ICYMI: 2021 Fast Casual Top 100 Movers & Shakers Awards

Digital ordering took a major step forward in 2020,but several brands wrapped their arms around the idea of third-party delivery, curbside, and even subscription-based orders to connect people with the food they love.

Brands like Zoup and Dickey's Barbecue Pit leaned into third-party delivery tokeep the doors open and continue serving guests. Whether it was Zoup's savorysoupmeal kits or Dickey's at-home delivery meat packs, they were able to stay ahead of the pandemic and continue getting food out the door, albeit in a slightly different way. Fazoli'sadded a unique family meal specialto its menu, which generated almost 20,000orders over a five-week period.

Other concepts enhanced their online ordering and loyalty apps to keep guests coming back for more, including Tropical Smoothie Café and MooyahBurgers, Fries & Shakes. Tropical Smoothie Café launched an updated version of its mobile appand partnered with DoorDashto launch a branded delivery service for guests using their mobile app. Mooyah, for its part, used its loyalty app(powered by Punchh) to generate an impressive 32% increase in users.

Mobile ordering was also the name of the game for Slim Chickens, which implemented curbside pick-up and delivery into its growing mobile ordering repertoire. The famous chicken concept also used its point of sale system to team up with third-party delivery to continue serving guests wherever they are.