Landry’s off-premises strategy is shaped by consistency across a wide mix of brands and dining occasions.
A 2026 Food On Demand Outstanding Operator, the company supports off-premise growth across roughly 500 domestic full service restaurant locations. Its portfolio of more than five dozen award-winning dining brands including Landry’s Seafood House, Saltgrass Steak House, Rainforest Cafe, Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. Morton’s The Steakhouse, and Del Frisco’s Double Eagle Steakhouse, among many others.
Rather than separating pickup, delivery and catering, Landry’s manages channels as a single operating model tailored to each brand.
“We manage it as an omni-channel operating experience,’ said Katie Walker Rankin, vice president of off-prem operations at Landry’s.“That’s because the guest experience and the kitchen execution standards are consistent, whether the order is coming in as a pickup order, delivery or catering. Execution is where off-premise is won or lost,” she added.
That work starts with clear brand standards and weekly leadership reviews.
Saltgrass Steak House
“While restaurants thrive on hospitality, we are a very data-driven company, so we are closely monitoring sales and their relationship to performance metrics at the unit level, such as guest feedback, accuracy rates (and) timeliness,” Walker Rankin said.
Walker Rankin highlighted consumer input as a means to adjust tools, technologies, and procedures, often using guest insight to tweak operations and help teams meet company standards.
“We are also very feedback driven internally,” Walker Rankin added. “My team and I have continuous dialogue with operators throughout the company, all levels of leadership, from the Chief Operating Officer to the restaurant managers and hourly level staff members.”
Third-party delivery is another major focus for Landry’s.
“Our third-party partners are an extension of our brands, so we have a very close partnership with them to maximize our performance, without sacrificing quality,” Walker Rankin said. “Data is a key component, so it’s important to us, as we partner with them, that they are able to be responsive and help refine the tools and reporting that they offer to us, including raw data. So, going beyond the standard report, the raw data allows us to analyse key metrics in ways that can be more actionable for us internally”.
That same strategy carries into marketing, where promotions and sponsored listings are used selectively across first- and third-party channels.
“Driving top-line sales through marketing can be very valuable, but we have to be careful to protect our margin,” Walker Rankin said.
Ultimately, the most effective method of driving sales, Walker Rankin said, is consistent execution for the customer, which remains a primary focus.
Catering has proven to be a key innovation area, with menus evolving based on customer demand, as well as insight from partners and others winning in the category.
“When we first launched catering, it was at the height of the pandemic,” Walker Rankin said, referencing COVID. “Our first catering menus were traditional buffet-style serving. Then, through pilot tests and based on industry trends, we’ve experienced the value of offering individual meals and right-size bulk packaging offerings.”
Looking ahead, the company continues to monitor ways to improve and adapt to the times.
“Our biggest challenges are integration gaps with some of our manual workflows, downtime that creates silent revenue loss, accuracy and refund pressure that hits the margins,” she said.
In terms of broader off-premise adjustments, Walker Rankin said the company is working toward a hybrid delivery model with strong marketplace execution to drive reach and improve the first-party experience.
“Off-premise is continuing to evolve, but it’s being shaped by higher consumer expectations for speed, for intuitive ordering and loyalty, while operators are navigating tighter delivery economics and a bigger need to control the brand experience,” Walker Rankin said.
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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