Off-premise (drive-thru, carryout, delivery) sales at Frisch’s Big Boy have grown over 50 percent since 2019. The growth has occurred since dining rooms were required to close or operate at lower capacity to slow the spread of COVID-19.
“Our communities have been very supportive of Frisch’s Big Boy and we’re happy to serve them in our dining rooms, in their cars and trucks or at home,” says Lee Wall, chief financial officer for Frisch’s Big Boy.
For many years, Frisch’s Big Boy has enjoyed a strong drive-thru and carryout business. The fast-casual restaurant also has a robust presence on all major third-party delivery platforms, bringing Frisch’s favorites right to guests’ front doors. In fact, Frisch’s sales increased 230% year over year on their highest volume delivery partner, DoorDash.
“DoorDash has been a strategic partner to Frisch’s Big Boy since 2019 and now proudly operates across 97 locations. As the brand closed their doors to dine-in earlier this year, we’ve worked together to pivot their operations and enable them to continue serving their customers through delivery and pickup at a time when customers needed it most,” adds Debbie Litow, director of Midwest, Texas and Mountain for DoorDash. “Frisch’s has long been a leader in off premise in their category, and their ability to quickly adapt and accelerate into this new reality is a great example for other restaurants as they look to navigate through this crisis.”
“Frisch’s restaurant footprint, particularly in Cincinnati and Dayton, gives us a significant advantage,” says Wall. Combine our many locations with a network of major delivery partners, and we’re able to reach more communities with far shorter wait times.”
Just after stay-at-home orders were issued, Frisch’s Big Boy created Big Boy’s Market. The Market continues to offer items such as half gallons of milk, loaves of bread and bathroom tissue through Frisch’s drive-thru, carryout and delivery.
“We were already in advanced stages of our Frisch’s Big Boy revolution. The pandemic gave us good and smart reasons to accelerate those plans,” adds Wall.
In the coming days, weeks and months, Frisch’s is scheduled to implement an enhanced carryout experience, curbside service, digital drive-thru boards and expanded catering offerings and meal plans. The restaurant is also investing in its proprietary app (available for Apple and Android devices), website and a loyalty program to reward its supportive guests.
