Chef Leah Cohen’s life experiences have transformed her into the chef she is today. Growing up in New York, Chef Cohen spent time in both her grandmother’s and her mother’s kitchens, helping to prepare Filipino and Jewish dishes.  After graduating from the prestigious Culinary Institute of America, Cohen worked her way through the hottest restaurants in New York, traveled across Southeast Asia, and made it into the final ten contestants in season 5 of Bravo’s “Top Chef.” 

Chef Cohen has brought her life experiences and culinary heritage alive in Pig & Khao’s Southeast Asian street-food-inspired dishes.

Pivoting Pig & Khao to serve customers through takeout and delivery

In March 2020, when COVID-19 hit and New York City shut down indoor dining, Chef Cohen knew she had to pivot her restaurant to be able to bring in revenue and serve customers through takeout and delivery.

The first step Leah Cohen took to pivoting her restaurant was adapting her menu.

“As a chef- ensuring quality is key,” said Chef Cohen. She adjusted Pig & Khao’s takeout and delivery menu to feature dishes that would travel well, and she searched for the proper takeout packaging that could preserve her food quality.

Once she had her menu and packaging perfected, Chef Cohen turned to Grubhub as one way to spread the word about Pig and Khao’s takeout and delivery options. “Grubhub gave us the ability to pivot and change our model,”  said Chef Cohen.

Finding success on the Grubhub Marketplace

Pig & Khao was not known for offering delivery and takeout, so building awareness with new customers and letting regulars know they were open for takeout and delivery was critical, which is why she chose Grubhub as one of her partners. “Because Grubhub has such a large network– we knew that we were making the right choice,” said Chef Cohen.

Since joining the Grubhub Marketplace, Chef Cohen has brought in additional revenue through takeout and delivery orders. “Most of our orders that we get go through Grubhub. It’s a great way to reach customers that we wouldn’t be able to reach otherwise,” commented Chef Cohen.

The future of the restaurant scene will include on-premise dining, takeout and delivery, and meal kits

Chef Cohen is optimistic that the restaurant scene will come back even stronger than before. “COVID-19 has changed how we think about getting food to people, ” she continued, “whether through takeout and delivery, offering meal kits, or in-person dining– we want to make Pig & Khao accessible to more customers.”

Pig & Khao has reinvented itself to serve customers through multiple avenues. They’ve partnered with Goldbelly to offer nationwide shipping of their meal kits, opened their restaurant for reservations, and even redesigned their kitchen to continue fulfilling takeout and delivery orders.

Before COVID-19, Pig & Khao featured an open kitchen in the dining room center. To adhere to COVID-19 health precautions, she’s built a structure to block off the open kitchen. This rebuild has also enabled her to expand her storage and create a packaging station for takeout and delivery orders.

COVID-19 has changed the restaurant industry. But innovative restaurateurs, like Chef Cohen, have found ways to reinvent their models so that they can serve customers no matter where they are, whether through on-premise dining, takeout and delivery meal kits.

Preparing for the future with Grubhub for Restaurants

Whatever your plan is for the future, Grubhub is here to help you adapt and grow your business.

Ready to reach new customers and grow your restaurant business? Get started with Grubhub today and boost your revenue with takeout and delivery sales.