Customers & Technology Working Together: How Little Caesars® Pizza Portal™ Pickup Came at the Right Time for Franchisees

There’s no question that the restaurant consumer experience is moving digital; more than ever before, brands are enhancing their digital presence and opening new channels to broaden their customer reach to drive increased revenue streams and overall financial performance. In the era of COVID-19, these platforms are becoming critical for restaurants to continue to reach their customers directly, effectively and eliminate any unnecessary human-to-human interaction. Little Caesars® Pizza, a leading international pizza franchise based in Detroit, has taken the digital-direct experience a step further by introducing their new Pizza Portal™ Pickup.

A trusted carry-out and delivery chain, Little Caesars has for years perfected the art of making and providing quality pizza, fast. Known for their unique HOT-N-READY offering, the brand has long provided a convenient way to walk in and out of the store with a hot, fresh pizza in 30 seconds or less. 

“We obviously had no idea a pandemic was going to hit,” said Brett Larrabee, Director of International Development for Little Caesars. “Our corporate team started thinking about how we could make the pickup process even easier for our customers; then we realized that we could cut out the register exchange. It turned out to be really beneficial in the COVID-19 era, and our franchisees have been really happy with the results they’re seeing.”

The new technology, which launched in all locations in the U.S. and Canada and is now launching in Mexico, is a heated, locker-style compartment that sits in the lobby of Little Caesars’ stores. Customers can pick up their food after scanning a Quick Response (QR) code on their phones. The new platform creates a contactless process for customers that has proven to be an ideal set up for customers during the pandemic. Customers can now avoid any direct contact with Little Caesars employees. Franchisees who have already adapted the platform have already been seeing a difference in their customer experience and have further developed a sense of trust and feeling of safety from their customers.

“Our franchisees love the Pizza Portal,” said Larrabee. “Our business model was always focused on speed, convenience and safety, so that allowed us to not experience as much disruption from the pandemic – and the Pizza Portal takes that a step further. We want to ensure that our customers and employees feel safe at all times during the pizza transaction; the portal makes for a truly contactless experience and our customers have been responsive to that.”

Little Caesars has implemented a number of additional initiatives meant to keep customers and employees safe during the pandemic. Though the franchise has already set a standard of cleanliness throughout their years of service, corporate rolled out a new set of procedures for sanitation to meet the needs of the COVID-19 outbreak. Outside of stores around the globe shutting down in-store dining, franchisees were required to increase the frequency of cleaning and disinfecting stores — particularly frequently touched surfaces. The brand also installed plexiglass sneeze guards and encouraged tamper-proof seals on all food packaging. 

“We take enormous pride in feeding families a high quality, safe pizza in good times and in difficult ones,” said Larrabee. “You have to anticipate any and every possible change that could happen in the market, and our model has proven flexible enough to adapt quickly during the pandemic. As we continue to manage the outbreak, new and innovative thinking will always stand out. We’re always thinking about how to improve our process and it has given us an advantage over the competition.”

While Little Caesar’s technology platform has rolled out to most locations in the U.S. and Canada, the franchise is planning to bring the Pizza Portal ™ Pickup technology to all its international locations in the future.

To learn more about the franchise, visit Little Caesars’ website.