Restaurants Accelerate Launches with Lunchbox: Nick the Greek and Pei Wei Lead the Charge

In today's fast-paced restaurant industry, the urgency to innovate and adapt is palpable. Major brands are not sitting idle; they are launching and revitalizing their operations at an unprecedented speed. With the help of Lunchbox, a leading enterprise restaurant platform, a surge of brands like Nick the Greek, Pei Wei, and Hawaiian Bros are leveraging first-party digital solutions to secure their growth in 2025 and beyond.

According to recent data, the first half of 2025 marked a record-breaking moment for Lunchbox, with a significant number of new enterprise signatures and go-lives, reflecting an increasing need for digitization in the restaurant sector. This marks a pivotal time where online ordering, catering solutions, and enhanced guest engagement are not just perks but essentials for survival. Reports indicate that 88% of restaurants now consider online ordering crucial to their operations, supporting a dramatic shift towards a better online experience for customers.

Catering is rising to prominence, now viewed as a vital growth engine rather than a mere supplementary channel. For example, fast-casual chains proactively promoting catering services report check averages soaring to over $500 per order, thereby increasing the frequency of customer engagement through technologies powered by Lunchbox.

To keep up with this momentum, Lunchbox has revolutionized its launch strategy, aiming to reduce the implementation period significantly. By introducing 90-day go-live sprints and dedicated agile teams, Lunchbox is transforming the way restaurants can quickly place their digital infrastructure into action. CEO James Walker emphasizes this point, stating that operators desire swift implementations to start gathering data and driving revenue instead of enduring lengthy cycles that do not yield immediate benefits.

Brands like Nick the Greek have already seen these strategies bear fruit, deploying their catering operations at 84 locations in a record 93 days, which has led to an immediate boost in digital orders while simplifying functionality for their franchisees. Layla Bagels also joined the program, successfully launching their comprehensive suite of services—from web and app ordering to loyalty programs—in less than 66 days!

Brand expansions are soaring as Pei Wei now operates across over 100 locations, while Hawaiian Bros is rolling out a comprehensive set of catering and order aggregation capabilities to solidify their competitive edge. The urgency is palpable, and operators like these are embracing Lunchbox’s speedy solutions to elevate their customer service capabilities.

But speed is not the only selling point. Lunchbox is also innovating at a rapid pace, with exciting new offerings such as free order aggregation with any core solution purchase, a loyalty program dubbed Bank Loyalty now in beta testing, and various enhancements to their catering tools, including a calendar view for better operational management.

In light of brands' need for more control, a growing number of restaurants are pivoting away from third-party marketplace dependency and re-investing in their owned infrastructure. Recent studies from Technomic note that 61% of restaurant operators prioritize optimizing off-premises sales as a critical strategy in 2025. With more diners than ever favoring direct interactions through their favorite restaurant’s website or app, the emphasis on first-party channels is more pronounced.

Lunchbox is responding proactively by adapting its onboarding approach to align with the accelerated market demands of high-growth restaurant brands. Their agile onboarding model enables rapid, brand-specific launch sprints that prioritize not only speed but also client satisfaction. In Walker's words, it isn't merely about rapid launches; it’s about maximizing value for the brands navigating this transitional period.

In conclusion, as restaurants embrace new technology solutions and prioritize direct consumer interactions, the restaurant landscape is undergoing a significant transformation. With platforms like Lunchbox enabling these changes, the urgency for brands to enhance their digital infrastructure could redefine success in the industry. At the forefront of this transition are key players such as Pei Wei, Nick the Greek, and Hawaiian Bros—brands that embody the future of dining in a digital-first world.

Topics Consumer Products & Retail)

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