In this episode of Food Tech Talk, Lydia Adams speaks with Meredith Sandland about transforming restaurant delivery through technology and dedicated delivery fleets. Drawing from her experience at Taco Bell, Kitchen United, and now as CEO of Empowered Delivery, Meredith explains why the current third-party delivery model creates food safety risks and quality challenges.

Meredith discusses how restaurants spend significant resources on food safety throughout their supply chain but lose control at the delivery stage. She explains Empowered Delivery's approach to solving this through dedicated on-demand fleets and AI-powered timing systems that ensure food reaches customers quickly and safely.

The conversation explores how restaurants can maintain brand standards and food safety protocols through dedicated delivery drivers, even while using a contractor model. Meredith predicts a shift back to in-house delivery systems, similar to Walmart Spark and Amazon Flex, as restaurants seek better control over food safety and customer experience.

Throughout the episode, Meredith emphasizes that "the enemy of good food is time" and shares how technology can help restaurants minimize the time between preparation and delivery. She concludes with advice for restaurants on commitment to delivery excellence and building customer trust through consistent food safety practices.