In a move designed to further strengthen its market presence and accessibility in the cities and neighborhoods it serves, Church’s Chicken announced it has successfully launched their Dealivery Program, a partnership with multiple third-party providers to make door-to-door delivery a reality for fried chicken fans in multiple markets across the country. In cooperation with DoorDash, Grubhub, Postmates, and Uber Eats, Church’s Chicken has already established delivery with more than 200 restaurants in various cities, and 450 additional restaurants will be activating delivery with third-parties by the end of August.
“Adding delivery has been a key objective for the entire Church’s system this year,” says Hector Muñoz, global chief marketing officer and executive vice president for the brand. “It ties directly into our brand promise of giving guests an abundance of choice, flavor, and variety at a fair price … now whenever and wherever our guests want to enjoy it.”
Church’s Dealivery Program is currently activating across all restaurants within the service area of at least one third-party logistics option. Restaurants served by multiple providers will allow guests to choose their provider of choice. Select Church’s locations in Atlanta, Las Vegas, Miami, and Phoenix have menus appearing with Grubhub, Uber Eats, and others since late June. Numerous other markets have followed close behind with DoorDash and Postmates throughout the month of July. Hundreds of additional Church’s restaurants will have delivery fully online by the end of August.
Both company-owned and franchised restaurants are participating, and many are signed on with more than one third-party partner to ensure accessibility to as many guests as possible and to allow guests to use the delivery service they prefer. In markets where the major players in the delivery service are unavailable, smaller, independent delivery providers are also being tested.
“Value has multiple meanings for our guests,” says Pete Servold, executive vice president of U.S. Operations with Church’s. “For Church’s, that has always meant never placing limits on what our guests enjoy most—real food, made by real people, at a really great price. Adding real convenience to that equation just makes sense.”
While the addition of delivery is certain to have a positive impact on sales for Church’s, both Muñoz and Servold were quick to point out that the decision was based on more than just dollars and cents. “Our markets are historically under-served, with few local restaurant choices, and many hard-working guests work long hours,” adds Muñoz.
“Delivery is an extension of our commitment to them … we aim to take the heavy lifting out of putting a hearty meal on the table,” Servold says.
The decision to partner with multiple providers was also driven with guest satisfaction in mind. “Because we make our chicken, biscuits, and other menu items in small batches throughout the day, guests get that ‘fresh-from-the-kitchen’ taste every time they visit. Having multiple delivery providers helps us avoid long waits on delivery due to too much demand on a single delivery service. It also makes it easy to scale up in response to demand for Church’s delivery or the growth of a single service in one location,” continues Servold.
Many of Church’s Chicken’s staple menu offerings will be available for delivery as each location comes online. Choices include Church’s famous fried chicken and Tender Strips, available in original or spicy varieties, Honey-Butter Biscuits, all sides—corn on the cob, fried okra, baked macaroni and cheese, Cole Slaw, Jalapeno Bombers—desserts, fountain drinks, and iced tea. Order minimums and delivery fees (if applicable) vary according to city and provider.