Farm To Desk
Bloomberg Businessweek|February 04, 2019

Fast-casual restaurants like Dig Inn are overhauling their menus and reinventing their kitchens in a pivot to delivery

Elizabeth Dunn
Farm To Desk

On any given weekday, millions of office workers descend on downtown streets in search of a decent lunch. At noon on a Tuesday in December, some have found themselves at Dig Inn on East 52nd Street in New York, in line for a healthful-but-hearty grain bowl. Four employees dish out portions of brown rice and Brussels sprouts as several others speed around the open kitchen, replenishing trays of wild salmon and charred chicken. Off to one side, six employees bustle around two banks of steam tables, frantically assembling an endless stream of desk lunches for the growing number of customers who decide not to make the trek. An open laptop displays incoming orders from three different delivery platforms. Every few seconds a digital klaxon announces the arrival of another order, giving the feel of a nuclear power station on the verge of a meltdown.

Scott Landers, Dig Inn’s 27-year-old director of “off-site” (delivery and catering), surveys the scene with barely contained torment as dozens of pink paper bags pile up on an aluminum shelving unit. In 2017, Dig Inn hired Landers, an MIT grad with a background in civil engineering, to rethink the way the company handles delivery—a segment of the industry that has grown faster than many restaurant groups can manage. At this location, it’s not unusual for 60 to 90 minutes to elapse from the time an order is placed to when it’s delivered. “If you look at Yelp scores for delivery vs. guests who come in, it looks like two different brands,” Landers says. Delivery orders score an average of 1.5 stars on Yelp, whereas Dig Inn’s overall rating is a 4.0.

This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

MORE STORIES FROM BLOOMBERG BUSINESSWEEKView all
Instagram's Founders Say It's Time for a New Social App
Bloomberg Businessweek US

Instagram's Founders Say It's Time for a New Social App

The rise of AI and the fall of Twitter could create opportunities for upstarts

time-read
4 mins  |
March 13, 2023
Running in Circles
Bloomberg Businessweek US

Running in Circles

A subscription running shoe program aims to fight footwear waste

time-read
3 mins  |
March 20 - 27, 2023
What I Learned Working at a Hawaiien Mega-Resort
Bloomberg Businessweek US

What I Learned Working at a Hawaiien Mega-Resort

Nine wild secrets from the staff at Turtle Bay, who have to manage everyone from haughty honeymooners to go-go-dancing golfers.

time-read
10 mins  |
March 20 - 27, 2023
How Noma Will Blossom In Kyoto
Bloomberg Businessweek US

How Noma Will Blossom In Kyoto

The best restaurant in the world just began its second pop-up in Japan. Here's what's cooking

time-read
3 mins  |
March 20 - 27, 2023
The Last-Mover Problem
Bloomberg Businessweek US

The Last-Mover Problem

A startup called Sennder is trying to bring an extremely tech-resistant industry into the age of apps

time-read
10+ mins  |
March 20 - 27, 2023
Tick Tock, TikTok
Bloomberg Businessweek US

Tick Tock, TikTok

The US thinks the Chinese-owned social media app is a major national security risk. TikTok is running out of ways to avoid a ban

time-read
10+ mins  |
March 20 - 27, 2023
Cleaner Clothing Dye, Made From Bacteria
Bloomberg Businessweek US

Cleaner Clothing Dye, Made From Bacteria

A UK company produces colors with less water than conventional methods and no toxic chemicals

time-read
3 mins  |
March 20 - 27, 2023
Pumping Heat in Hamburg
Bloomberg Businessweek US

Pumping Heat in Hamburg

The German port city plans to store hot water underground and bring it up to heat homes in the winter

time-read
3 mins  |
March 20 - 27, 2023
Sustainability: Calamari's Climate Edge
Bloomberg Businessweek US

Sustainability: Calamari's Climate Edge

Squid's ability to flourish in warmer waters makes it fitting for a diet for the changing environment

time-read
4 mins  |
March 20 - 27, 2023
New Money, New Problems
Bloomberg Businessweek US

New Money, New Problems

In Naples, an influx of wealthy is displacing out-of-towners lower-income workers

time-read
4 mins  |
March 20 - 27, 2023