From Pilot to 500 Locations: Rolling Out Hybrid Delivery at Hungry Howie’s
How Hungry Howie's is rolling out hybrid delivery across nearly 500 franchise locations: the pilot, the phased plan, routing rules and branded third-party delivery.
Hungry Howie’s is rolling out Cartwheel’s Hybrid Delivery platform across nearly 500 locations after a successful pilot, with every location targeted to be live by Q2 2027. Franchisees get one view of in-house and third-party deliveries, and routing decisions that once took up to 10 minutes now take less than a second.
Where the rollout fits
The Cartwheel rollout extends a technology modernization Hungry Howie’s began earlier in 2026, when it announced a DoorDash digital ordering and loyalty partnership. The common thread is ownership of the guest relationship.
“We continue to see real value in maintaining a direct relationship with our guests.”
Moe Shrikian, Executive Vice President and General Counsel, Hungry Howie’s
For how Hungry Howie’s compares with Giordano’s and Lou Malnati’s, see how enterprise pizza brands are modernizing delivery with Cartwheel.
Rollout timeline
| Stage | Timing |
|---|---|
| Digital ordering and loyalty partnership with DoorDash | Earlier in 2026 |
| Cartwheel pilot | Completed before September 2026 |
| Phased rollout announced | September 2026 |
| All locations live | Targeted for Q2 2027 |
A pilot followed by phases lets the brand confirm rules and workflows in a set of stores before asking every franchisee to adopt them.
What franchisees see
Each franchisee sees every driver, in-house and third-party, in real time on one screen. Automated rules replace the manual coordination of delivery capacity that used to fall on the store manager during a rush.
How orders are routed
- In-house drivers get priority, based on configurable factors: proximity to the store, order value and driver availability.
- When demand peaks, orders route automatically to third-party drivers through DoorDash Drive.
- Cartwheel’s AI auto-dispatch makes each routing decision in under one second, compared with up to 10 minutes of manual work.
Third-party deliveries that still carry the brand
When a third-party driver delivers, the guest still sees Hungry Howie’s. Real-time tracking, promotional banners and post-delivery feedback prompts all carry the brand, so overflow orders support the guest relationship instead of interrupting it.
Results across Cartwheel customers
The pilot informed the rollout decision. Across Cartwheel customer case studies, brands using the same approach have reported:
| Measure | Result |
|---|---|
| Management time saved with auto-dispatch | Up to 3 hours per day |
| On-time delivery | Improved by 24% |
| Repeat orders from branded tracking and promotional banners | Up to 10% higher |
Lessons for franchise rollouts
- Pilot in a defined set of stores before committing the system.
- Phase the rollout and set a clear completion target.
- Make routing rules configurable so they fit each franchisee’s market.
- Keep the brand on third-party deliveries, not only in-house ones.
- Give franchisees one view of every driver.
Frequently asked questions
How many Hungry Howie’s locations will use Cartwheel?
Nearly 500 locations, rolled out in phases.
When will the rollout be complete?
All Hungry Howie’s locations are targeted to be live by Q2 2027.
Who handles Hungry Howie’s third-party deliveries?
DoorDash Drive fulfills third-party deliveries when demand exceeds in-house capacity, with Hungry Howie’s branding on tracking.
To plan a phased hybrid delivery rollout for a franchise system, book a demo with Cartwheel.