Chef Shuttle adding flower delivery

Service to pick up at 3 Kroger stores

Chef Shuttle, a Little rock-area owned and operated restaurant delivery service, will offer flower delivery from three Little Rock Kroger stores beginning this week and extending indefinitely past Valentine's Day. With the additional service, flowers and a fresh-made meal can be delivered for any occasion.

"Our drivers will go get the flowers from Kroger, go get the food, and everything will be delivered at once," said Chef Shuttle owner and president Ryan Herget, 24.

Kroger is the world's largest florist, gauging by the number of shops it has in stores, said Jeremy Baker, district produce manager for the U.S.-only retailer.

The cost of delivering flowers is high compared with Chef Shuttle's $4.95 fee for delivering food from some 150 eateries in and around Little Rock. Three bouquets will be available for the same price as Kroger's, ranging from $15 to $25. However, each comes with a $10-$15 delivery fee, to be paid by the customer. Two different boxes of chocolates also are available for about $5 and $10.

"We wanted to get this program up and running for Valentine's Day," said Herget, a Little Rock native and Catholic High School graduate. "There will be a higher delivery fee until we can work with them on the structure we have for all our restaurants."

Chef Shuttle makes its money from a double-digit commission paid by participating restaurants.

Baker said Herget and his crew on wheels have been delivering flowers for Kroger since May, though the ability to order online through Chef Shuttle is new this week. It has been advertised in stores in the past, Baker said.

It's been a while since Kroger contracted with a floral delivery service, he said.

"That's why this partnership with Chef Shuttle has been so great," he said. "It's a reliable company that already services customers in the Little Rock metro area."

Herget also is working with Kroger on a deal that could have Chef Shuttle delivering groceries. Wal-Mart Stores Inc., the only U.S. grocer with annual grocery sales larger than Kroger, offers home delivery of merchandise but does not deliver fresh groceries to customers' homes.

Customers can order the bouquets online at chefshuttle.comand couriers will deliver them just like they would a meal. All three bouquets -- the Duet, Rhapsody and Enchanted Rose arrangements -- will be offered first at Kroger's stores on Chenal Parkway, Arkansas 10 West and the one in the Heights area of the city.

"We can cover all of Little Rock from those three stores," Herget said.

Chef Shuttle started two years ago under another owner, Alex Kreth. He made one to two orders a day, mostly to his friends, from five area restaurants. Herget was looking to get into a business that depended on fast delivery to its customers.

"If you look at the last 10-20 years, the timeline of when delivery has been acceptable has gone from two days to next day to one hour," the owner said. "It's what consumers are demanding."

When Herget bought the service from Kreth, Herget offered food from seven restaurants: Lilly's Dim Sum, Shorty Small's, Star of India, Taj Mahal, Bruno's Italian Bistro, El Porton and Mt. Fuji. Last week, Herget announced the addition of Sushi Cafe in Little Rock; BJ's Market Cafe and Mick's BBQ in North Little Rock/Sherwood; and The Draft Ultimate Sports Grill, Smoothie King and BaiTong Thai Cuisine, all in Conway.

Chef Shuttle's signs of different sizes can be seen in front of eateries across Little Rock and nearby cities like Memphis, Cabot and Jacksonville. Herget also has Northwest Arkansas in his sights.

"We've had some fun with it," he said of the name. "It's definitely a catchy name, and we're trying to plaster it all around town."

SundayMonday Business on 01/26/2015

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