Streamlining delivery at scale:
how a national pizza chain saved over $100K a year with Cartwheel
Intelligent DSP access · real-time tracking · AI autodispatchAbout the company
This national pizza chain runs a high-volume, multi-unit delivery operation. As order counts climbed, its delivery setup stopped keeping pace, and the gaps started showing up where customers feel them most: in the wait, the accuracy of the ETA, and the reliability of every order arriving on time.
The challenge: a delivery setup that couldn’t scale
As order volume grew, the chain hit the ceiling of its delivery setup. The ETAs customers saw were wrong often enough to erode trust, delivery times kept stretching, and there was no backup when the primary delivery option fell short on a given order.
The cost showed up where it hurts: longer waits, more refunds, and rising operating overhead across locations. Without a way to route around a slow or unavailable provider, a single delivery option was the only option, and every gap turned into a small leak of revenue and goodwill.
The solution: one layer over every delivery order
Cartwheel gave the chain a single layer to manage every delivery order and route each one automatically. Three capabilities did the work:
The combination is what made it work. Provider routing alone helps, but pairing it with accurate tracking and instant dispatch turned a fragile, single-option setup into a resilient system that finds the better-priced, faster option on every order.
Faster deliveries, fewer refunds, and a backup for every order, without adding headcount or switching off the chain’s own brand experience.
Key highlights
What the chain gained after adding Cartwheel.
| Metric | Before | After |
|---|---|---|
| Average delivery time | 63 min | 47 min |
| Delivery refunds | Baseline | 15% fewer |
| Delivery backup | None | Automatic provider routing |
| Annual operating savings | — | $100K+ |
*Based on the chain’s reported operating results after implementation.
The takeaway: small leaks, measurable savings
For a multi-unit operator, delivery cost is rarely one big line item. It is thousands of small ones: a refund here, a late order there, a few extra minutes of manual dispatch at every store.
Putting routing, tracking, and provider access under one automated system turns those small leaks into measurable savings, and gives the brand resilience it did not have when a single delivery option was the only option. Average delivery time dropped from 63 to 47 minutes, refunds fell 15%, and the changes added up to more than $100,000 in operating savings a year.
