IE Business Daily Business news for the Inland Empire.
LABite, a Los Angeles-based restaurant delivery business, has made its first move into the Inland Empire.
The company began arranging for meal deliveries last week in Rancho Cucamonga, Claremont, Ontario, Upland, Chino and La Verne, and it expects to begin serving all of the Inland region sometime next year, said Jenny Kim, LABite’s marketing manager.
Founded in 2001, LABite serves all of Los Angeles, Orange and Ventura counties and parts of the Coachella Valley. It arranges deliveries of breakfast, lunch and dinner but is not a 24-hour service, Kim said.
LABite officials have wanted to establish a presence in Riverside and San Bernardino counties virtually from the time the company was founded.
“It was just a matter of time,” Kim said. “We want to be a total Southern California operation, and going into the Inland Empire was the next logical place for us.”
LABite contracts with nearly 1,800 restaurants and hundreds of local drivers. Customers begin by logging on to www.labite.com, then selecting a restaurant and placing an order. The order actually goes to LABite, which relays it to the restaurant and arranges for delivery with a third-party driver.
The normal turnaround time is about one hour, and orders must be at least $20. Customer can track the status of their order online.
“It’s a lot like ordering something on Amazon,” Kim said.
LABite’s clientele is about an equal mix of businesses and individuals It’s using mostly online advertising to publicize its move into the Inland Empire, Kim said.
