Cafeteria brand evolves To Go conceptCafeteria brand evolves To Go concept

To tap into the continued growth in off-premise sales, cafeteria brand Piccadilly Restaurants on Thursday continues to build its To Go locations.

The Baton Rouge, La.-based cafeteria chain opened the latest version of Piccadilly To Go in Cordova, Tenn., just east of Memphis, in a 1,500-square-foot strip mall location. Piccadilly cafeteria units traditionally cover 12,000 square feet.

The To Go unit offers Piccadilly menu classics like Southern-fried fish, smothered pork loin and carrot soufflé that can be picked up at the store or ordered in advance online or over the phone.

The To Go concept was developed at an earlier Jackson, Miss., location and aspects have been introduced into existing traditional cafeterias, the company said.

“The Piccadilly To Go concept is part of the company’s ongoing response to modern consumer markets,” according to a company statement.

“To-go orders represent about a third of Piccadilly’s sales, reflecting guests’ desire for fresh, home-cooked meals on the go, though they may not have time to prepare them.”

Another Piccadilly To Go location is scheduled to open later this summer in Baton Rouge, the company said.

Menu items are prepared on site and displayed behind glass. The upcoming Baton Rouge will also include a drive-thru window.

Piccadilly Restaurants earlier this summer rolled out online ordering for lunch and dinner at all 40 of its locations. The new system also allows for secured online payment as well as pickup scheduling and saved profiles for frequent orders.

“Guests want the ability to order, pay and have their food ready when they arrive,” said Piccadilly CEO Azam Malik in a statement. “Our online ordering helps them deal with busy lifestyles and still get the fresh, home-cooked meals Piccadilly is famous for.”

Malik said increased demand for Piccadilly’s Food Service from medical facilities, schools, businesses and government facilities contributed to the company’s 9 percent year-over-year sales growth in that division. Piccadilly Emergency Services also contributed to continued growth by serving emergency meals during weather events in Louisiana, Tennessee and Florida.

Online ordering is also available for Piccadilly’s catering, and delivery is handled through a variety of third-party partners like UberEATS, Grubhub and Waitr.

Piccadilly, founded in 1944, has restaurants in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee and Virginia.

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