Juneau’s delivery menus are about to expand.
Two women, Colleen Belardi and her daughter Corinna Nelson-Felkl plan to launch their new business Dish Dash Deliveries with a soft launch on May 1. The company will act as a third-party delivery service for already existing restaurants.
So far, they’ve got three restaurants on board: McGivney’s Sports Bar and Grill (both locations), Tracy’s King Crab Shack and Saffron Indian Comfort Cuisine.
After health issues caused Nelson-Felkl to find different work, the mother-daughter duo looked to see what Juneau was missing to find a business that they could run from home.
“We’re locked in here,” said Belardi. “As a mom of three, I remember what it was like when I had kids in all different activities and there were times when we didn’t have time to make a meal so it was pizza or Chinese. But doing a lot of research on that, a lot of people use it for convenience.”
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Juneau’s normally behind when it comes to a lot of trends and businesses that the Lower 48 has, Nelson-Felkl said. That’s why they’re excited to be able to bring something to Juneau that hasn’t already arrived via a larger service like Uber Eats or DoorDash, a service which just recently launched in Anchorage.
“Think of how huge just the pizza chains are here, how much (business) they get because that’s all there is to offer,” Nelson-Felkl said.
They modeled their business off of a similar local delivery service called CHOMP Delivery in Iowa City, Iowa.
“They’re pushing out the big (delivery services) like Grub Hub, because they’re offering better service, they vet their drivers, they’re accountable — just like we’re going to be,” Nelson-Felkl said. “When you’ll call, you’ll get someone on the phone immediately rather than talking to a robot.”
Once Dish Dash Deliveries launches, Juneauites will be able to order food via the website or their app. For the soft launch, they’re offering delivery within a 10-mile radius of any of the available restaurants. But Nelson-Felkl said she hopes they can expand soon as they partner with more restaurants and hire more drivers. The pair said they want to be able to offer delivery even to residences out the road, which are currently in a delivery desert.
Fees are distance based, starting with a $5 flat delivery fee and 50 cents per mile for the first five miles, and 75 cents per additional mile after that. For the launch, they will just be operating during peak lunch and dinner times, but hope to expand their hours as the business grows.
Their logo, a wolf riding in a Mustang, was modeled as a homage to Belardi’s father, Carl Nelson, who is in his early 80s, Belardi said. One of his most prized possessions is his 64 1/2 Mustang convertible. Both Belardi and Nelson-Felkl are Tlingit and chose the wolf because they are part of the Eagle/Wolf clan.
“We’re a really close-knit family, and he’s the patriarch of our family, and everyone just loves him,” Belardi said.
Belardi said she hopes it can become a family business, and that working from home will allow time for her to expand her volunteering. She has previous experience writing grants and volunteering for social services programs. She said they plan to give a portion to their profits to a charity, but they haven’t worked the details of that out yet.
“We really do want to thank God for helping us, and our family and friends and community for supporting us,” Belardi said.
• Contact reporter Mollie Barnes at mbarnes@juneauempire.com.
