We sat down with FIRST Delivery Co-founder and CEO Andrew Nakkache to discuss real stories of smarter delivery and innovation with FIRST + Stream.
1) What inspired you to start First, and what problem are you solving for restaurants today?
We actually started out as a fleet—we got up to 500 drivers—but pretty quickly realized how hard it was to scale a delivery-as-a-service model and keep quality high. What clicked was that the real opportunity wasn’t in owning the drivers—it was in connecting the right ones.
We built First to give restaurants access to a network of delivery providers, with tools to manage the end-to-end delivery experience. Today, we’re helping them scale delivery without losing control of the customer experience.
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2) How do you see technology shaping the future of restaurant operations, and how does this partnership align with that vision?
The next wave of restaurant tech is all about helping restaurants focus on what they do best—making great food. With Stream + FIRST, restaurants can ditch the mess of managing multiple tablets, while still delivering a great customer experience across all their delivery channels. Our tools help restaurants get more out of their existing Point of Sale system. You can open up new sales channels—like catering or third-party platforms—without adding extra complexity.
We believe technology should bring restaurants and their customers closer. That means giving restaurants better data and insight into who their customers are, even outside the dining room. And when it comes to catering, the best restaurants know that strong delivery execution is key. FIRST helps them match each order with the best driver for the job—whether the goal is cutting costs or ensuring top-tier service.
3) What was the tipping point that made you realize Stream’s solution was the right fit for your business?
We’ve been in the food delivery business for 10 years. There are 3 key parts that sets Stream apart from its competition -
1. “Schwarzenneger Strong” integrations with POS systems. The fundamental approach of pulling menus from the POS in real-time instead of having its own menu translates to slim-to-none failed orders.
2. Speed of development, there isn’t a month that goes by where Stream does not release some new cool feature
3. Support has been super fast.
4. It's affordable for restaurant operators.
4) Can you share an early success story or insight from restaurants already using this new solution?
One of our earliest partners was Hotbox Cookie Co. They are a fast growing cookie brand with 23 locations. When we met them they were stuck between a rock and a hard place. The rock being their own drivers, and the hard place using fleets like DoorDash Drive and Uber Direct.
Then we introduced them to what’s known and the rest is history. Don’t take my word for it, here is a quote from Hannah Gray, their Learning and Corporate Development Manager
“First Delivery has completely changed the way we deliver. Between the internal fleet management and third-party couriers, delivery orders are always out the door, lowering delivery times and raising customer satisfaction! Orders are easy to track with real-time updates and the easy-to-use platform with their team’s quick communication makes it even more user-friendly.”
Stream was a key piece of the puzzle. When they switched POS systems, everything stayed connected—marketplace integrations and FIRST Delivery all synced seamlessly through Stream, making the transition easy for them and effortless for us.
5) Looking ahead, how do you see First evolving over the next 1–2 years?
For us, it’s all about growing the PIE—and by PIE, we mean our product built specifically for pizzerias and high-volume delivery restaurants. We soft-launched PIE 2 at the Pizza Expo a couple of weeks ago, and we’re excited to officially roll it out in a big way in 2025. This means offering pizzerias the ability to fully utilize their own drivers, offer cash-on-delivery with DoorDash Drive, and even get “dedicated drivers on a shifted basis” from our fleet network.
We believe food delivery is evolving—again. The restaurants that take control of their delivery operations are the ones that will come out ahead. It’s all about having the right systems and workflows in place. High-volume spots can lower their cost per delivery and create a better customer experience—if they stay flexible and focused on serving people, not just fulfilling tickets.
First <> Stream Merchant Testimonial
"Working with FIRST + Stream has totally changed the game for delivery at Felipe’s. Orders come in smoothly through Toast thanks to their solid integration, and we get great insights without messing with separate menus. After two years, we’ve saved tens of thousands in delivery commissions at our Cambridge location, they helped us set up a fleet of dedicated drivers, and their support has been reliable every step of the way.”
- Justin Crooks, GM @ Felipe's Taqueria.
