Zach Noren is on the frontlines of the industry’s biggest seismic shift. Before joining GoTo Foods in 2023, he spent four years at Uber Eats and Uber Direct, where he built and crafted domestic and global partnerships with McDonald’s, Five Guys, Shake Shack, Yum! Brands, Inspire Brands, White Castle, sweetgreen, and more. Also, he supported partnerships with online tech providers like Lunchbox, Olo, Checkmate, Toast, and others, to refine online ordering and delivering throughout the sector as the space continued to balloon in the wake of changing consumer preferences.
Those skills brought him to the restaurant side at GoTo Foods, the parent company of McAlister’s Deli, Schlotzsky’s, Moe’s Southwestern Grill, Carvel Ice Cream, Cinnabon, Jamba, and Auntie Anne’s. Today, he serves as Director of Off-Premises for the company, responsible for its efforts outside the four walls, from strategy to marketing to third-party delivery vendor relations and operations.
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He’s a constant on the thought leadership circuit as well, sharing insights on podcasts, webinars, and lectures at Northwestern University’s Transportation Center.
Come join Noren at this year’s QSR Evolution Conference, where GoTo Foods CEO Jim Holthouser is delivering the closing keynote. And if you’d like to be nominated as a QSR Evolution Innovator, you can do so here.
QSR magazine caught up with Noren to get his thoughts on the state of off-premises for restaurants, and what advice he’d give up-and-coming entrepreneurs looking to grow their restaurant careers.
Tell us how you started in the restaurant industry and what led you to your current role.
I am a big foodie and have always been fascinated by the QSR/FSR industry before jumping into this business. I got my start in the industry with Uber Eats in the fall of 2019 just before the COVID pandemic, when food delivery was just a tiny fraction of the business at Uber compared to the rides business. While there, I was initially responsible for overseeing and partnering with all restaurants in the Boston, market and optimizing the courier network. From there, I was promoted to Uber Direct, focusing on building and nurturing high-impact domestic and global partnerships with McDonald’s, Five Guys, Shake Shack, Yum Brands, Inspire Brands, White Castle, Sweetgreen, and many more.
Additionally, with the rise of first-party delivery and the resurgence of catering, I actively supported launching partnerships with several online ordering technology providers to ensure successful online ordering and delivery services for eaters worldwide. What led me to my current role at GoTo Foods was the opportunity to take seven iconic brands at a global platform company’s first- and third-party delivery and off-premises offering to the next level.
What does your job entail now?
Currently, I am responsible for the off-premises strategy, marketing, third-party delivery vendor relations, and operations for McAlister’s Deli, Schlotzsky’s, Moe’s Southwest Grill, Carvel Ice Cream, Cinnabon, Jamba, and Auntie Anne’s.
What advice would you give other technology-centric entrepreneurs hoping to grow their careers in this industry?
Build and create products for the issues and solutions that keep operators up at night! Cultivate relationships beyond your scope to understand how each intricate piece of the industry affects your day-to-day. The best place to do that is at conferences like QSR and participate in industry events and webinars to network and gain insights and new perspectives.
How would you describe the state of off-premises these days? What are some of the top whitespace areas and friction points out there?
Off-premises continues to evolve at breakneck speeds and is rapidly growing for restaurants and retailers. At the same time, we are starting to see the industry mature and become a viable growth channel for brands to actively invest in post-COVID. However, at the same time, significant regulations are coming into effect, which create a cause-and-effect reaction for operators and consumers. Accountability and data insights with the delivery service providers continue to be friction points today; it is improving from where it was two years ago, but some pieces remain. Regarding the whitespace areas, robotics, drone delivery, catering resurgence, and AI will continue to grow this industry and make it more efficient and sustainable economically for operators and delivery service vendors in the long run and benefit consumers.
What is one thing you wish you knew 10 years ago?
Aside from buying stock in Nvidia, I wish I had more trust in my capabilities and had pushed my younger self to step out of my comfort zone. Additionally, always be curious and never stop learning.