Elevated ordering experience platform grow virtual and multi-concept restaurants business.
November 11, 2022
Sponsored by Koala
Some of the most exciting new food & beverage concepts lately are those that operate outside the traditional brick-and-mortar format. Some have developed a takeout and delivery-only model, also known as ghost kitchens. Rather than pay the overhead associated with maintaining a dining room, these unique restaurants work in an optimized kitchen-only space that is designed to process orders quickly and efficiently, allowing business owners to funnel more profits back into growing and expanding the brand.
For Scratch Kitchen out of Denver, CO and Goop Kitchen (a division of the Gwyneth-Paltrow-led Goop lifestyle brand) in Southern California, the key to the successful launch and rapid growth of these restaurants has been tailor-made technology. Both brands use the Koala Platform for online ordering, which seamlessly integrates multiple concepts into a single ordering experience.
As a virtual food hall, Scratch Kitchen solves the “mom wants a burger, dad wants Chinese and the kids want pizza” dilemma by coordinating multiple sub-brands as part of its offering. Koala’s customizable platform allows Scratch Kitchen to add or remove brands, make changes to individual menus in real time, and deliver a single check-out and payment gateway for users. “It’s definitely a game changer when you compare it to services like UberEats and DoorDash, who charge users individually for each brand,” said Brett Spiegel, Co-Founder and COO for Koala, the leading-edge developer and provider of the platform. “That adds up to a lot of unnecessary delivery and service charges for both the restaurant and the guest.” With Koala, Scratch Kitchen customers get to build a custom meal and make a single purchase, much as they would if dining in-person at a food hall.
The experience is similar, but more nuanced for Goop Kitchen. Rather than coordinate a collection of sub-brands, Goop divides its offering into three verticals: Goop Kitchen (primarily salads, soups, and veggie-forward bowls); Goop Rotisserie (chicken-focused meals); and Goop Superfina (an Italian pizza and pasta concept). Like Scratch Kitchen, dining with Goop is meant to be seamless no matter which individual vertical or combination of verticals is selected. Seasonality and locally sourced ingredients means the menu rotates and changes frequently, and a platform which could deliver that level of responsiveness was an absolute must. “Koala is designed to be easy to use at the restaurant or kitchen level,” continued Spiegel. “It shouldn’t take a meeting with a web team to make simple changes to an online menu, but all too often, that’s the case. Koala puts control back in the hands of the restaurants themselves, with easily updatable functions that offer plug-and-play simplicity from the front end to the back end, including pricing and payment considerations.”
With Koala onboard, both concepts have continued to expand their delivery areas and add more kitchens in response to growing local demand in a particular area. But highly functional online ordering doesn’t benefit digital-only concepts alone. Veggie Grill, for example, has utilized Koala to support its main fast casual concept, while also introducing a delivery-only pop-up that leverages existing Veggie Grill locations. Más Veggies adds more options for delivery without adding operational complexity for franchisees. What Veggie Grill is essentially offering its franchisees is a supporting line of business that doesn’t require additional capital investment in equipment or labor. In an industry where lean, mean, and productive is the most direct route to stability and success, the flexible, scalable growth made possible by Koala is highly desirable among individual and group franchisees alike.
“Let’s say you want to be first to market with an all-plant-based concept like Veggie Grill,” explains Spiegel, “but anything that’s first to an area takes time to grow a customer base. Now, imagine you don’t have to wait for people to make an occasion out of their first visit. They can experience your food whenever and wherever, test the menu, and then either keep ordering with the convenience of delivery or make a trip to the restaurant to see an expanded menu.” In other words, the digital side of the business supports the in-person side and vice versa. This allows franchisees to expand side-by-side with demand, rather than making a too-quick commitment to an additional piece of real estate. “As more and more people adopt the idea that great restaurants can be enjoyed at home, having a smart platform for online ordering is going to be vital for businesses to stay competitive. We’re looking forward to helping brands realize those possibilities.”
For more information about the Koala restaurant platform, please visit www.koala.io.
