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WayFast Delivery, the Farmville-based food delivery service that has thrived amid the COVID-19 pandemic, is about to expand its operations to include Nottoway County.

Founded in February 2018 by Prince Edward County Public School graduates Jacob Jamerson and Brandon Toney, WayFast began as a grocery delivery service.

According to Jamerson, when the duo found the personal shopping side of business to be very difficult owners explored the idea of transitioning to food delivery, the idea being that customers could place an order through WayFast to a variety of restaurants traditionally lacking delivery means and have that food delivered without ever having to leave the home or office.

When the company started back in 2018, Jamerson said, the business opened with just four delivery drivers and three restaurants to choose from: The Fishin’ Pig, Bojangles and La Parota.

By year two, the business had grown to eight drivers and seven restaurants.

But Jamerson could never have predicted the success the business found come 2020. When the coronavirus pandemic temporarily shut down the dining rooms of restaurants throughout town and eating out grew less popular amid global health concerns and a government lockdown, more and more businesses began approaching Jamerson to partner.

Simultaneously, more and more residents were looking to have contactless delivery of their favorite menu items from restaurants all across the area.

Now in its third year of operation, WayFast has ballooned in success and now employees 32 people. A total of 21 restaurants partner with the business for food delivery.

The uptick in demand took some adjusting.

“When the outbreak of COVID-19 forced our local restaurants to resort to carry out and delivery only, we received many calls from restaurants looking to add our services,” Jamerson said. “With the increase of demand, we spent many nights adding multiple menus to our website and having to train drivers fast, because the increase in orders was so high.”

Jamerson said after nearly a year of the coronavirus the business has been able to learn, adopt and keep up with demand. The WayFast website has been updated to be more user friendly, delivery drivers have maintained proper safety protocols, and the business has even been able to give back when possible, partnering with the local Southside SPCA and FACES Food Pantry for fundraisers.

And thanks to the continued success, WayFast will expand its operations to provide food delivery to residents of Nottoway County.

“We are now beginning to further expand to other areas and offer our service to other great towns,” Jamerson said Wednesday, Jan. 6. “ We are launching our second location in Crewe, Virginia sometime in late January. We hope to open up other nearby locations shortly after.”

Jamerson said WayFast has currently signed up four restaurants in its Crewe location. The business is also in early talks with several more eateries about partnerships.

“We are very excited about this and can’t wait to build a great relationship with the communities of Crewe and the rest of Nottoway County,” he added.

Jamerson said Wednesday that WayFast owners hope in the near future to add grocery delivery to the company’s list of services once again.

“With the addition of online ordering from Walmart, we are exploring ways to have your groceries delivered right to your door.”

He also had a message for the business’ supporters throughout the area.

“We would like to thank all our customers for supporting us and always giving our drivers huge smiles when they come to the door, even if it’s through a mask,” he continued. “Let’s continue to support small and local businesses. We can’t wait to see what 2021 has in store. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts.”