Zakiyyah Saeed started with DeliverThat in Fall 2018. Her first few memories of that start were the number of deliveries she made for festivals, Halloween and homecoming parties. It was a fast-paced start to her new position as a catering delivery driver for DeliverThat in the Stow, Ohio, market. Her initial runs were made with Dan Hoffman, who took the time to educate Saeed on how to pick up and set up restaurant catering orders for delivery.
Since then, Saeed has become friends with the restaurant staff and customers she serves. She also appreciates working as a catering delivery driver for DeliverThat based on the opportunity it provides for Saeed to pick up deliveries depending on her schedule as the mother of two active boys whom she homeschools.
“I am really bad with working on a set schedule when my children are home with me so I needed something that allowed me to pick and choose when I work,” she said. “And the fact that it was delivering food was still in line with my background a little bit. I went to school for hospitality management and culinary arts; but then I got tired of doing that because I couldn’t express myself the way I wanted to. I always loved catering and thought being a driver for catering would work.”
During peak season, Saaed said she delivers an estimated 15 orders per week. Her favorite deliveries are for house parties because of the variety of homes she visits.
“Those are really nice because sometimes they give you a little tour of the house and some companies do the same,” she said. “I always ask people what they do and with some companies I visit I ask the same question, especially if I don’t know what the company is.”
“I enjoy that and people are really friendly around here,” she said.
Saeed is able to balance her catering deliveries with homeschooling by finding ways to work around her children’s schedule. She also appreciates not having to work on a set schedule.
“The other part I like is that when it’s busy, I have the ability to make more money. I was never really the type of person that liked being in a building all day. So, it frustrated me when I couldn’t get home if there was ever an issue. This has a lot more freedom.”