  Beyond the well-known giants like Uber Eats and DoorDash, there are hundreds
of independent food delivery platforms in the United States. However, little is
known about the sociotechnical landscape of these ``indie'' platforms. In this
paper, we analyzed these platforms to understand why they were created, how
they operate, and what technologies they use. We collected data on 495 indie
platforms and detailed survey responses from 29 platforms. We found that
personalized, timely service is a central value of indie platforms, as is a
sense of responsibility to the local community they serve. Indie platforms are
motivated to provide fair rates for restaurants and couriers. These alternative
business practices differentiate them from mainstream platforms. Though indie
platforms have plans to expand, a lack of customizability in off-the-shelf
software prevents independent platforms from personalizing services for their
local communities. We show that these platforms are a widespread and
longstanding fixture of the food delivery market. We illustrate the diversity
of motivations and values to explain why a one-size-fits-all support is
insufficient, and we discuss the siloing of technology that inhibits platforms'
growth. Through these insights, we aim to promote future HCI research into the
potential development of public-interest technologies for local food delivery.
