The culture of restaurant home-delivery remains relatively limited in Saudi Arabia, compared to much of the world where the practice is common not only for modest food outlets but also the finest restaurants. Despite representing a cost-free luxury to the customer who can make his order with a mere telephone call, and the obvious business benefits to the restaurant sector, most restaurants in the Kingdom, particularly the higher-class establishments, do not provide the service, Al-Watan Arabic daily reports. While there remains a general suspicion towards having an individual come to the house door, as well as the efficiency in delivering, some do see the plus-side. College student Kholoud Tashkandi deems the service useful, “especially for women whose husbands are busy and do not have a private driver.” Kholoud believes that housewives are in need of a service that provides what they need at the touch of a button. “It's also a boon for a person who's been on the road and arrives home late and exhausted,” she said. There are, however, conditions, according to Kholoud. She thinks it better that the restaurant employee taking the order and the one delivering be Saudis, in order to “accurately understand what the customer wants,” noting that a command of English in many restaurants is limited. Educator Samia Ameen and housewife Sonniah Fadil see wider benefits in employing Saudis for the task, saying that they do not care about the nationality of the deliverer, although they prefer to see Saudis as they know the culture and it is a way of providing jobs for Saudis. Fatima Asiri, manager of Al-Rajhi Bank's Faisaliyah branch, says women need the service more than men as they cannot go out late at night, especially if they do not have a driver. “Timing is very important. Sometimes food arrives after you have lost your appetite. Then the service is useless,” she said. Asiri agreed it is important to employ Saudis in these jobs, and that it could be of particular benefit to students who need some extra money to cover their expenses and could work part-time, while also gaining some work experience for the future. Secondary student Abdul Majeed Al-Nofai'ee prefers the employee to be a foreigner. “A foreigner usually cares about delivering the meal,” he said, “while a Saudi may have other interests and annoy the customer.” This, according to Abdul Aziz Al-Solaimani, manager of a Pizza Hut branch in Taif, is no longer an issue. He says his home delivery service is in great demand, for which his branch has three designated drivers. Several orders delivered in one trip only occur, he said, when all locations are on the same street. The service is run by a Saudi. In the past, Saudi families, he said, did not as a rule like to have Saudis deliver their orders due to “many problems” they caused, but he stressed that things have changed, and that now “it is different.” __
