A solid and diverse foundation of tech partners is at the center of Bushfire Kitchen’s approach to streamlining operations and, ultimately, expanding the family-owned brand’s footprint.
A 2026 Food On Demand Outstanding Operator, the restaurant chain surpassed the 10-location milestone in 2025 — all of which serve communities in Southern California — with another four set to open this year.
According to Bushfire Kitchen CEO Oliver Barwin, the brand is in the midst of growth propelled by a years-long emphasis on technology, one that it will continue to lean on as expansion beyond the Golden State is slated for 2027.
Oliver Barwin, CEO at Bushfire Kitchen
“I’m not looking one or two months ahead; I’m looking three years ahead,” Barwin said. “We have big ambitions for the brand, and to be able to achieve those, you have to have the correct tech stack and infrastructure so that you can grow into it. A lot of brands in this industry bite more than they can chew and put the cart before the horse, per se, and go after that aggressive growth without the key systems in place to deliver.”
The brand’s tech partners range from Restaurant365, which powers accounting and back-end inventory management, to Toast, which provides its point-of-sale system, online ordering, email marketing, and gift cards.
“We use Chabi, our data warehouse analytics tool, to be able to pull in our DoorDash and Uber Eats accuracy rates, as well as we use Ovation for guest feedback,” Barwin said. …“Having that data in real time allows our operators to pinpoint: Is this an individual person that may need some retraining to improve their scores in order accuracy? Having that in real time is really critical, which Chabi allows us to do.”
Barwin said Bushfire Kitchen’s tech stack has transformed significantly since he joined the company in February 2020, when the Coronavirus pandemic cemented the necessity of a well-oiled off-premise ecosystem. Since then, the off-prem sales mix has grown to exceed 50 percent at several locations.
“Obviously, with how much of our business is off-premise, we do testing, not only for dine-in, but also we figure out what to-go packaging makes the most sense,” Barwin said of the process behind selecting optimal packaging for the brand. “Does this hold? What’s the right way to package it so it gets the guests in the way we want? So that involves testing and making sure the packaging is correct for the product that we’re serving.”
That packaging dilemma proved both tricky and vital given the brand’s extensive menu of bowls, burgers, sandwiches, salads, empanadas, plated entrees, and more.
Barwin credited a surge in off-premises success as a key factor for Bushfire Kitchen’s recent prosperity. Much of that growth stems from a catering sales channel that was revamped in 2025 following a partnership with Toast for online ordering. Additionally, the brand benefited from a steady uptick in orders through third-party delivery services.
“I think catering and 3PD is here to stay,” Barwin said. “But that being said, we’re doing everything we can to invest in our own internal technology so that our online ordering is up to par, if not better than DoorDash and Uber, so that we can continue to grow our direct online ordering channels.”
Bushfire Kitchen’s delivery figures skew heavily toward 3PD, but the brand is rolling out several tech investments throughout 2026 to drive first-party delivery. This year, Barwin said, the restaurant chain will launch its first app, a new and integrated online ordering platform, and a loyalty program.
“The one big downside to having big sales channels within 3PD is you don’t get the guest email or phone number, so it’s very difficult to remarket towards them, Barwin said. “Having loyalty and having a really industry-leading tech stack internally, I think, is going to be very, very important for brands as we grow and move forward.”
The Outstanding Operators Program highlights 20 innovative brands taking creative paths to success with all things off-premises. Each winner receives a $1,000 charitable donation to their organization of choice and will be recognized on-stage at the 2026 Food On Demand Conference. Register today!
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