Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, New York City-based Modern Bread and Bagel was a neighborhood gathering place known for its hearty bagels and sandwiches made from fresh ingredients and ancient grains. Half the restaurant was seated dining with a bustling full-service brunch scene, while the other half housed a deli and full-service bakery. In fact, the restaurant was so busy that two weeks prior to shutdowns, owner Orly Gottesman opened an additional space, Thyme & Tonic, next door to house the overflow.
Like many restaurateurs, Gottesman had to adapt quickly when shutdowns were announced. While Modern Bread and Bagel did have a strong take-out model, that alone wouldn’t be enough to keep both businesses afloat.
“We never did any deliveries prior to COVID,” Gottesman says. “But as soon as the pandemic hit, we knew we had to figure it out.”
Modern Bread and Bagel uses Toast as its point-of-sale (POS) system, and since DoorDash is Toast’s preferred on-demand delivery partner, Gottesman and her team were able to get delivery up and running quickly. Additionally, the restaurant uses Wix to host its website, which integrates seamlessly with DoorDash On-Demand Delivery. Wix and DoorDash On-Demand Delivery announced a partnership this past spring that allows Wix Restaurants to enable delivery through their own channels.
The brand quickly restructured the menu to be more transport-friendly—eliminating most egg-based dishes, for instance, and instead emphasizing fresh fish and vegetables, salads, specialty sandwiches, and build-your-own bagel sandwiches. Now delivery comprises about 40 percent of the restaurant’s business, with approximately 10 percent fulfilled through DoorDash On-Demand Delivery.
Here’s how it works: DoorDash On-Demand Delivery integrates with a restaurant’s existing ordering system. There are no signup fees, subscription fees, commission fees, or service termination fees. Instead restaurants pay a simple flat fee per delivery. “Dashers” deliver orders from a restaurant’s native app, website, or other channels and receive gratuities left by the customer.
Even when a restaurant has its own fleet of delivery drivers, it can be tricky to predict staffing needs, which are often heavily dependent on factors such as weather or sporting events. As a result, many restaurants are turning to delivery on-demand in order to provide the delivery convenience customers crave—without the hassle of managing logistics.
On-Demand Delivery helped Scaffidi’s Restaurant Group, a family-owned business in Steubenville, Ohio, bounce back from pandemic-related challenges. CEO Frankie DiCarlantonio uses DoorDash to help handle large catering orders.
“On-Demand Delivery allows Scaffidi’s Catering to increase our business by having a dependable option for last-mile logistics,” DiCarlantonio says. “Now we have endless capabilities of delivery services to our customers whenever we may need it—which is now essential to our catering business.”
The delivery model worked so well that DiCarlantonio and his team have been able to expand the business, adding two virtual brands to their restaurant portfolio: Scaffidi’s Wings on Wheels and Scaffidi’s Gnocchi Nook. With the additional revenue, the group was able to hire several new full-time employees and add shifts for existing staff.
In-house delivery introduces complexity and cost to restaurant operations. DoorDash On-Demand Delivery, however, makes it easy to offer delivery from a restaurant’s app or website and provide fast delivery with no additional staffing. DoorDash partners with most major online ordering and POS providers, such as Square, Toast, Olo, and more, making it fast and easy to tap into a nationwide network of Dashers.
“If you aren’t growing, you’re remaining stagnant,” DiCarlantonio says. “I love DoorDash because they don’t stay stagnant. They are always growing, doing something new, and improving products.”
To learn more about how DoorDash On-Demand Delivery can help take your business to the next level, visit get.doordash.com.
