Knock, Knock...These Chains Are Innovating the Delivery Game

Who has time to sit down and eat anymore? Everyday QSR and fast-casual brands are unveiling innovative delivery options to bring the people what they want. As companies struggle to keep up with changing technology and impatient customers, off-premise opportunities are becoming a whole lot more interesting. 

Take Chipotle’s virtual delivery assistants for example or Domino’s experiments with drones and car restaurants. Even brands that have been traditionally non-delivery friendly are coming to terms with the trend. 

Dunkin’, for example, unveiled a unique delivery option to all five boroughs of New York City earlier this summer, offering geofencing capabilities for drivers to monitor traffic patterns and send extremely precise delivery estimates for eager customers. Domino’s also introduced a similarly exact technology recently, allowing delivery drivers to bring pizza to park benches, beach towels and even parked cars. 

Shopping mall and airport staple Auntie Anne’s is another brand you wouldn’t expect to deliver, but sure enough, it teamed up with DoorDash to bring hot-pretzels right to the customer’s door. Not only that, the brand rolled out two dozen mobile kitchen food trucks earlier this year. 

As the third-party delivery app war continues, some chains such as Cousin Subs have committed to delivery only stores, while others such as Blaze Pizza and Pizza Hut are doubling-down on pick-up lockers. With market research suggesting that online food delivery service providers could eventually comprise 10% of the total foodservice market, it is clear that franchise brands are not going to be left behind.