YoungWorld Modeling

Special deliveryThursday, September 7, 2006 4:08 AM EDT E-mail this story | Printable Version By Donna HarrisCherokee Tribune Staff WriterPeople living and working in Cherokee can enjoy meals from any restaurant in the county without ever leaving their home or office.In late May, Meko Young of Canton started Meko's Take-Out Taxi, a service that orders, picks up and delivers food from any restaurant in Cherokee County to any location in the county."I was just trying to provide a service in Canton," he said, noting he's aware of such a service in Buckhead and Miami. "A lot of people are immobile as far as transportation, and they were my first concern. Folks trying to take the little buses (in Canton), a lot of single moms who don't feel like cooking dinner or packing up all the kids to go out. I'm just trying to cater to the needs of the county."The service, which runs almost around the clock during the week, offers more meal choices to people who want to stay home but aren't in the mood for pizza or Chinese."Those are the only places that deliver," Young, 29, said.It's also great for households where each member wants food from a different restaurant."The husband might want Applebee's; the wife wants Provino's; and the kids want McDonald's," he said. "You can get all that done, and you don't have to leave your home."He added he also gets a lot of calls from seniors, especially on Sundays."They're the ones who don't feel like driving to Cracker Barrel or Waffle House," he said, noting he gives a senior discount.Once a customer places an order, it is called in to the appropriate restaurants within five minutes, he said. Five to 10 minutes later, one of his two drivers is on the way to pick up the food."We haven't had anything take over 30 to 35 minutes (for delivery)," he said.Customers also may call early and specify what time they want the food delivered, he added.At the delivery destination, the driver collects the cost of the food plus a delivery fee, which is determined by the number of orders placed, the number of restaurants to which the drivers must drive and the location to which the orders are delivered."Most people are pretty shocked about the delivery fee," Young said. "It's normally cheaper than what you'd tip somebody."The range of delivery charges has been $5 to $62, "but that was in Ball Ground," he said."They also ordered $275 worth of food," he said. "It was a party they were having, and they didn't want to come down to Canton."Among the most popular restaurants from which customers order are Hooter's, Applebee's, Provino's and Little River Grill."People also call us and order Papa John's," he said. "We can get it there faster than they do. They also call us for Chinese food."Matt Helms, who works at Hooter's in Canton, said he's been using Young's take-out service since the day he started."It's very convenient," the 20-year-old Canton resident said. "I don't have to go out to get something to eat. If I'm at work, I have short breaks, and I don't have time to go out and get something. It's very convenient for me to call him, and they'll have my food there by my break."Business has been "pretty good" so far, Young said."I haven't hit Donald Trump status yet, but it pays for itself - the drivers, insurance," he said, noting his first concern was "providing a service everybody can really use," not making a lot of money. "It's paying everything we need to take care of. I'm very pleased with the way things are going now."Young said he's averaging 22 to 25 orders a day, but with customers ordering from different places, that may include pickups from as many as 50 restaurants."Some days are slower than others," he said, noting he began promoting the service May 15 and had his first 10 calls the next day. "Some days we might do $100 for the day, but we might do $350 to $400 on a Friday or Saturday. With any company, you don't expect to make any money the first six months, but at least since day one, we've been generating revenue."Helms said he has the take-out taxi deliver meals to his home or workplace at least twice a week."I'm very satisfied with it," he said.By next summer, Young, who also owns Young World Entertainment and Young World Modeling, expects to have at least six drivers."We're doing a marketing plan for a few billboards in Cherokee County to try to get the word out," he said. "I hope it blows through the roof. And I hope someone will be interested in franchising it someday."He also hopes people will find his service useful."I hope everybody has a good experience with our company," he said. "I hope everyone enjoys the service we're providing for the county."[email protected] Copyright © 2007 Cherokee Tribune. All rights reserved. All other trademarks and Registered trademarks are property of their respective owners.