During the restaurant industry’s most trying times, Original ChopShop – an emerging brand featuring protein bowls, salads, sandwiches and fresh juice – hit the accelerator at top speed, solidifying its status as a best-in-class brand.
Instead of backing down when the pandemic forced dining rooms to close in Dallas and Phoenix MSAs, the young, promising brand created innovative ways to “Fuel The Well-Being” of its communities and team members.
“When many brands slowed down and were just trying to survive, we quickly put a plan in place that would move our business forward and immediately began executing that plan,” says Jason Morgan, CEO of Original ChopShop. “Our sales were down 80 percent during the first few weeks of the pandemic, but that did not deter us from finding ways to thrive. We quickly realized the pandemic gave us a unique chance to build additional trust with our guests by providing a safe experience and helping them put food on the table during their time of need. We immediately enhanced our health and safety practices and created different ways to make our ‘Just Feel Good Food’ easily accessible.”
Original ChopShop debuted curbside pickup within 48 hours of dining room closures, offered family bundles at an affordable rate and helped its guests by selling essential grocery items. The brand was also among the first to take donations for local healthcare professionals, providing almost 2,000 meals over the course of six weeks.
The exponential increase in online delivery orders during the pandemic also gave the brand the opportunity to test internal delivery drivers. There are now plans to launch a full fleet of Original ChopShop drivers later this summer. This will not only allow the team to better control the quality, speed and safety of off-premise orders, but it will also extend Original ChopShop’s ‘Just Feel Good’ experience into the homes and offices of its guests. Now that dining rooms have reopened, Original ChopShop has increased its already strict health and safety procedures so guests can enjoy a safe in-Shop experience.
In addition to building goodwill with its guests, Original ChopShop committed to doing the same for its team members. During the entirety of the pandemic, the company kept every general manager and assistant general manager employed with no reduction in pay and paid 100% of their periodic manager bonuses. In addition, the brand implemented wellness checks and distributed safety equipment to its employees to ensure a safe working environment.
“We did right by our team even when the industry faced unprecedented challenges, and our team in turn has continued to provide a great experience to our guests,” Morgan says. “Our actions and strategic initiatives have generated positive year-over-year same-store sales growth over the last several weeks, and we expect that trend to continue through the rest of 2020. Our unit growth has also continued with the opening our 15th Shop this week in McKinney, Texas, adding 30 new jobs to the market.”
Original ChopShop provides a warm, welcoming place where guests “Fuel Their Well-Being” with flavorful food that’s “Chopped-in-Shop” daily with real, quality ingredients. The menu includes delicious protein bowls, salads (“chops”), sandwiches, fresh juice, protein shakes, acai bowls, breakfast items and parfaits. The team at Original ChopShop is proud to offer customizable food for “Every/Body,” providing a variety of dietary-friendly items for adults and children, including food free of gluten, dairy, lactose and soy, along with vegetarian and vegan options.