Battle Creek Launches ‘EatsBC’ To Support Local Dining At Home

The City of Battle Creek has entered the food delivery market in an attempt to help local restaurants find customers.

Battle Creek’s Small Business Development Office announced Friday night the launch of EatsBC.com, described as a “dynamic prepared food directory for the community”; through the website, users can check out the menus of numerous local restaurants and place an order to get the food sent to their home. Battle Creek’s City Development Director John Hart says that they put together a team of local IT and software development professionals to make EatsBC because “we knew than many of our prepared food operators were not set up for delivery or online sales”, and that the fees that other food delivery platforms charge fees that are costly to both restaurants and customers.

Many restaurants and other businesses have been left reeling due to the COVID-19 pandemic, with Hart saying "it was clear from the start that this was going to be a great disruptor to traditional business practices of restaurants."

With EatsBC, local restaurants don’t have to pay to register, and only pay a 3.1 percent payment processing fee per transaction. Some of the restaurants already signed up include Torti Taco, Clara's on the River, Mr Don's Restaurant, Cavoni's Pizza and Grinders, Mango Healthy Fruit and Food, and Barista Blues Cafe.

The website was developed by the SBC team with help from corePHP and Jon Galbreath of Jonic IT Consulting; according to the site, development is ongoing for mobile versions for iPhone and Android.

Businesses can join EatsBC, and residents can order online, by going to EatsBC.com.