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Over the past decade, the quick service restaurant segment has seen a sharp incline in consumer demand for off-premise ordering options. Some QSR brands have resisted the trend while others have tweaked their operations to accommodate it, but a few brands have embraced and actively cultivated the change in consumer preferences, finding a rare opportunity to increase and diversify their revenue streams. <a href="https://www.mcalistersdelifranchising.com/?utm_source=1851franchise.com&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=mcalisters-deli-finds-new-off-premise-revenue-streams-2705153" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">McAlister&rsquo;s Deli&reg;</a> has positioned themselves firmly in the latter category, innovating and expanding their off-site services at every opportunity.

According to <a href="https://mcalistersdeli.1851franchise.com/?utm_source=1851franchise.com&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=mcalisters-deli-finds-new-off-premise-revenue-streams-2705153" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">McAlister&rsquo;s Deli</a> President Paul Macaluso, off-premise services have become an essential component of the franchise&rsquo;s operations.&nbsp;

&ldquo;Consumer trends have been pushing in this direction for a long time,&rdquo; said Macaluso. &ldquo;More and more, people want to order and dine outside of our restaurant. Our off-premise options have become every bit as important to our business as our in-store offerings.&rdquo;

The shift to off-premise ordering is not only a convenience for customers, it also poses a number of operational benefits for restaurants that are taking advantage of the changes. Macaluso says that as McAlister&rsquo;s restaurants do more business online, they&rsquo;ve been able to improve their operations from a number of different angles for both on- and off-premise customers.

&ldquo;Once we implemented and refined our off-premise ordering system, we saw significant reductions in wait times and communications errors, and it relieved a lot of the burden on staff during the busiest hours,&rdquo; said Macaluso.

In an effort to further increase operational efficiency and customer convenience beyond the ordering process, McAlister&rsquo;s has implemented a pick-up station system so that pre-paid to-go orders can be picked up more easily.

McAlister&rsquo;s has also been improving their catering services, aiming to differentiate themselves from other sandwich catering options by adding a wider array of menu items.

&ldquo;The spud bar has been a big selling point for our catering services,&rdquo; said Macaluso. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s a unique and exciting product to offer at a party or tailgate or work lunch, where people are used to getting a big box full of sandwiches. The problem with a lot of catering services is that what you see is what you get; pick a sandwich, and pick your chips. With the spud bar, guests can customize their own lunch and create something they&rsquo;re excited about. It brings in an element of fun and surprise.&rdquo;

And because McAlister&rsquo;s boasts a more varied menu than many of its competitor&rsquo;s, its catering service has become a popular option for both lunch and dinner events, effectively doubling their opportunities compared to sandwich-only concepts.

McAlister&rsquo;s owners are well-equipped to handle that extra volume. As restaurant operations have shifted to promote off-premise services, they have also been streamlined to simplify in-restaurant procedures and reduce the weight on staff.

&ldquo;Implementing new procedures in our restaurants that will ultimately make things more efficient for the staff is easier said than done,&rdquo; said Macaluso. &ldquo;The trick is to make sure that everyone is up to date on how to execute the new procedures, and we&rsquo;ve been working closely with operators to make sure that happens. These are changes that make our operations more profitable, our guests happier and also much simpler for our owners. It&rsquo;s a win-win situation.&quot;

McAlister’s Deli® Finds New Off-Premise Revenue Streams

1851 Franchise

By bolstering their off-premise services, McAlister’s Deli has found new ways to reach customers

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