Modern Market Eatery Thrives as Top E-Commerce Brand in Restaurant Space

Modern Market Eatery continues to innovatively up its digital game to meet the growing demand for the brand's hallmark, scratch-made, wholesome fare.

The Colorado-based restaurant chain's relentless forward-thinking approach to e-commerce has enabled the fast-casual favorite to maintain momentum throughout the pandemic. In recent months, Modern Market has launched its franchise initiative and rolled out new technology initiatives to seamlessly deliver clean, nourishing, and delicious fresh food into the hands of loyal diners even faster.

Modern Market has spent the last few years leaning hard into technology, building a propriety digital ecosystem from the ground up. The latest e-commerce platform, which includes an updated web ordering design introduced two weeks before COVID-19 hit, further drives Modern Market's food-first mantra with a digital focus.

These days, Modern Market sees nearly 80% of its orders beginning through digital platforms, up from 60% pre-pandemic, noted Anthony Pigliacampo, co-founder of Modern Market, on a recent podcast episode of Modrn Business which explores business technology and lessons from leaders in franchising.

"It is a five-wall restaurant now. We've added this extra wall that is digital in e-commerce, and that means creating systems that are going to enable our franchisees to compete in this new world order," Pigliacampo says. "The reason our digital tools are superior is that they were built from the ground up—not layered on top of legacy technology, which creates inherent limitations."

A pioneer of the fast-fine movement, Modern Market has been disrupting the fast-casual industry since 2009, perfecting its processes to make scratch cooking quick, repeatable, and profitable—and now primed for franchising.

Fresh salads, grain bowls, toasted sandwiches, brick oven pizzas, and hand-juiced lemonades rule the menu, where everything is made with clean, sustainable, and ethically raised ingredients.

"Our food tastes as instagrammable as it looks and is better for you in every way," adds Pigliacampo.

Despite the setbacks of COVID-19, Modern Market has remained growth ready. The brand has resiliently managed to unveil a new franchise prototype, introduce new menu items, offer grocery boxes, and roll out a myriad of tech solutions, including enhanced contactless digital ordering, pay at the table, curbside, meal kits, an updated app, and guest rewards system. 

Modern Market's fully integrated tech stack removes the need for tablets and allows operators to fulfill orders from every digital channel seamlessly. The kitchen and dining room designs are set up to make delivery, catering, and pickup simple and easy to execute. The result has been an increase in sales and the fluidity of overall restaurant operations—and happy customers.  Guests enjoy a highly customizable experience on par with e-commerce-driven companies like Uber, Netflix, and Amazon. 

"Even if you come into our restaurant, you are using digital," says Pigliacampo, whose background is in design and engineering. "Our menu board system is linked to our main menu system, which is linked to our e-commerce and our photography, enabling menu items to be presented from end-to-end. This type of integration is the holy grail; it is how we strive to make our brand stay competitive and thrive in this ever-changing landscape. We have really thought about how we make that "fifth wall" as good as the other four. I think that is pretty unique in restaurant land."

With nearly 30 locations across Colorado, Texas, and Arizona, along with Denver International Airport and the campus at Notre Dame, Modern Market is on a mission to nourish happiness from the inside out. The brand continues to expand its footprint, recently celebrating the opening of two new Colorado locations. 

Are you ready to join the most innovative e-commerce brand in the restaurant industry? Visit modernmarket.com/franchise to learn more.

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