Towards a Novel Business Process Model for Food Delivery Services Using Blockchain Technology

Demand for food delivery services has grown significantly in recent years and, in particular, during the COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting stay-at-home orders. From a business perspective, food delivery platforms work as intermediaries by mediating interactions among customers, restaurants, and delivery workers. This paper suggests that blockchain technology coupled with smart contracts can help remove centralized food delivery platforms by enabling peer-to-peer interactions among stakeholders. Following the design science research framework, we first conducted interviews with some relevant stakeholders. We use the obtained responses to design requirements related to cost reduction, transparency, and privacy. We thereafter suggest three design principles to tackle the design requirements. Next, we design and instantiate our artifact based on a decentralized business process model and blockchain technology. Finally, we evaluate our solution in terms of its potential for cost reduction and handling conflicts.