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Okanagan food delivery service booming amid soaring gas prices

Ninjanow is a food delivery service in the Okanagan servicing Vernon to Penticton.
Ninjanow is a food delivery service in the Okanagan servicing Vernon to Penticton.
Image Credit: SUBMITTED/ Facebook

NINJAnow is a busy food delivery service operating in all towns and cities from Vernon to Penticton.

Faith Kerik is the driver manager and social media manager.

“Things are really busy right now and we are stronger than we were a year ago,” she said. 

NINJAnow has been operating in the city since 2019 and staffs around 55 drivers. With cost of gas up to $2 per litre, some transportation based companies are struggling to stay afloat. Then add the cost of vehicle maintenance and wide scale staffing shortages.

Kerik said despite soaring gas prices, the company is retaining drivers with a company gas incentive program.

“Gas has always affected the delivery companies, however we have put in a gas incentive for drivers so we top up their gas and are able to adjust with fluctuating gas prices,” she said. “So far we are not losing drivers because of gas costs.”

Kerik said in some ways the high cost of gas could be driving more business.

“I find there are almost more pickup orders and delivery orders than there were a year ago,” she said. “Especially deliveries. It costs customers gas money to pick up and more people are not leaving their homes because of the gas prices and the hot weather.”

She said however, staffing shortages are an ongoing issue. NINJAnow hires contract drivers and the company is currently hiring.

“We do have a hard time finding reliable drivers and tend to have more of a turnover than we would like, but we are keeping up and always have the right amount,” she said. 

When asked if the company will be expanding to Kamloops, Kerik said she didn’t know but confirmed the idea has been discussed for a while. For now the company is busy enough servicing the Okanagan.

Kerik said the secret to the company’s success is their focus on local businesses, building relationships with other businesses, and local sponsorships.

“We are local supporting local with a focus on little shops and smaller restaurants,” she said. “We try to favour local restaurants and we have in-person support or dispatch if there is an issue with an order. Customers get immediate response from a person, not a computer.”

Popular food delivery company Mitchie’s Delivery shut its doors on July 11 citing high gas costs as the final straw in the closure.

READ MORE: Cost of gas final straw in closure of Kamloops delivery business

To order from NINJAnow or apply for a driving job click here. 


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