Metrobi is transforming bakery deliveries
Specialized solutions for bakery businesses:
- Bakery-trained drivers
- Proper handling equipment
- Peak day delivery support
- 23% average cost reduction
27% higher customer satisfaction
Professional delivery features:
- Real-time GPS tracking
- Automated ETA updates
- Delivery confirmation photos
- 27% higher delivery satisfaction
"With Metrobi, I'm paying for mileage, and saving money. Also, my customers are happy now that I've got a regular group of drivers that take the routes."
Problem
Doug bought the Diamond Bakery at the beginning of the pandemic. It came with two full-size delivery vans that needed constant repair, and gas had gotten expensive. It quickly became costly in a period when the business wasn’t profitable yet.
Solution
Diamond Bakery’s customers are happy now that they get their precious treats delivered by a preferred driver’s group: 3 of them completed more than 170 deliveries for Diamond Bakery. The cost of deliveries also decreased. Now, Doug is looking forward to selling those two old vans.
I've been a Diamond Bakery customer since 1977 when my parents would come to this part of town. In 1981 I started my pastry apprenticeship at the Century Plaza Hotel in Los Angeles, and Diamond Bakery was one of my standards. So I've been a fan and a customer for a long time and many years passed by until I met the owners, and did some business with them when I had my first bakery.
Many years later, I came back with a friend during the end of the pandemic, when we found out that they were planning on closing. That friend and I came up with a whole business plan, we started the negotiations and we took over so that it wouldn't close in June of 2021, two weeks before the pandemic restrictions lifted.
The business came with two vans that became expensive to maintain very quickly, I also had to pay for gas, and the driver’s hourly rate.
With Metrobi, I'm paying for mileage, and saving money. Also, my customers are happy now that I've got a regular group of drivers that take the routes. Like Jonathan, Saul, and Gregorio, together, these drivers completed more than 170 deliveries for Diamond Bakery.
About Diamond Bakery
How everything started
Q: How did your business begin?
Doug: “Diamond Bakery started in 1946, and I’ve been a customer since 1977 when my parents would come to this part of town and buy stuff. In 1981 I started my pastry apprenticeship at the Century Plaza Hotel in Los Angeles and saw it, and Diamond Bakery was one of my standards. So I’ve been a fan and a customer for a long time and many years passed by until I met the owners, and did some business with them when I had my first bakery.
Many years later, I came back with a friend during the end of the pandemic, when we found out that they were planning on closing. That friend and I started daydreaming on the way back to Santa Barbara and we came up with a whole business plan, we started the negotiations and we took over so that it wouldn’t close in June of 2021, two weeks before the pandemic restrictions lifted. So, right, as we were done painting and remodeling and fixing up the restrictions ended and people started coming back.”
Proudest Moment: "We are baking for Beyoncé's concert this weekend!"
Q: What was your proudest moment on this Diamond Bakery journey?
Doug: “My proudest moment is just being able to navigate the changing business world here in Los Angeles, and have found a little niche where I’m now baking for other people. Now we bake for other businesses, and Shay Pretzel is our biggest customer right now. We make Philadelphia soft pretzels for them and they just landed a contract with SoFi Stadium for football season and concerts. So we’re doing Beyonce’s concert this weekend.”
Diamond Bakery's favorite things about Metrobi
Preferred Drivers
Diamond Bakery found their favorite drivers on our pool. Their reliability makes Diamond Bakery’s relationship with customers stronger and increases their satisfaction.
Predictable delivery costs
With Metrobi, Doug and all of our partners know how much they’ll spend on deliveries and can manage their resources in advance. No surprises, just happy customers.
Bring Your Own Driver
Besides finding a nice pool of drivers on Metrobi to fill where his staff lacked, Doug is now able to improve his in-house driver’s performance by using Metrobi's new program called "Bring Your Driver" (BYOD).
This allows Diamond Bakery to access the best features that Metrobi has to offer, including route creation, optimization for the best sequence, notifications to receivers about upcoming deliveries, and collecting signed invoices, all while using their drivers. Now they can track all of their deliveries in one single dashboard.
No vehicle maintenance expenses
Having your vehicles brings some comfort, but they can come with some surprises that can make your delivery costs increase to the point where it’s not profitable to deliver your products with them.
How Metrobi works
The whole experience is very personable. The driver comes to pick up, he gets packages into the van, and the van is dedicated to my products only. I can follow the delivery progress, driver location, and delivery pictures on the dashboard.
