Put the unit and buzzer code on the order
This is the single biggest cause of slow condo deliveries. A street address alone puts a driver in a lobby with a locked inner door and a directory full of surnames.
Write the unit number and the buzzer code — if the buzzer number differs from the unit number, as it does in plenty of older Toronto buildings, put both. Add a phone number you will actually answer.
Know how your building handles couriers
- Concierge buildings: most will call up or accept a handoff in the lobby. Because alcohol is ID checked, you will usually need to come down or meet the driver at your door.
- Buzzer-only buildings: answer the intercom promptly. Drivers cannot get past the inner door on their own.
- Fob-access elevators: the driver cannot reach your floor without you. Plan to meet in the lobby.
- Buildings with a parcel room: parcel rooms do not take alcohol, since the order has to be handed to an adult with ID.
Why ID still matters at the door
Every order is checked at the point of handover, no matter how the building is set up. The person receiving it must be of legal drinking age and able to show valid ID, and it cannot be left at a desk, in a parcel locker or outside a door.
That is worth knowing before you order a case for a party and then step into the shower. Nominate someone to answer the buzzer.
What to order when you are hosting in a condo
Space is the constraint nobody plans for. A condo kitchen rarely has room for four cases and a cooler, and the fridge is already full. Order in the sizes that fit: a 12 pack rather than two cases, coolers that stack, and bottles that do not need chilling.
For a smaller space, wine and sparkling do more per square foot than beer. A bottle of Moët & Chandon Impérial Brut opens the evening for eight people; a case of lager takes up the whole counter to do the same job.
Easy condo-party orders
Noise, neighbours and timing
Most Toronto buildings have quiet hours written into the declaration, usually starting around 11pm. It does not stop you hosting; it does mean a delivery arriving at 1am with a group already at volume is the kind of thing that generates a letter.
If your building requires elevator bookings for large moves, a drinks order is not a move — but a party of thirty people arriving at once is worth a heads-up to the concierge.
Planning the order itself
Work out the quantities before you fill the cart. The party alcohol calculator takes a headcount and a duration and returns a list built from the same bottles we deliver, which stops the classic condo mistake of buying for forty when twelve are coming.
Availability and delivery windows vary by area, so check the Toronto delivery page for what currently applies to your address.
Common questions
Can the driver leave my order with the concierge?
No. Alcohol has to be handed to an adult who can show valid ID, so it cannot be left at a desk, in a parcel room or outside your door.
What if my buzzer is broken?
Add a note with a working phone number and arrange to meet the driver in the lobby. A broken buzzer with no alternative contact is the most common reason an order sits downstairs.
Do I need to book the service elevator for a drinks delivery?
Almost never — a drinks order travels in a bag. Elevator bookings apply to moves and large furniture, not a case of beer.
