Hopdoddy Burger Bar Embraced Disruption and Achieved Rapid Growth
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The fast-casual dining market has been exploding as of late. Fueled in part by the success of television shows such as Man Versus Food and Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives, the American public has developed a hunger for high-quality and creative alternatives to fast food.
It's been reported that the fast-casual sector has been the only corner of the restaurant industry which has grown its traffic over the last five years. In 2013, there were 19,231 restaurants designated as fast-casual in the US. By 2017 that number had grown to 25,118 locations, with another 200 popping up by the following year. Traffic has been climbing 3% as total US foodservice transactions have plateaued. And, while growth had slowed a little over the last couple of years, the market is still incredibly healthy within its industry.
One brand which has exploded onto this scene is Texas-born Hopdoddy Burger Bar, which has seen impressive growth thanks to its willingness to adopt disruptive technology and food trends.
Hopdoddy Burger Bar
The first challenge Hopdoddy wanted to solve was the issue of spooling. This phenomenon occurs when a restaurant's internet service goes down and card transactions need to be stored within hardware until the connection is restored.
The problem this causes is that, if the card would have been declined for any reason — expired, insufficient funds, etc. — the restaurant won't receive that information right away — often until after the customer has left. Spooling is a big enough problem for independent stores, but if the network of a large chain goes down, it can result in thousands of dollars of bad payments.
Exacerbating this issue is the increasing need for customer information to be kept secure. As the use of cash dwindles, the amount of data that restaurants need to store securely grows. Payment Card Industry (PCI) Data Security Standard (DSS) compliance and an ever-growing list of high-profile data breaches illustrate the importance of this.
To solve these problems, Hopdoddy partnered with Netsurion — a technology solutions provider that specializes in working with the fast service industry to improve connectivity and security. Through this partnership, Hopdoddy was able to install an automatic cellular failover system that would allow its card system to automatically switch all its card machines to a 4G LTE mobile internet service when its broadband goes down or is otherwise running inefficiently.
"Our accountants loved having reduced credit card declines because of the network being offline. It makes their job that much easier," said Manager of Information Technology for Hopdoddy Burger Bar, Jason Batten. "And our GMs love Netsurion because it keeps them from spending large amounts of time on the phone with tech support. It used to sometimes take multiple phone calls to various companies to even diagnose what the issue was, but now, our GMs can be in touch with Netsurion, via our tech support company, and the problem is addressed immediately."
Disruptive Food Trends
Innovative technology aside, Hopdoddy has also been making a name for itself thanks to its diverse and forward-thinking menu. Packed to the brim with delicious beef, chicken, and even fish burgers, as well as a mouth-watering selection of sides, there is something for everyone at Hopdoddy.
However, one way in which Hopdoddy has been exceeding expectations is with its selection of plant-based options. The market for vegetarian and vegan food has been growing rapidly as of late and the range of products now available for this sector has risen exponentially.
Once upon a time, vegetarians would have had to be happy with a single uninspired option on a restaurant menu, and vegans would have had to settle for a bowl of fries. Hopdoddy, however, has no fewer than three plant-based burgers on its menu and each demonstrates the same flair and creativity as its meatier options. Each comes as vegetarian as standard but can be made vegan with the addition of a plant-based mayonnaise and gouda-style cheese substitute.
Two of the burgers use the innovative Impossible Burger, one of a new generation of plant-based patties that have the appearance, flavor, and mouthfeel of the genuine article. Gone are the overly mushy and bland veggie burgers of old, and it's fantastic to see an innovative brand such as Hopdoddy Burger Bar making the most of these innovative and disruptive products.
Final Thoughts
Hopdoddy Burger Bar has broken into a highly competitive corner of the restaurant business. However, thanks to its willingness to think outside the box regarding technology-based issues and its adoption of the latest disruptive food trends, it has seen amazing success.
You can hear Hopdoddy Burger Bar's CEO, Jeff Chandler, speak at Future Restaurants 2020, taking place in August at the Hilton Austin, TX.
Download the agenda today for more information and insights.
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