For a local fast-food chain to compete in online deliveries through a website & mobile app against leading international pizza chains is no easy task, if not impossible. That’s why Syed Sair Ali launched Blink, a technology platform that enables restaurants to go head-to-head against their bigger competitors.
Blink currently partners with multiple pizza brands, and, in this spotlight client story, we bring to you ‘Cheezious’, one of the top local fast-food chains in Pakistan with over 13 branches spread across 6 cities, including Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Sahiwal, Okara, Mian Chanu, and Patokki.
Cheezious is a chain that began its journey in 2012 with a single branch, and it started off, just like any other fast-food chain, to be the best in the game. That’s why Cheezious opted for the tagline “Finest Taste Ever”. Cheezious got its name from the perspective of great-tasting food associated with cheese.
The restaurant stands out from other local fast-food businesses based on the quality of taste, service delivery, and exceptional customer service. Considering the pace that Cheezious is going at, its General Manager is confident that it will soon differentiate itself from its international competitors operating in Pakistan
The Challenge:
At the beginning of their business journey, the owners of Cheezious didn’t opt for any restaurant ordering solution right away. They first focused on understanding how they could differentiate themselves from other local fast-food businesses and streamline their operations.
Once the business had a solid foundation and expanded to multiple cities, the owners decided to opt for an online ordering channel such as a third-party aggregator platform.
The owners researched the online ordering platforms available to them during COVID-19 when restaurants around the world moved to online ordering channels. After looking at Blink’s user-friendly platform and stellar customer portfolio of global and high-hitting local restaurants, Cheezious chose Blink as their Quick Commerce Enablement Platform.
The Solution
Cheezious went through a detailed demonstration of Blink’s platform. Being convinced that the user interface and user experience that the solution offered were the best for their business, the restaurant’s owners were quick to opt for Blink.
Another deciding factor for Cheezious owners when opting for Blink as their online ordering platform for restaurants was the positive reviews other restaurant owners gave them about their experiences using Blink.
Cheezious was convinced that Blink – a platform with a branded website, mobile app, and comprehensive merchant portal – was the right solution for them to scale.
The General Manager of Cheezious commented:
“The onboarding process was very smooth – the Blink team collected information including menu details, pricing, imagery of products, branch locations, discount offers, etc and the Blink team was able to facilitate setting up of the app and website within a short period of seven odd days. The best part was that we only had to provide the information while the Blink team set up the entire website and app through its internal resources within a quick time. All in all, we were able to transition to the Blink platform effectively and really fast from the old food aggregator we were using earlier.”
Results:
The Cheezious team is highly appreciative of the platform that Blink has equipped them with at an operational level because it gives their customers the option of placing orders online both through a branded website as well as a mobile app.
The biggest advantage that the owners of Cheezious see in using a platform like Blink is that it has allowed them to save a lot of money that the old food aggregators used to charge as commissions. They are now able to reinvest their savings in their business in various forms of online marketing such as search engine marketing, Facebook advertising, and Instagram promotions that have, in turn, helped them build brand awareness & increase sales.
The Cheezious management adds:
“The analytics that Blink offers has given Cheezious a clearer picture about our client’s data such as where orders are coming from, what’s the trend, and helps identify operational problems. It really helps us to plan things well in advance.”
As far as the biggest differentiator between Blink and other online ordering platforms is concerned, it’s easy to understand, use and scale your business through the platform. Restaurant owners have fears about using online ordering platforms, but Blink has reassured Cheezious of its reliability from day one. Over the past year, since the business has partnered with Blink, it has hardly faced any technical issues. This speaks volumes about the technology that Blink is built with, and the value it offers businesses.
Overall, the Cheezious team is highly satisfied with Blink as its online ordering platform for restaurants. They would highly recommend other restaurant owners to opt for Blink like those of 100+ other restaurants across the MENAP region already have.