Most restaurant operators want catering to become a bigger part of their business.
But when catering grows, restaurants have to figure out how to get more orders out the door without pulling employees away from the operation.
For Old Carolina Barbecue Company, that challenge became increasingly important as catering grew to 40% of its business.
Catering Growth
Old Carolina Barbecue founder Brian Bailey recently joined Shawn Walchef on Digital Hospitality at the CREATE conference in Rancho Palos Verdes to talk about the brand’s growth and its partnership with DeliverThat.
Old Carolina recently celebrated 20 years in business and operates eight locations across Ohio and Pennsylvania, including six corporate restaurants and two franchises.
Catering has been part of the business from the beginning. In fact, the company was originally incorporated as Old Carolina Barbecue and Catering Company.
“We saw that barbecue, you know, it travels well. It holds well,” Bailey said.
Today, catering includes pickup orders, deliveries to corporate offices and full-service events. The company expects to handle approximately 180 weddings this year through its six corporate locations.
That volume created a delivery challenge.
“You can have six, seven, eight, 10, 12 deliveries going out from a single location,” Bailey said. “You can’t staff that enough.”
DeliverThat Partnership
Old Carolina found a solution close to home.
DeliverThat was founded in the same area as Old Carolina, and Bailey’s restaurants became one of the company’s earliest customers.
The relationship gave DeliverThat an opportunity to learn how Old Carolina wanted its catering orders delivered and set up.
For Bailey, that matters because the person delivering the food becomes an extension of the restaurant.
“They do a great job,” Bailey said. “They represent our brand.”
That trust becomes especially important when something goes wrong. Bailey said DeliverThat has built backup systems because the company understands how critical catering delivery can be.
An office manager feeding 40 people cannot simply push lunch back when an order fails to arrive.
“You don’t get a second chance on those things,” Bailey said.
Building Trust
When Bailey evaluates a new restaurant partner, one question matters more than the sales pitch.
Will they actually show up when Old Carolina needs them?
“It’s one thing to show up to the sales meeting,” Walchef said. “It’s another thing to show up when we need you.”
“Exactly,” Bailey responded.
That reliability has become increasingly valuable as Old Carolina has grown its catering operation.
That trust is why Bailey has no hesitation recommending DeliverThat to other restaurant operators trying to grow catering.
“I don’t know how you could do it without them,” Bailey said. “Get to know them. Trust them.”
Twenty years after opening its first brick-and-mortar restaurant, Old Carolina is once again focused on growth. Bailey still considers the eight-location company an emerging brand and believes there are plenty of opportunities to improve how the business operates.
But whether Old Carolina is serving a restaurant guest, delivering lunch to an office or catering a wedding, the standard remains the same.
The company calls it “Make Happy Happen.”
For Bailey, delivering on that promise means being intentional about hospitality and surrounding the restaurant with partners that can help deliver the experience customers expect.
