At the beginning of 2026, we wrote about a shift taking place across enterprise pizza: brands are moving from legacy technology stacks toward modern, integrated ecosystems built around best-in-breed partners.
Delivery is an important part of that transition. Pizza brands need technology that can support in-house drivers, third-party delivery, peak demand and the guest experience without adding more manual complexity.
Earlier this year, Giordano’s announced a new delivery modernization initiative with Cartwheel. On September 1st, 2026, Hungry Howie’s announced a phased rollout of Cartwheel’s Hybrid Delivery technology across its nearly 500-location system. An earlier public example from Lou Malnati’s shows how AI-powered automation can also play a role in enterprise pizza delivery.
Together, these 3 publicly announced examples show different ways enterprise pizza brands are modernizing delivery operations with Cartwheel.
Hungry Howie’s: Delivery as Part of a Best-in-Breed Technology Stack
Hungry Howie’s has been modernizing major parts of its restaurant technology stack through a series of partnerships.
The brand selected Toast as its restaurant technology platform, including POS, Multi-Location Management, Kitchen Display Systems, payment processing and Toast IQ. Toast also highlighted Cartwheel as a partner in its broader ecosystem, reinforcing the role of integrated, best-in-breed solutions in Hungry Howie’s technology stack.
Restaurant365 was selected to support back-office operations including inventory management, scheduling, labor management and operational reporting across the Hungry Howie’s system.
Hungry Howie’s also partnered with DoorDash to modernize its digital ordering ecosystem, including its website, mobile app, loyalty program and other customer-facing capabilities.
Now delivery is another layer of that modernization.
Following a successful pilot, Hungry Howie’s is progressing with a phased rollout of Cartwheel’s Hybrid Delivery technology across its nearly 500-location system, with all locations targeted to be live by Q2 2027.
Cartwheel’s Hybrid Delivery gives franchisees a single view of in-house and third-party delivery, with fulfillment powered by DoorDash Drive. Hybrid Delivery prioritizes in-house fleets based on configurable factors such as proximity to the store, order value and driver availability, then automatically routes to third-party drivers when demand peaks.
Operators can see every driver in real time from one place, while automated rules handle the manual work required to coordinate delivery capacity.
Cartwheel also gives franchisees more brand control over orders they do not deliver themselves. Third-party deliveries carry Hungry Howie’s branded real-time tracking, promotional banners and post-delivery feedback prompts, keeping the guest experience consistent no matter which fleet handles the order and giving operators clearer visibility into delivery performance.
“We continue to see real value in maintaining a direct relationship with our guests and investing in our in-house delivery capabilities,” said Moe Shrikian, Executive Vice President and General Counsel at Hungry Howie’s. “Third-party delivery provides important additional reach and flexibility, and Cartwheel helps us bring these approaches together while maintaining a consistent guest experience as we modernize our delivery operations.”
That approach reflects Hungry Howie’s broader public position on delivery. In a Restaurant Dive interview, Shrikian discussed the value of maintaining in-house delivery while using third-party delivery as an additional channel.
In a separate Toast interview, Shrikian also discussed the importance of selecting best-in-breed components that integrate across the technology stack.
As part of the Toast Partner Ecosystem, Cartwheel connects directly into the Toast restaurant technology platform, giving operators the experience of a connected, unified system.
Giordano’s: Modernizing the Tech Stack While Keeping Delivery Control
Giordano’s announced its Cartwheel implementation in February 2026 as part of the iconic Chicago pizza brand’s focus on digital modernization and operational flexibility.
Cartwheel gives participating Giordano’s corporate and franchise locations store-level flexibility to route orders between in-house drivers and third-party delivery service providers based on real-time conditions.
Time-based forwarding helps protect pickup timing and customer expectations during high-volume periods, while the ability to dynamically switch between multiple providers improves reliability when capacity shifts.
The platform has helped improve delivery speed and reduce operational complexity during peak demand periods while maintaining decision-making authority at the store level. Cartwheel’s branded tracking experience also keeps customers in the Giordano’s digital environment throughout the delivery journey whether an order is delivered by a Giordano’s driver or through third-party coverage.
“Cartwheel gives our store teams the control they need to make smart delivery decisions in real time while ensuring that every delivery feels like Giordano’s, not a generic transaction,” said Nick Scarpino, CEO of Giordano’s.
The delivery initiative is part of a broader technology modernization underway at Giordano’s. Hospitality Technology reported that Giordano’s migrated to Toast in 2025 as the foundation for a broader best-in-breed technology stack. The publication also highlighted Cartwheel as one of the specialized technologies supporting delivery dispatching.
Michael Lyman, VP of IT at Giordano’s, described how cloud-based technology has simplified integrations compared with legacy systems, calling the modern process almost “plug it in and forget about it.”
For Giordano’s, that modern technology approach provides greater operational flexibility while helping protect the branded guest experience.
Lou Malnati’s: AI-Powered Delivery Automation in Practice
Lou Malnati’s provides an earlier public example of how an enterprise pizza brand can use AI-powered delivery automation.
In April 2025, Cartwheel announced that Lou Malnati’s was using the platform to manage in-house, third-party, catering and hybrid delivery models.
Since implementing Cartwheel’s technology, the brand has significantly increased the speed of deliveries, helping streamline operations and enhance the overall customer experience.
AI-powered auto-dispatch has also helped Lou Malnati’s optimize delivery operations through major high-volume periods including the Super Bowl, Valentine’s Day and Pi Day.
“Cartwheel’s technology has transformed our delivery operations, allowing us to meet customer expectations even during our busiest periods around the Super Bowl and Valentine’s Day,” said Matt Stern, VP of Operations at Lou Malnati’s. “The flexibility of their platform supports our in-house drivers while seamlessly integrating third-party services when we need additional capacity.”
Lou Malnati’s shows how AI-powered auto-dispatch can reduce manual delivery work while allowing restaurant operators to continue using their own drivers and add third-party capacity when needed.
One Platform for Modern Enterprise Pizza Delivery
Cartwheel is an AI-powered delivery platform for restaurants and beyond. The platform supports thousands of restaurant locations and powers delivery for more than 25 Nation’s Restaurant News Top 500 brands.
Cartwheel helps restaurants manage in-house drivers, third-party delivery providers and Hybrid Delivery while providing real-time visibility and a consistent branded delivery experience. It integrates with leading restaurant technology platforms including Toast, Olo, PAR and Qu.
For enterprise operators looking to reduce manual delivery management, Cartwheel’s AI-powered auto-dispatch can cut routing decisions from up to 10 minutes manually to less than 1 second.
Across Cartwheel customer case studies, brands have reported results including:
- Up to 3 hours of management time saved per day with AI-powered auto-dispatch
- 24% improvement in on-time delivery
- Up to 10% increase in repeat orders through branded real-time tracking and promotional banners
Cartwheel is built on SOC 2-compliant infrastructure and can orchestrate orders across national delivery providers based on brand-defined priorities including fastest, lowest-cost or preferred provider. The platform also connects restaurants with more than 50 local catering delivery providers.
For more customer results, explore Cartwheel’s case studies.
What’s Next for Enterprise Pizza Delivery
Across these publicly announced examples, the common thread is greater control, more flexibility across in-house and third-party delivery, and less manual complexity.
As enterprise pizza brands continue modernizing complex, multi-fleet operations, Cartwheel is strengthening its position as a trusted delivery partner for that transition. The platform brings together driver management, Hybrid Delivery and AI-powered orchestration while connecting into modern restaurant technology stacks.
And as delivery continues to evolve, that same infrastructure can support what comes next, including autonomous delivery and other emerging fulfillment models.
Frequently Asked Questions
What delivery management platform do enterprise pizza brands use?
Cartwheel is an enterprise delivery management platform that helps restaurant brands manage in-house drivers, third-party delivery and Hybrid Delivery. Publicly announced enterprise pizza examples include Hungry Howie’s, Giordano’s and Lou Malnati’s.
Can Cartwheel manage both in-house pizza drivers and third-party delivery?
Yes. Cartwheel’s Hybrid Delivery technology allows restaurants to manage their own drivers and third-party delivery from one platform. Brands can configure delivery rules based on factors such as driver availability, proximity to the store, order value and other operational priorities.
Does Cartwheel integrate with Toast, Olo, PAR and Qu?
Yes. Cartwheel integrates with leading restaurant technology platforms including Toast, Olo, PAR and Qu. Cartwheel is also part of the Toast Partner Ecosystem.
Does Cartwheel support AI-powered dispatch for pizza delivery?
Yes. Cartwheel supports AI-powered auto-dispatch to automate delivery routing and reduce manual decision-making. Lou Malnati’s is one publicly announced pizza example where AI-powered auto-dispatch has been used during high-volume periods.
