Phone for Food in Weymouth has recently won their alcohol licence, making them one of the few businesses in the area to be able to deliver drinks to customers, whether or not they order food.

The license came through just before Christmas, but it was vital that the staff and drivers thoroughly understood the regulations and the law surrounding the provision of alcohol. They spent the first part of this year undergoing some training and the new service is now ready to go.

“It’s a complicated area of the law,” says Jenny Nicholl, founder of Phone for Food. “The drivers are only allowed to carry alcohol if it’s been ordered from the licensed premises first and is actually en route to the customer. And of course, we have to be scrupulous about checking ID if someone looks under 25.”

The driver is responsible for making a judgement about age when they arrive with the delivery. “We recently asked a man for ID and he turned out to be 30 years old!” says Jenny, “but we’d much rather err on the side of caution than sell alcohol to someone who is under age.”

The business also had a practical issue about storing and transporting the alcohol. When Phone for Food started out a year ago, the main concern was how to keep the food piping hot while it was in transit. Now as well as using SWEETHEAT delivery bags to keep the heat in, they also have fridges to keep the beer and wine cold!

“We know that it’s quite unusual for a home delivery service to be awarded with a licence because of all the regulations,” says Jenny, “so we were over the moon when our application was accepted. It means that we can provide an even wider offering with more choice for our customers.”

Phone for Food takes orders for, and delivers food from, a number of outlets in the Weymouth area. They work in partnership with eleven restaurants to offer a great variety of food for delivery.

They recently added The Rock in Weymouth to their menu list, a local pub renowned for its roast dinners and high quality pub food.

Phone for Food can now deliver a roast dinner (beef, lamb, pork or veggie option) every night of the week and the menu also includes racks and half racks of ribs, freshly made lasagne and home made chilli. The puddings have proved to be extremely popular with treacle sponge, spotted dick and sticky toffee pudding and custard flying off the menu too.

For more information visit http://www.phoneforfood.co.uk/