In the early days of the pandemic, every off-premises channel became a lifeline for sales, driving innovation across not just drive thru and delivery but also curbside pickup.
Then attention toward curbside seemed to go away as restaurants re-opened and focused their efforts mostly around delivery and, when possible, drive thru.
Now Denver-based fast casual Teriyaki Madness is hoping to give curbside a little love once again. The 155-unit concept launched Mad Dash, a curbside platform that uses GPS technology to track customers and ensure that employees arrive at the curb 10 seconds before them, order in hand.
“Our food is fresh, it's made to order, it's customizable, it just doesn't lend well to a traditional drive-thru,” said CMO Jodi Boyce. “And so we're putting a lot of our efforts into bringing curbside back. … I think as an industry, curbside kind of went away a little bit in the last couple of years.”
Boyce joined the latest episode of Take-Away with Sam Oches to talk about the newfound potential in curbside pickup and how it’s helping Teriyaki Madness avoid discounting as it looks to drive more traffic to stores.
In this conversation, you’ll learn more about why:
- Curbside is a perfectly suitable alternative to drive-thru
- Technology makes curbside far faster and more efficient than drive thru
- If you can’t beat third-party delivery players, at least take share from them
- Catering is another underappreciated off-premises channel
- You shouldn’t pull a Bed Bath & Beyond with your discounting
- Frequency, not discounting, is the right tool to help you weather economic woes
Contact Sam Oches at [email protected].
