Technology Ups Food Ordering Convenience

Advance ordering, delivery and subscription services are making shopping at convenience stores more attractive than ever.

Marilyn Odesser-Torpey • Associate Editor

As foodservice continues to climb in importance at convenience stores, retailers are taking advantage of technology to allow customers more options when they order.

At GetGo Café + Market, headquartered in Pittsburgh, customers can place foodservice orders via the company’s website or the GetGo app on iOS and Android up to 24 hours in advance, according to Chris Edwards, director of GetGo technology.

The chain’s entire expansive, fresh, made-toorder menu is available, as well as full customization options to add or remove ingredients or modify how the dish is prepared, he explained.

“A theme you’ll see carried throughout all aspects of GetGo’s business is the ability to customize,” added Brandon Daniels, the company’s manager of public relations. “Whether it’s adding their favorite ingredients to a fresh-made sub or choosing to place an order on the GetGo app, we put technologies in place to allow guests to customize their experience.”

Putting the technology for advance ordering in place has been a “top priority” for GetGo, Daniels said. Each store with a made-to-order kitchen, about half of GetGo’s more than 260 locations throughout western Pennsylvania, Ohio, northern West Virginia, Maryland and Indiana, offers the service.

Made-to-order kitchens are a staple of the GetGo Café + Market brand, and they will be included in the numerous new stores the chain plans to add, including one in Mentor, Ohio, which opened in February, and one in Mars, Pa., in May. Since the kitchens are already set up for made-to-order food, there were no additions or changes necessary to accommodate orders placed ahead of time, he noted.

The option to place orders in advance is “heavily included in our marketing efforts,” Daniels stated. Additionally, the company’s website and app both prominently display an “order now” button on their home screens.

If customers want to enjoy GetGo made-toorder menu items without leaving their homes or offices, the company has partnered with thirdparty delivery services.

In February, Quality Mart introduced online ordering and delivery in five of its Winston-Salem, N.C., stores out of a total of 60-plus stores located in North Carolina, Virginia and Tennessee. Delivery is available within a 20-mile radius.

The online ordering segment is powered by local startup SWIPEBY’s platform. Quality Mart