) -- Orders packed at your main hub, sent out with a driver. Larger product selection, longer wait times.
Dynamic (Express Delivery / ice cream truck method) -- Each vehicle is its own inventory hub with its own service area and menu. Orders packed from vehicle inventory. Faster delivery, limited menu.
Both labels and descriptions are customizable in Admin. Running both models lets you consolidate trips, cut labor costs, and reach more customers.
Steps
1. Create your delivery zones Go to Settings > Delivery > Zones. Use the Zone Area Tool to draw a custom zone freehand, combining multiple areas into a polygon. Or import a pre-defined area -- zip code, city, county, or tax jurisdiction -- and edit its boundaries. Once the zone has fewer than 100 points, save it.
2. Configure zone settings After creating a zone, set its delivery estimate, order minimum, delivery fee, tax rate, hours of operation, and designated inventory location. Each zone can have its own configuration.
3. Set up inventory locations Standard locations are physical locations at your main hub (vault, floor stock) -- used for Hub and Spoke. Vehicle locations are used for Dynamic delivery, with each vehicle as its own location. If no location is assigned to a zone, delivery defaults to the location set in your Settings. Move inventory between locations using Transfers in Admin.
4. Enable customers to place delivery orders Direct customers to your Meadow Embedded Menu on your website -- the most efficient method. Customize the menu with names, descriptions, and a delivery prompt. For phone orders or third-party website orders, create them manually in Admin or on an iPad in Drawerless mode.
Tips
Running both delivery types lets you offer speed for nearby customers and selection for those farther out, while reducing driver downtime on return trips.
Set up inventory locations before creating zones -- zone settings reference locations, so having them ready first keeps setup clean.
Keep zone point counts under 100 before saving. Overly complex polygons will not save.
Use the import feature for zip codes or tax jurisdictions as a starting point, then adjust -- faster and more accurate than drawing from scratch.