Get to Know Manny from Hurryio! Local food delivery app and more!

What is Key Biscayne Stories?

Key Biscayne Stories will showcase the people, history, and magic that make this beautiful village a paradise and a great place to live. The KB Stories Podcast is exclusive for residents and for all those who love Key Biscayne.

Alejandro: 00:00

Welcome to another episode of Key Biscayne Stories where neighbors meet the neighbors. Today we have Manny, founder of Hurryio, a food delivery marketplace that started here in The Key. It's an application and a website where you can order food from almost every restaurant here in The Key. So we're excited to get to know you, Manny. How are you doing today?

Manny: 00:17

I'm doing great. Thank you for having me. Appreciate the invite.

Matilda: 00:20

So how did it all start?

Manny: 00:22

Well, it all started well, five years ago, almost five years ago. I acquired seven Eleven franchise here on the island. I don't know if you guys know, but one of the owners of the seven Eleven. And when I first got it, it was great. You know, it was moving.

Manny: 00:35

It was making money, but that was after the pandemic, and then all the salaries went up. Food went up, and now it's it's pretty tight, you know, because before we were paying $9 an hour now you're paying $14.15 dollars an hour and still making and selling less. So so I was discussing with my partner what do we do we have to do something to make this move Let's come up with our own delivery system where we can profit from it on the side taking advantage of that we have the seven eleven here with all the food and all the drinks and everything that we could be delivering, especially the seven Eleven. A lot of people don't know is is a twenty four hour service, seven days a week. It's always open.

Manny: 01:22

That's the only the only store open on the island at night. So so I created the app. Long story short, I created the app. It's called Hurio. I did it with my daughter once.

Manny: 01:36

Her name is Matilda too. Oh, nice. And she she helped me with the logo and everything, and and the name was it's hard to come up with a name, you know. So Oh, yeah. So this one this one this one's this one's pronounced Hurry o.

Manny: 01:48

It's because they're like Hurry. It's like Hurry o. Let's hurry up and do it. So so we came up with Herriot, and we found out shortly that it wasn't just for 07:11, that we could get everybody on the island because we needed to have drivers busy all the time, and we weren't gonna have them busy just with 07:11. So we opened up the app for all the everybody in the on the island.

Manny: 02:16

So we started knocking on doors, getting all the restaurants on board, most of them, the ones that want it. And that's how we get started. We we have a little bit of traction. It's moving a little bit, but not as much as we would like it to be because it's a matter of audience. People don't know about the benefits of the app and what good it brings to the island.

Alejandro: 02:43

Yeah, it's funny that you mentioned the seven Eleven because I remember I just got memories of going to get Slurpees, you know, when I was back in my youth, so I just had a Everybody tells me that, and stealing candy. Well, did do that, I did not do that, but I did pay for all the Slurpees that I got. Got.

Manny: 03:03

Oh, my partner's wife, she's the manager, she stands on the aisle every day at 3PM watching kids. Poki's mom, yeah.

Alejandro: 03:12

He's mom.

Manny: 03:13

Yeah, La la.

Alejandro: 03:14

Oh, yeah. Okay.

Matilda: 03:14

I love her.

Alejandro: 03:15

Okay, so, Jurio, we have a website and we have the app that people can download and the app I'm sure is available on both.

Manny: 03:23

Yes, both Android and iOS.

Alejandro: 03:24

And it's super easy to use. I have it on my phone and we'll pull it up here so we could show a little bit, But I think Matilda had a great question pre show that I think she used to ask.

Matilda: 03:36

When you were getting Julio and Uber Eats, like, example, they're both competition. So what's the difference between these two?

Manny: 03:43

When we started HurryO, we just we started just to be able to sell our own products and get some more profits for the company, but we shortly realized how the big corporations like Uber Eats and DoorDash were taking advantage of the the of the merchants and the and the drivers too. So we say, well, if we wanna if we wanna be known, we have to give more to everybody in the middle which are the merchants and the and the drivers. So for starters we don't need that much money from the from the merchants. Merchants right now right now get charged 30% on every order. We said let's do it for half.

Manny: 04:27

So we're only charging 15% to the merchants which is a lot. We're the cheapest app right now for delivery anywhere that any merchant can use and and then we wanted to take care of the drivers. Drivers, they don't get the full commission. They don't get the full tip. They don't get paid completely.

Manny: 04:49

When a driver in Miami gets $2 to do a trip or a gig, we pay them $5. So everything we collect for the drivers, the driver gets it a 100%. So in turn, that's a happy driver. That's a local driver that we use, somebody that's vetted, that more than likely lives on the island and and controls everything and knows everybody knows more than likely, you'll know that person that you've seen that person driving around. So this is not somebody coming from the outside to deliver your food that you don't know that's gonna go into your building.

Manny: 05:26

This is somebody that everybody knows on the island. So the app is local for local people and local product. That is that's why it's also close to bringing food from from the outside because it becomes too expensive. We will have drivers coming from the outside. This is all just internal.

Manny: 05:46

When I open up in Miami, it's gonna be just specifically for specifically for each one of those zones that's open to. That's a lot of benefit. It's local. It's cheaper. The driver gets everything.

Manny: 06:01

So it's a happy driver. He's not gonna be eating your food or dumping it somewhere, which happens a lot. Or and also it's not going to be delayed too. He's going to be watching out for your delivery, our drivers do. Yeah another another another big advantage that we have for the merchants is that we're not an app where you have to call India to get a problem solved or something.

Manny: 06:29

It's we're we're a local marketplace with local people servicing you face to face. After a while of working with the local drivers, we upgraded one of them to be what's called a titan. And this titan is the person that takes care of all the drivers and takes care of the merchants. That person gets a small percentage of what we make just to take care of the zone and make sure that everything's working correctly, the menus are up to date, the merchants have the tablets and nothing's being delayed and everything, that everything's working fine. Much the relationship between the app and the merchant is being taken care of face to face, which is a big plus.

Alejandro: 07:16

I mean, one of my favorite parts is is the localization of the app because when you open the app, you see all the restaurants in the Quay and then it's nice because sometimes you go out, sometimes you pick up, but sometimes you just want to order at the house And, and the app makes it easy and, and you know that you're supporting local, which is one of the things that we always try to do here in the CubeScanning Chamber of Commerce, in the show, always trying to support support local neighbors and organizations. I think I think the app is is pretty cool, we'll show we'll show now.

Matilda: 07:49

I don't know if you, like, kind of answered it, the difference between, like, you and just delivering from the actual restaurant.

Manny: 07:58

Actually actually we have that on our app. Our app is very versatile. It has many different features and one of them is for merchants to be able to contract our services to deliver the food. So if you call Milanese directly and ask for something, they can go on our app and schedule the delivery themselves. So users don't have to go directly to the app.

Manny: 08:22

I prefer them that they go directly to the app but sometimes that's you know they didn't know about the app but the merchant knows about the app. And the the nicest thing is that the best thing is that the merchant knows that if they go through my app, they know exactly who's gonna be doing the delivery. And it's gonna be somebody that they know and they trust. There aren't that many drivers on the island. We we know who they are.

Manny: 08:46

Everybody knows who they are.

Alejandro: 08:47

So let's let's show the let's show the website a little bit briefly from right behind you. Yeah. Okay. So here we have your website pulled up. You wanna walk us through a little bit?

Manny: 08:55

Sure. Right on top you see we're located in KiwiScan. That's key. So it shows you exactly what's on KiwiScan and then it's got the different promotions on top. The category icons on the in the bottom.

Manny: 09:10

Then you have the feature merchants. Actually, Heria Go, which is the first one over there. It's a it's a service that we have where you can just order order anything you want on

Alejandro: 09:21

the island. You set up a budget. So I can say I want Advil at CVS. Click on it. See, where you can you shop for a $50 item.

Manny: 09:34

Okay. And then it's it's like a $50 budget. Starts at 50.

Alejandro: 09:38

Okay. So, whatever it costs, I'll give you your change back. Okay. So, so if I if I order something that's $25, can I get the I get the the

Manny: 09:49

Yeah, you get the $25 back? Okay. It's easier that way because of the credit cards pretty much already have your credit card that made the purchase but if it's too much it's easier for me to give you change give you change back then ask you later well you have to pay $25 No, you already pay for it then you get your change back later. Got it. Because we don't know what what's it gonna cost.

Manny: 10:14

That's right. And we have the we have the call center via WhatsApp talking to you the whole time if need be.

Alejandro: 10:20

Of of my purchase process? Yeah. You mean?

Manny: 10:22

During during your purchase if they go to Winn Dixie or something to buy something and they don't have the item they contact you right away. Okay. Just so to make sure that they can get you something that you're happy. Then you got the different restaurants. We have added different companies in here because we're not limited to just restaurants.

Manny: 10:46

Have we have services too. So for example, the the Key Can Food delivers to your home the the food.

Alejandro: 10:56

Yeah, we just interviewed her.

Manny: 10:57

So that's awesome. Yeah. CPS is a service financial services company.

Alejandro: 11:04

Frelos Frelos just opened. I have your son. Love car rentals from This is Roman. From Roman. Roman.

Alejandro: 11:12

KB Green. Uh-huh. Alright. Oh, look. Flower and weirdos.

Alejandro: 11:17

We have to go live on

Manny: 11:18

the show. This is great. El Mercato. Those lasagnas are amazing. Yeah.

Alejandro: 11:22

We interviewed her as well. Yep. I always see her in the pharmacy.

Manny: 11:25

Yeah. Well, you can order from the Ocean Club.

Alejandro: 11:27

I didn't know. Look at that.

Manny: 11:28

Yeah. The Ocean Club delivers all

Alejandro: 11:30

over the island. Yeah, hurry up. No idea. Yep.

Manny: 11:36

Geekstax is a company that offers web creation services and graphic design and things like that.

Alejandro: 11:45

Okay. They can do your app. And look at that, Key Postal is

Manny: 11:49

here as well. Key Postal. Key Postal, you can we run a service where we go pick up your parcel, whatever you want to send. We go pick it up and bring it over to KeyPostal, then KeyPostal gets in touch with you, lets you know how much it is and you work out the payment with them. That's if you don't want to

Alejandro: 12:07

go there. Let's see, let's see how it looks inside, it's in Mercato and then you get to choose, yeah, pretty straightforward.

Manny: 12:17

Yeah, we try to keep it pretty clean.

Matilda: 12:19

Like it's so interesting to see like in the website, what I just noticed right now is just like the things that are being delivered are stuff that you wouldn't even assume could deliver like Yoga by You or the one from Ocean Club so like that's kind of I think that what I'm seeing now is that's the difference so you get to deliver from things I wouldn't usually deliver am I right?

Manny: 12:39

Right. That's be it's it's because we we when we started, we tried to go to every business on the island. Regardless of being food or services, we went and knocked on their door and gave them an opportunity to be in here. Anybody, any type of service or business can be on Hurriel. It's it's unlimited so that's how that's how we have ocean club food from the ocean club we have ice cream from Yogurt Bayou we have lasagnas from El Mercato they don't have an actual store where they sell from

Alejandro: 13:09

The same with the key can.

Manny: 13:11

Key can food you can can rent carts from KB Green, you can get delivery of your parcel from the post office and you also have hurry or go where you can just like set up a budget and get anything purchased on the island and delivered to you.

Alejandro: 13:30

So what's next? Because you mentioned this is essentially a startup, right? Or no? Are we could we be in the same you know, how long have you been around?

Manny: 13:39

Yeah, it's Harriet's been open for a year now.

Alejandro: 13:42

Okay. Only a year. KB Sutter, So what's next?

Manny: 13:46

This is next is growing, expanding. We're expanding into Miami next and we're working already with with a couple companies that want to help us with the funding and all the paperwork has been submitted already so hopefully pretty soon we'll be knocking on merchants doors in Miami we already talked to the drivers in Miami they're all they're all waiting for Hurry up to start because they know they're gonna get more money and and no just I'm what I would love to see is more traction, more engagement on the island.

Alejandro: 14:23

So what would you say since since you're starting, it's been a year as you mentioned in the in the market, in the key. What would what would you say are some of the, I guess, most interesting parts of of developing this this app? I'm a

Manny: 14:40

mechanical engineer, and I've been a product designer all my life. And but physical products, not so much a whole company. And then I started Herriot and it demanded so many disciplines to come together for it to happen. And one has to recognize that we're not experts on every separate discipline especially like some yeah like marketing for example so but nowadays you know with with the help of AI and in access to different platforms where we can just hire people to help us out it's it makes it feasible but at the end of the day you have to be the one hat the one the one hub that brings it all together and you have to keep track of everything that's going on marketing financials sales web development app development how do you want it done and be testing it that all the testing that goes into it budgeting it's it's it's time intensive and it's a it's a huge challenge.

Alejandro: 15:56

I have a couple of friends who started apps and testing it's so so important Right. You have to test as much as you can.

Manny: 16:02

You have to go back and forth though every day every every little piece some small code gets written you have to test it. Yep. Throughout the whole app how it affects the whole app.

Alejandro: 16:13

And in both Android and Apple. Android and Apple. Because sometimes, but we're talking also pre show or between questions, we were talking about a promotion or something that you want to offer KB.

Manny: 16:27

Actually talking to Matilda, you know, a a great idea came up. This would be to since I'm an the owner of seven eleven and we have HerRio and we're working together, why don't we just, like, exchange Slurpees for reals? If if if if if her friends from high school or any other school wanna create reels and show me the reel, I'll I'll meet you in 07:11 and get you a free Slurpee. If if that's an if that's a fair exchange. You just create a

Matilda: 16:56

I think that's pretty fair

Manny: 16:57

yeah create a yeah create a cool reel upload it and yeah help me out help out Hurio which is a local local business

Alejandro: 17:05

yeah show us how you're using Hurio and is for students. For students? For students. Yeah, it's for student good.

Matilda: 17:11

Has ever been a complaint and like how was it resolved? Like how did you like face it?

Manny: 17:15

We haven't had any issues. That's the thing. It's been

Matilda: 17:19

Any changes in the app?

Manny: 17:20

Well it started pretty basic and now it's become is the additions to the app hasn't haven't been so much to the app but to the way we we handle the business where where now we created the titans The titans is glorified, not a glorified, but an upgraded driver that not only delivers but watches out for the business. And in exchange for that, they get a percentage of the of our 15%.

Alejandro: 17:50

Yeah. Okay.

Manny: 17:52

That way they get to face the client.

Alejandro: 17:54

Awesome. I think, I think we covered a lot from Jureo and we're excited to, to keep using it and for more Capescanners to use it. A little bit more, we want to talk a little bit more about your background. Sure. You mentioned, you threw out there that you were a mechanical engineer?

Manny: 18:08

Yes. I came in, I came to The States in '91, graduated in Michigan as a mechanical engineer. And ever since I've been product designer, working on different, many different industries as a as my own business servicing different companies, different different physical products that we created.

Alejandro: 18:28

And you've been in the key for how long? Eight years.

Manny: 18:33

Came here in '17.

Alejandro: 18:35

And you mentioned your wife has a business as well?

Manny: 18:38

Yes. My wife, Leah, she has a business called Shine Fine Jewelry. She sells jewelry, high end jewelry.

Alejandro: 18:45

We have to check that out as well. Family.

Manny: 18:47

Yeah. It's on in she's she's on Instagram. Shine Fine Jewelry on Instagram.

Alejandro: 18:51

We'll invite her on the show. We'll invite her on

Manny: 18:53

the show. Yeah. And yeah. It's only by appointment, invite only, by referral.

Alejandro: 18:58

They're the best. And you have have kids? I have kids, Matilda and Veronica.

Manny: 19:04

Oh, look at that. Yep. Same name as you. Not not that Matilda and Veronica, they're 13 years old. They they go to Saint Agnes.

Manny: 19:11

They're going into their eighth grade right now.

Alejandro: 19:15

Awesome, Manny. So we've learned a lot about Hurio and a little bit about you. We have a couple of, we have one question before we close the show that we ask all our guests. What is your favorite part about you, Skane?

Manny: 19:28

Well, my favorite part is just pretty much the whole island living, being a close community, being able to walk around everywhere in the and and as when you're walking around, you you see so many known faces and get to talk to people on the street. So it's it's you're not like way over in Weston, big houses and where you have to get on a car to go anywhere. Here you walk around, you see people, you talk to them all day long. You can do that all day long here. Easy to go to the beach, easy to go to the store.

Manny: 20:01

We live across the street from the church, the seven eleven where I work, where I have my well, one of my businesses. And and everything else is just, like, right there. I'm I don't know what's gonna happen when the kids go to high school. So we'll see. We'll make more friends.

Manny: 20:20

We'll make more friends.

Alejandro: 20:21

Yeah. Awesome, Manny. Well, thank you so much for jumping on the show and telling us all about Hurio. Thank you for having me.