Buzzworthy Brands is a weekly Restaurant Business feature highlighting revolutionary increase manufacturers that operators should watch. A fresh Buzzworthy Brands profile may be published each Thursday.
Buzzworthy Brands
The idea: Dos Toros Taqueria
The details: A 21-unit fast-casual burrito-and-bowl idea that began in 2012, centered in New York City. The chain additionally has stores in Chicago, with units ranging from 1,000 to 500 square feet.
The backstory: The chain prides itself on making the whole lot in-house (including hot sauces available via the bottle). It sources raised and antibiotic- and hormone-unfastened meats and GMO-loose tortillas and composts food waste.
Why it’s worth watching: Dos Toros’ sales grew 39.Nine% year over yr in 2018, consistent with Technomic records. The logo has an attractive social media presence. Its meme-crammed Pinto the Burrito Instagram account has more than 000 fans. In current years, Dos Toros has been constructing its catering software, developing from $one hundred twenty,000 in catering sales a yr (delivered with the aid of one custom tricycle) in 2012 to $five million in annual catering sales today—10% of the concept’s general sales, according to agency figures. It has engineered the catering application to be extraordinarily simple: Type in what number of human beings are being fed and while the meals are needed. Dos Toros delivers a 20-ingredient burrito bar that mimics the in-eating place enjoy. The operation is garnering lots of repeat enterprise from this version. Currently, 70% of the chain’s catering orders come from previous customers. Here are five growth-minded and catering-focused questions with Dana Vandagriff, Dos Toros’ catering director, and Marcus Byrd, the concept’s advertising director:
How did the catering program start?
Byrd: Catering passed off because we had an eating place, and people might call us and say, “Can I get a whole lot of meals?” We have been like, “Oh, yeah, we can make that work.” We had a tricycle that could hold meals for 15 human beings. The owner would ride the tricycle. Now, we do events for three 000 humans. The minimum we take now is the most we should suit on the tricycle.
Vandagriff: When they hired me (in 2016), the entire factor was building out this system. At that point, we were nonetheless quite reactive. We wanted to get to an area in which we have been proactive. We expanded the enterprise by 50% in the first 12 months. Logistics is my jam.
So, what were some of the early steps you took to streamline the catering program?
Vandagriff: You need to take out as many X factors as possible. When I started, there were quite a few X factors. There turned into loads that could go wrong. We have been declining customers each day. … We gave each employee entry to an Uber account (to make deliveries).
Byrd: We’re a challenger emblem, and that’s thrilling for us. But it would help if you decided what’s worth your funding. In 2012, we notion we wished for a catering truck. We’re in New York City, and that’s terrible funding. Uber lets us no longer have a physical vehicle.
