Shoreline Menus food delivery disruptor stepping up for mom and pop restaurants struggling amid pandemic

OLD SAYBROOK, Conn. (WTNH) — A local food delivery service is changing the game. Since, the COVID-19 pandemic they’ve grown exponentially and given the big guys, like Uber Eats a run for their money.

ShorelineMenus.com launched about two years ago. It all started in Old Saybrook when Penny Lane Pub owner, Alex Foulkes got fed up with one of the delivery service companies. He wanted a local option, didn’t see it, so created it.

He got together with other restaurants and hired drivers.

“It was made by the mom and pop restaurants and for the mom and pop restaurants with all of the constraints that are unique to small independent restaurants in mind,” said Foulkes.

Before the pandemic hit, they had 20 restaurants. Now, they’re up to 70 spanning from Branford to East Lyme. They hired their own drivers, emphasized quality control, and business has skyrocketed.

“Every day we’re meeting with different people, different restaurants, different owners to say ‘here’s this option for you. We have a great service, we’re going to bring you the best quality, the lowest cost, and we are local,’” said Shoreline Menu’s Lauren Ashe.

They say, because they’re a small local business, they can keep delivery fees down and help some of these mom and pop restaurants that are really struggling right now.

Right now, service starts in Branford all along I-95 to East Lyme, but they’re working to expand Stonington and everywhere in between.