Four months after bringing Uber driving service to Vashon, islander Salina Milstein has started up a food delivery service called Vashon Eats.
So far, two island eateries have agreed to use the service: The Hardware Store Restaurant and The Sugar Shack, which has recently become a food takeaway shop with different offerings each day of the week created by chef Wally Bell.
“The Hardware Store is an anchor and a beloved place, so I knew it would be successful,” Milstein said. “Now, with the customization of the Sugar Shack, it (Vashon Eats) fits well with what she is trying to do.”
Sugar Shack owner Hedy Anderson agrees. She said the goal of the weekday dinners is ease and convenience, which is also what Vashon Eats aims to offer.
“We’re trying to keep the prices really low,” Anderson said. “The idea is low prices, ease and whole foods with solid cooking. Vashon Eats is really creating ease for everyone; it seems like a pretty good fit.”
Currently, the Sugar Shack offers curry on Mondays; a different Asian food every Tuesday, such as Vietnamese food, or sticky ribs; pasta or Mediterranean food on Wednesdays; savory pies on Thursdays and “fun food” on Fridays. Previous Friday dinners have included crepes, a German feast and paella. There is always a vegetarian option, as well as a variety of side dishes. Customers can pick up the pre-made dinners between 4 p.m. and 7 p.m. Monday through Friday, or call to place a delivery order with Milstein.
The service is up and running, and islanders can call the eateries, place their order and pay over the phone between 5:30 p.m. and 9 p.m. every day. Milstein, or her backup driver, Kate Doran, will then deliver it. Delivery fees will cost an additional $7 to $15 for the customer depending on how far the delivery is from the restaurant.
Milstein said she is in talks with other restaurants, such as Zamorana’s and Subway, which have expressed interest in joining the service once it is more established.
“We will make adjustments as needed,” Milstein said. “We will expand the service and service hours as we go so we grow appropriately.”
She said she initially wanted to start Uber’s food delivery service, UberEats, on the island, but was told that Uber would need six vehicles before starting the service here.
“That’s just not realistic. You’re not going to get that many people to do it,” she said.
She also said that UberEats charges restaurants large delivery fees, which would make the service out of reach for Vashon’s small, independently owned eateries. A February 2016 article in the New York Post reports that Uber’s food delivery service demands “an unprecedentedly steep 30 percent cut of the bill from restaurants.”
With those realities and the desire to bring food delivery to Vashon, she started Vashon Eats, which is independent of Uber.
“I decided to do it for myself,” she said of creating the service. “I had to be careful with how I did it so I can make a living, but also help the island I love and the island I live on.”
She has worked out her own fees with businesses, charging them $1 to $2 per delivery.
The service is being advertised at both The Hardware Store Restaurant and The Sugar Shack. Milstein said islanders who would like other restaurants to use the service should tell the restaurants.
Vashon Eats
To place a Vashon Eats order from The Hardware Store Restaurant, call the restaurant at 463-1800.
To place an order from the Sugar Shack, call Hedy Anderson at 463-3782. To receive the Sugar Shack’s daily menus by email, islanders should send their email address to hedy@kingcaramel.com.
