Zeeks Pizza, a beloved Pacific Northwest pizza brand, has been serving up quality pizza and an unparalleled customer experience for over 30 years. Known for their roots in adventure, with founders who were both ski and surf enthusiasts, Zeeks quickly grew from a single pizza place in a ski town to a franchise with over 25 locations. Yet, as their business evolved, so did the landscape of food delivery—a shift that brought new challenges and opportunities. Their partnership with Shipday, a revolutionary delivery management platform, has enabled Zeeks to navigate this transition, optimizing their delivery strategy while staying true to their customer-focused roots.
The Capitol Hill Edge: Ahead of the Delivery Curve
One of Zeeks’ standout locations, the Capitol Hill store, played a key role in recognizing the potential for a hybrid delivery approach—a system that incorporates both in-house and third-party drivers. This pioneering approach to delivery gave Capitol Hill a distinct edge, as the store’s operator recognized early on that relying solely on third-party services wasn’t the best long-term solution for maintaining Zeeks’ high standard of customer service. Capitol Hill’s success with Shipday became an example for other Zeeks stores to follow, as the store’s hybrid delivery model significantly reduced customer complaints.
Mario O’Brien, Director of Technology at Zeeks Pizza, explained: “That operator [at Capitol Hill] just really has a nose for good customer experience and was really tuned in with… the big shift away from in-house delivery towards third-party. He knew that [the third-party delivery model] wasn’t the long-term play, as it was going to… ultimately piss customers off.” Mario’s words capture the pivotal role that Shipday’s customizable delivery model played in helping the Capitol Hill store—and ultimately all of Zeeks’ locations—deliver a more reliable and personalized customer experience.
What Shipday Does So Well for Businesses
Shipday’s unique platform offers restaurants like Zeeks the ability to toggle between using their own delivery drivers and outsourcing to third-party services, depending on the situation. This flexibility has been a game-changer for Zeeks, enabling them to control the quality and timing of their deliveries during peak hours while outsourcing only when necessary.
Moin Islam, Shipday’s Co-Founder and CEO, emphasized the value of this approach: “Our mission is to democratize delivery technology for small businesses… We help businesses easily manage delivery orders with their own drivers and share real-time delivery tracking with customers.” With Shipday, small businesses like Zeeks can compete with major delivery platforms by offering a streamlined experience that combines reliability and transparency—keeping customers informed about their orders every step of the way.
Powerful Reporting Tools: Beyond the Basics
One of Shipday’s most valuable assets for Zeeks is its reporting tools, which provide insights far beyond basic delivery statistics. Mario explained that Shipday’s detailed reports, such as the “promise time” report, have helped Zeeks stay accountable to their delivery commitments. The “promise time” report tracks the quoted delivery time, providing an operational benchmark that Zeeks uses to maintain customer satisfaction. As Mario said, “We know if we are keeping our quote times below 40 minutes… we’re getting all the business we can handle.”
Another useful report tracks the “placement-to-pickup time,” which measures how quickly a kitchen can prepare orders for delivery. Mario noted, “A fast Zeke’s kitchen can get pizzas out the door in 20 minutes or less.” These metrics allow Zeeks to identify trends and make adjustments in real-time, ensuring that customer expectations for timely delivery are consistently met.
Moreover, Shipday’s driver performance reports offer deeper insights into delivery quality. By tracking factors like on-time percentage and customer ratings, Zeeks can easily identify top-performing drivers and make data-driven adjustments to improve efficiency. For instance, Mario shared that Shipday’s reports reveal, “The lowest average [rating] is the ones that are delivered by Uber,” a third-party provider, indicating the advantages of using in-house drivers for a more reliable delivery experience.
Advice for Pizza Operators Considering In-House Delivery
For pizza operators aiming to enhance their delivery capabilities, Mario has some practical advice: “If you want to build back your first-party delivery, you’ve got to give every customer a good experience. You’ve got to control every ounce of your experience… from food quality to the person that they’re interacting with.”
With a hybrid model powered by Shipday, operators can avoid the pitfalls of outsourcing entirely while still benefiting from the support of third-party services during high-demand periods. This flexibility allows pizza businesses to grow their in-house delivery capabilities gradually, starting with a single driver and scaling up as demand grows.
Zeeks Pizza’s partnership with Shipday exemplifies the value of using flexible, data-driven tools to enhance the delivery experience. By leveraging Shipday’s hybrid model and powerful reporting tools, Zeeks has been able to stay nimble in a fast-evolving delivery landscape, keeping customer satisfaction at the forefront.
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