Dive Brief:

• The Habit Burger Grill has launched catering through the platform ezCater, according to a press release issued Tuesday. 
• Catering is available at a majority of the chain’s locations on ezcater.com, ezCater’s app and habitburger.com/catering, the press release said. Habit Burger’s catering menu consists of large salads CharBoxes, which offer 10 burgers and 10 sides, as well as large salads, cookies and bulk beverages.
• Habit Burger’s entrance into catering will add another sales channel and meet growing demand for catering, Jack Hinchliffe, The Habit Burger’s CMO, said in an email to Restaurant Dive.

Dive Insight:

In November, Habit Burger launched a 34-unit pilot with ezCater and saw immediate demand at workplaces. As of Q1, the average order value for the catering channel was $476. Habit Burger has now rolled the service out to 95% of its locations nationwide, per an email to Restaurant Dive. Following this pilot, 21 of the Habit Burger Grill locations earned ezCater’s Reliability Rockstar badge, which is given to restaurants that have delivered excellent customer service with orders delivered on time and as requested. 

To prepare for the launch of catering, the company conducted team trainings to ensure staff can manage catering orders, Hinchliffe said. The chain also developed specialized packaging — the CharBox — that makes it easy to organize orders and maintain quality and temperature. Staff wrap the burgers in foil to maintain food warmth, Hinchliffe said. 

“Timing is crucial to delivering an exceptional guest experience, and we prioritize preparing each and every CharBox freshly, ensuring they are ready for immediate pick-up or delivery, maintaining the food’s hot and fresh quality,” Hinchliffe said. 

As part of streamlining operations, the restaurants adhere to a two to four-hour lead time, which will depend on the restaurant’s volume. This should give team members enough time to prepare catering orders without disrupting service during peak hours, Hinchliffe said.

The company will initially focus on its catering CharBox through its partnership with ezCater.

“As our catering program evolves, we strive to make our catering menu as accessible as possible,” Hinchliffe said. “Given the overwhelming demand and success we've already experienced, we are dedicated to continuously exploring innovative ways to expand our own platforms.”

Catering could help boost sales at the chain, which has experienced a systemwide sales slide by 2% during Q1 despite 6% unit growth, David Gibbs, CEO of parent company Yum, said during the chain’s May earnings call.

Catering has been booming as more workers return to office. Employers are using food to entice hybrid workers to come into the office more often and to stimulate social engagements for workers. Other chains, including Perkins and Bojangles, have launched catering this year through partnerships with ezCater.