I. Industry Risk Analysis

(1) Policy Risk

Currently, the food delivery service industry is in an active period of policy adjustment. Entrepreneurs need to be vigilant against multiple risks: Firstly, labor rights protection policies are becoming stricter. The supervision of riders’ social insurance, minimum wage, and working hours is gradually being refined, which may lead to a significant increase in labor costs. Secondly, environmental protection policies are putting more pressure. The standards for the degradability of takeaway packaging materials are rising, and the scope of the plastic restriction order is expanding, resulting in a sharp increase in supply chain transformation investment. Thirdly, local traffic and delivery time – limit policies are frequently introduced (such as restrictions on electric vehicles and night – delivery bans in business districts), which weaken the service flexibility. Fourthly, data security and privacy protection regulations are being strengthened. Non – compliant handling of user information may face high fines. Fifthly, anti – monopoly and platform responsibility policies are being deepened. There are risks of administrative intervention in commission rates, algorithm rules, etc. The policy window period is short, and the implementation scales vary. Enterprises need to dynamically evaluate regional compliance costs.

(2) Economic Risk

The current food delivery industry faces multiple risks under economic cycle fluctuations: During the economic downturn, consumers’ disposable income shrinks, leading to a contraction in the number of orders. The over – expanded transportation capacity resources during the prosperous period are prone to form over – capacity during the recession. Inflation pressure drives up the three costs of riders’ salaries, packaging materials, and platform commission rates. However, the weak demand restricts the ability of price transmission. In an environment of tightened monetary policy, the financing channels for start – up enterprises are narrowed. When the capital chain is under pressure, they are easily squeezed out of the market by leading platforms. The combination of “rising costs and falling demand” unique to the stagflation cycle may lead to the concentrated exit of small and medium – sized delivery enterprises. Moreover, the migration of users’ consumption habits during the economic recovery period (such as turning to dine – in) will further weaken the industry’s growth expectations.

(3) Social Risk

The food delivery service industry faces the risk of generational consumption fragmentation: Generation Z pursues instantaneity and personalization, forcing platform technology iteration and investment in niche markets. However, the increasing price sensitivity of the middle – aged group may squeeze profit margins. The conservative consumption tendency of the silver – haired group due to food safety concerns conflicts with the high – growth expectations of the young market, increasing the difficulty of supply chain standardization. Under the conflict of generational values, the amplification effect of public opinion on issues such as delivery workers’ rights and environmental protection packaging may trigger stricter policy supervision. The generational friction between middle – aged practitioners and young management in the labor market will drive up labor costs and training investment, compressing the survival resilience of small and medium – sized entrepreneurs.

(4) Legal Risk

Entrepreneurs entering the food delivery service industry need to focus on legal risks related to labor laws, data protection, and food safety: The unclear identification of the labor relationship of delivery workers may easily trigger social insurance disputes and class – action lawsuits. Improper collection and processing of users’ privacy data may violate the “Personal Information Protection Law” and face high fines. Neglecting the implementation of transportation temperature control and packaging standards stipulated by the Food Safety Law will result in joint compensation liability for food pollution. Unclear liability division in the agreements between platforms and merchants may lead to legal joint risks of merchant qualification fraud or food safety issues. At the same time, entrepreneurs need to guard against the compensation risk of the outsourcing model of riders being recognized as a de facto labor relationship and consumer rights disputes caused by delivery timeliness.

II. Entrepreneurship Guide

(1) Suggestions on Entrepreneurship Opportunities

Currently, entrepreneurship opportunities in the food delivery service industry are concentrated in technology – driven refined operations and differentiated market development: Rely on AI algorithms to optimize instant delivery routes and improve fulfillment efficiency. Develop intelligent kitchen management systems to help small and medium – sized food and beverage merchants reduce food preparation losses by 30%. Build a regional cold – chain delivery network to enter the high – customer – price fresh food and beverage market. Create professional vertical delivery brands for fitness meals, elderly nutrition meals, etc. according to the trend of healthy eating. Combine with the community group – buying model to aggregate family orders and reduce the average delivery cost per order. Use digital twin technology to build virtual central kitchens to help private – cuisine chefs achieve zero – inventory standardized output and form a replicable light – asset food delivery solution.

(2) Suggestions on Entrepreneurship Resources

Entrepreneurs should focus on integrating core resources and give priority to entering the market with a light – asset model. For example, outsource the delivery team to a third – party to reduce labor costs (the proportion of outsourced rider teams can reach 60%). Connect to traffic quickly through the open – platform interfaces of Meituan/Ele.me (the API connection cycle can be shortened to 3 days). Deeply bind 3 – 5 high – quality food and beverage suppliers to establish exclusive cooperation (the supply cost can be reduced by 15% – 20%). Purchase food packaging materials in bulk to achieve economies of scale (the packaging cost can be reduced by 30% for more than 1000 orders per day). Use SAAS delivery management systems (such as Kuaipaozhe, Dada system) instead of building an in – house IT team (the initial development cost can be saved by more than 80%). At the same time, apply for subsidies from the local Bureau of Commerce for the 15 – minute convenient living circle in the city (the maximum equipment subsidy for a single store is 200,000 yuan). Focus on exploring the group – meal delivery scenarios of enterprises and institutions (the customer unit price is three times that of the C – end). Solve the production – capacity bottleneck during peak hours through the pre – made food central kitchen model (the space – utilization efficiency can be increased by 40%).

(3) Suggestions on Entrepreneurship Teams

In the food delivery service industry, entrepreneurs need to form a team with complementary skills. Give priority to recruiting core members with experience in technology development (optimizing the algorithm of the order system), supply chain management (merchant cooperation and logistics coordination), and online operation (traffic acquisition and user retention). The team structure should be flat. Use digital tools (such as Trello, DingTalk) to achieve real – time data synchronization and cross – departmental collaboration. Focus on cultivating the team members’ ability to respond quickly to order peaks and sudden complaints. At the same time, introduce local food and beverage resource integrators or ground – promotion personnel to solve the practical barriers in merchant settlement and the construction of the regional delivery network.

(4) Suggestions on Entrepreneurship Risks

Food delivery entrepreneurs should first control the cost structure. Adopt a light – asset model (rent shared kitchens and outsource the delivery team), and compress the pre – investment in equipment to less than 20% of the total cost. Establish a dynamic pricing mechanism. Balance the risk of order fluctuations through premium pricing during peak lunch and dinner hours (it is recommended to increase the price by 15 – 20%) and off – peak discounts (a 5 – 80% discount is recommended). Implement a dual – track quality inspection system (install intelligent temperature – control boxes at the merchant end and equip delivery workers with positioning sensors). Ensure that the delivery – time error of 80% of orders does not exceed 8 minutes, and the central temperature of 95% of food items is ≥60°C. Develop a multi – channel customer – complaint response system (set aside 5% of the order reserve for immediate compensation), and ensure that complaints are handled within 30 minutes. Focus on expanding enterprise group – purchase orders (the proportion should reach more than 35%) to hedge against the risk of C – end user loss.