Convenience is your main business, and if you’re having trouble providing that to customers on Key Biscayne, you need to find a solution. That’s what prompted Barranquilla, Colombia-born Manual “Manny” Paez, one of the owners of the island’s 7-Eleven stores, to develop a food delivery app called Hurryio to provide convenient food delivery to locals.
“I was frustrated with the way food delivery was being done on the island,” Paez told Islander News this week. “Local business owners face challenges every day, and in our case, rising labor costs were making it difficult to deliver food. National brand drivers always seemed busy and deliveries were delayed. So I thought I’d create something that I could share with local restaurants and business owners to help Island residents get their food delivered faster and more conveniently.”
So Paez, a mechanical engineer by trade, teamed up with his entrepreneurial family to develop a catchily named app to solve this problem—and thus, Hurryio was born.
“The brand ‘Hurry’ is very important to our goal of getting food to you fast,” he said, “and my daughter came up with the final IO and then came up with the logo.”
“IO” stands for input/output, which also supports Hurryio’s mission. Paez’s two daughters attend St. Agnes Academy.
Paez’s wife, Leah, was the perfect person to guide the project: she owns and operates a home-based jewelry shopping business that aims to make, you guessed it, jewelry shopping more convenient.
Hurryio was developed with Key Biscayne residents in mind, so residents who use the app can get quick food delivery from a fleet of local drivers “targeted just to Key Biscayne,” Paez said.
With the concept in place, the next hurdle was releasing the app, so Paez asked fellow Barranquilla native José Ortiz to help him secure local businesses for the app.
“Another frustration restaurateurs have with national apps is support,” Paez said. “Have you ever spoken directly to a rep on any of the major food delivery apps?”
Ortiz, a vocal supporter of the app, promises that won’t be the case with Fruio: “I’m here to offer local owners a sense of belonging. My only responsibility is to support them, face to face, every day.”
Another benefit of using Hurryio is its pricing structure: “National apps can penalize consumers by charging restaurants higher fees and incurring higher delivery fees. By fixing a lower delivery fee for restaurants, we believe we can help both restaurateurs and consumers,” Ortiz says.
Ortiz said the response to the app from Keys restaurant owners has been incredibly positive: “People like Alessandra (Alessandra Zourek, owner and operator of D’Lite Bistro and Bakery) switched right over to the app and have been so supportive. She’s encouraging her customers to use Hurryio exclusively.”
Another early adopter, Ortiz says, is Vinya Wine & Market: “Yes, you can get booze delivered through Hurryio.” Ceviche Bar, Fulano, Helena Chocolatier and Pita Pockets are among the restaurants that have joined Hurryio. “And 7-Eleven, of course,” Paez says with a smile.
Ocean Club restaurants Fresco and Beach Bar & Grill have signed up to deliver food outside the club, Ortiz said, adding that both Crandon Park Beach restaurants, El Rosario Mexican Food and El Chiringuito, are now also part of the Harryo family.
Hurryio works much like the national app: You download it to your phone, sign up, and then you can order from a list of restaurants, with “great offers” at some restaurants, Paez said.
To learn more about Hurryio, email admin@hurryio.com or text us at (832) 989-1679.
“Long term, Hurryio’s vision is to become the delivery marketplace for Key Biscayne, delivering not only food but many other products and services as well,” Paez said.
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