Beer Store

A start-up from Florida, DrinkDrivers, is bringing its beer delivery service to Ann Arbor.

(File Photo | MLive.com)

Some party-goers in Ann Arbor might see it as a dream com true: an alcohol delivery service that brings beer, wine and liquor to your front door.

It's called DrinkDrivers, and it's a new website and mobile app launched by a group of University of Central Florida grads that aims to keep the drinks flowing and keep intoxicated partiers from getting behind the wheel "to make beer runs."

The company launched at UCF last fall and decided to make Ann Arbor its second launch location.

DrinkDrivers is a new alcohol delivery service that allows customers to order alcohol online and have it brought to their doorstep. Here is the company's Ann Arbor delivery coverage area.Courtesy Image

Co-founder Jeff Nadel said he partners with local distributors and his company essentially acts as an agent to process online orders. Customers can log onto DrinkDrivers.com or the DrinkDrivers mobile app and place orders for alcohol and other items such as mixers and red Solo cups.

Once the customer pays and has his or her age verified online, the distributor receives the order and will deliver the product to the customer’s doorstep within 30 to 60 minutes. Another age verification is done onsite before the alcohol is given to the customers.

“At the core of what we do, we think that this will help cut down on the number of DUIs and alcohol-related driving accidents, and we believe that getting your drink should be as awesome as drinking your drink. And now it is,” Nadel said.

“We were tired of seeing people choose between having fun and being responsible. Now you can keep the party going without getting behind the wheel of your car.”

Nadel said that the products on DrinkDrivers are listed at state minimum prices, and the company charges a $2.87 flat-rate delivery fee whether a customer orders one bottle of liquor or enough beer to supply a party.

“We’re working with one partner right now in Ann Arbor. We’ve gone to great lengths to make sure we’re working with industry veterans to make sure these people know the laws and know how everything works and that they will be diligent in making sure they abide by the law,” Nadel said.

He said that age verification through DrinkDrivers is even more stringent than it would be for someone walking into a liquor store to purchase alcohol.

“We have an extensive age verification system. We ID at the door and we use all legal and technological means to make sure no one under the drinking age ever uses our product,” Nadel said.

“The one thing I’ll say is that you learn quickly in this business that there’s a lot of discretion. It’s the same element of discretion that a store clerk has to use when someone comes into the liquor store every day, multiple times a day, and our clerks do the same as well. That order won’t be fulfilled if we feel like they’re contributing to the delinquency of underage people.”

Nadel said that since the launch at UCF, the company has only had to take back one order out of the hundreds that have been processed since September 2013. The driver was unable to authenticate the age of the people ordering.

“We have a liability clause that protects us, but we also take a very active role in making sure all procedures are followed. There are a lot of legal mazes to navigate, but that’s exciting and we worked with an incredible beverage launch team,” he said.

DrinkDrivers is a new alcohol delivery services that allows customers to order alcohol online and have it brought to their doorstep.

“Before we even built the product, we spent almost a year structuring the business legally to make sure it was scalable across the country. Michigan has some very specific alcohol regulations and we’re very careful to make sure we comply on all fronts. We recognize that when misused, alcohol can be very dangerous.”

He cited the fact that there were 132 drunk driving arrests in Ann Arbor in 2012, but hopes to see that number decrease with increased awareness and the addition of DrinkDrivers’ services.

In Florida, the company has gained the support of Yolanda Larson, the executive director for the Mothers Against Drunk Driving Central Florida Chapter.

Larson said that she thinks the product has the potential to help curb drunken driving.

"My biggest concern obviously is underage drinking and the easiest way for minors to get alcohol is through someone who is 21 or older," Larson told the UCF campus newspaper, Knightly News. "So as long as they run an honest business and have all their licenses, which I'm sure they do, then I think this could help prevent people from driving drunk."

DrinkDrivers has a University of Michigan campus representative who will help locally with promoting its services. The company had its soft launch in Ann Arbor last week, filling just a few orders, Nadel said.

The company will begin a more aggressive campaign this month to promote the product in Ann Arbor.

“We’re just really excited to be in Ann Arbor and based on our conversations with people in the community so far, people are excited to have us,” he said.

“We really hope that our service promotes safety and discourages drunk driving. We’re bringing the liquor store to your front door in a more safe, convenient way and doing whatever we can to discourage drunk driving and encourage safety. We want you to keep the party stocked without having to drive.”

In addition to providing the alcohol delivery service, Nadel said that his company plans to partner with university and community advocacy groups in order to provide added awareness to alcohol-related issues.

He said that he believes his company has a duty to the Ann Arbor community to help educate and inform students, and to help cut down on alcohol-related driving incidents.

“We don’t claim that our service fixes every problem associated with alcohol,” Nadel said.

“If a party runs out, people are going to get more. That’s inevitable. Within the confines of what’s going to happen, we’re there to make it safer.”