There's a new contender looking to get into alcohol delivery by app in Washington D.C. Boston-based Drizly is looking to join the rapidly blowing up scene, planning out a strategy to start operating in the District by the end of the year. The company has already started looking for a D.C. general manager, and is looking into making sure it checks all of the boxes to operate legally in the area, something the company prides itself on.
"D.C. is high up on our list of cities to expand to," said Drizly co-founder Nick Rellas. "But we want to check out all the legal details so we don't face any problems."
Drizly operates in New York City, Chicago and Los Angeles as well as its home base in Boston. Thanks to $4.8 million in seed funding it garnered in May though, the company is itching to expand to a whole swath of new cities, but Rellas said he hopes to have the D.C. operation up and running by the end of the year
"There's quite a few more cities we hope to get to soon," he said.
The District is ideal for alcohol delivery by app. Densely populated by plenty of people willing to pay for convenience in an Uber-oriented economy, the only surprise is that it's taken so long for the alcohol delivery startups to get here. Ultra may have at least temporarily suspended its operation in D.C., but Klink is going strong due in part to settling the legal issues beforehand. Even Instacart, ostensibly more about grocery delivery than anything else, has been promoting the beer and liquor available from one of its member grocery stores. The demand is no doubt there, and there's plenty of room for Drizly according to Rellas.
"People want reliability. They want what they order within 20 to 40 minutes, which we guarantee," he said. "We bring a high-quality service that people really want."
The company operates in a way broadly similar to Klink and Ultra, partnering with liquor companies who do the actual delivery while providing the back-end structure and ID check equipment. Although Drizly brings in revenue, the infusion of cash from the funding gives it the juice to push into new cities just as fast as it gets legal clearance, Rellas explained. But the methods of checking that people getting the alcohol are legally allowed to do so are so effective that it's mostly just a matter of time.
"We spent hundreds of thousands of dollars an a year of our lives making the forensic check as good as it is," Rellas said. "It's the same kind that law enforcement around the country uses."
Of course, that will only apply in the District. Any plans to deliver in Maryland or Virginia will rely on separate legal and bureaucratic wrangling.
Drizly may not have arrived yet, but the build-up of alcohol delivery apps will probably be like the multiplying ride-share services. Everyone will have their favorites and there will be comparisons and competitions and endless speculation about how they will all survive. For most of us though, it's just another convenience of life in D.C.
"We really care about your experience when they come to your door," Rellas said. "We want it to be perfect."
