Jason’s Deli is a Food On Demand Outstanding Operator.
With 40 years of catering experience and a reputation for high-quality food, Jason’s Deli has developed the right strategies to balance dine-in and off-premises operations.
The fast-casual brand has 239 locations across 27 states, offering a variety of sandwiches, salads, soups, and pasta dishes. About 63 percent of the brand’s sales go out the door.
Gracie Prasanson, VP of Sales at Jason’s Deli
“Off-premises operations have been a big part of our business, and we’ve been really focused on improving that side to meet customers where they are,” said Gracie Prasanson, VP of sales at Jason’s Deli.
When entering Jason’s Deli locations, customers will always find a dedicated delivery and takeout area with express pickup shelves.
Hybrid delivery boosts control
For delivery fulfillment, Jason’s Deli uses a hybrid approach. Most deliveries are handled in-house, but when additional capacity is needed, third-party services like DoorDash are brought in.
“If we don’t have the drivers or timing to complete that 10th delivery, for example, we rely on third-party services to complement our in-store staff,” Prasanson explained. She added that for catering orders, “70 percent of our deliveries are made internally, and around 30 percent are handled through third-party services.”
Catering innovation
Catering remains a key revenue driver for the brand. “Our biggest focus is on same-day and last-minute orders. If you call us needing to feed 100 people in an hour, we say yes, we figure it out, and make it happen,” Prasanson said.
“Catering is all about presentation,” she continued. “One of our recent innovations is the salad bar box. We’ve never catered our salad bar before, and it’s a huge part of what we’re known for. We worked with our packaging partners to develop a box that allows us to cater the salad bar experience, and it’s been really well received.”
Jason’s Deli has also made several improvements to packaging, including switching to sugar cane boxes. It turns out, sugar cane isn’t just for sweetening your iced tea—it’s also perfect for keeping your sandwich fresh. The biodegradable packaging helps ensure the food stays intact during delivery.
Tech integrations
To streamline orders, Jason’s Deli leverages Olo for a robust online ordering platform, so experiences stay consistent on both the website and mobile app. The brand also uses Olo to leverage customer data and Punch to manage its loyalty program.
Gracie noted that the loyalty program has gained traction over the past year and a half. “We make all of our offers and discounts through the loyalty program; we don’t run coupons outside of it.”
It’s also seen a boost in operational efficiency with Cartwheel’s AI-powered auto-dispatch system, which optimizes delivery routing.
“Cartwheel has really allowed us to communicate with customers and let them know where their delivery is in the process of making it to them,” Gracie said.
Since the integration with Cartwheel, Jason’s Deli has seen an increase in on-time deliveries and a reduction in customer calls, thanks to the real-time tracking.
Looking ahead, Prasanson says the brand is optimistic about where off-premises can go.
“There’s so much untapped potential in the delivery and off-premises space—the opportunities are endless. We just continue to focus on that and look for ways to meet customers where they are when those opportunities arise.”
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 its organization of choice and will be recognized on-stage at the 2025 Food On Demand Conference. Register today!
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