The holiday season brings a surge in food delivery and catering orders, with chicken dishes topping the list of consumer favorites. As traditional holiday meals become more expensive, diners are turning to quick-service restaurants for convenient, high-quality alternatives. In fact, UberEats reports that chicken tenders and fries ranked as the most popular delivery combination in 2024.
For chicken restaurants, this shift presents both an opportunity and a challenge: how to meet increased demand while maintaining delivery efficiency and customer satisfaction. Here’s how three brands leveraged smart delivery strategies to turn holiday orders into long-term success.
1. Expanding Holiday Catering: Cowboy Chicken’s Hybrid Delivery Strategy
As holiday dining habits evolve, restaurants that adapt their offerings can capture a larger share of catering orders. Cowboy Chicken did just that by expanding its menu to include holiday-themed options, like its woodfired turkey holiday package, catering to office parties and family gatherings.
However, offering holiday catering isn’t enough—ensuring seamless delivery during peak demand is the real challenge. Cowboy Chicken uses a hybrid delivery model, blending in-house drivers with third-party delivery providers to maintain quality while handling holiday order spikes. This approach guarantees that catering customers receive their meals on time, while the restaurant optimizes costs and delivery efficiency.
2. Standardizing Multi-Location Delivery: Wings Over’s Success
For multi-location brands, consistent delivery execution across all locations is key to maintaining brand reputation. Wings Over implemented a standardized delivery system across corporate and franchise locations to ensure a seamless customer experience, even during peak holiday rushes.
Their strategy includes:
- Real-time performance monitoring to track order fulfillment across locations.
- Automated order routing for efficient dispatching.
- Smart batching technology to group orders without sacrificing food quality.
By streamlining operations, Wings Over reduced delivery delays and improved customer satisfaction scores, proving that a well-structured system can handle high holiday demand while maintaining quality and efficiency.
3. Scaling Catering with Smart Tech: Bok a Bok’s Approach
For restaurants focusing on corporate catering, the holiday season is a crucial time to build long-term business relationships. Bok a Bok Chicken optimized its catering operations by integrating its online ordering system with a delivery management platform, ensuring real-time tracking and efficient dispatching for large catering orders.
This strategy aligns with market trends—90% of catering customers prefer restaurants that offer delivery tracking, according to ezCater’s 2024 “Feeding the Workplace” report. By providing real-time updates and proof of delivery, Bok a Bok delivers a seamless experience that keeps corporate clients coming back even after the holiday season.
Beyond the Holidays: Turning Seasonal Orders into Year-Round Growth
The holiday season isn’t just about handling higher order volumes—it’s about using smart delivery strategies to convert seasonal customers into loyal, repeat buyers. Restaurants that invest in hybrid delivery models, automated dispatch, and real-time tracking create sustainable advantages that drive business growth beyond the holiday rush.
By focusing on efficiency, quality, and customer satisfaction, chicken restaurants can turn holiday orders into long-term success—building customer loyalty and maximizing revenue all year round.
