But first, they had to settle on a name that would encapsulate both its Italian heritage and its Brooklyn roots. “Broccolini is what Italian-Americans originally called Brooklyn back in the day,” explained Giuseppe. “I thought calling my restaurant Broccolino would be a fun twist on that history.”

Since 2013, Broccolino has been feeding hungry Brooklynites, tourists, and even the Brooklyn Nets homemade Italian classics. One favorite is their well-known Cavatelli Il Broccolino, a fresh pasta dish that features homemade sausage and broccoli rabe. “People come to us for our Cavatelli,” said Giuseppe. “We don’t just buy pre-made items and resell them. Instead, we transform a variety of fresh ingredients into our homemade dishes.”

Direct online ordering was the next step for Broccolino

Giuseppe always believed the future of the restaurant industry was in delivery and takeout, which is why he made sure his restaurant was listed on the Grubhub app. 

“Grubhub was one of the most important ordering platforms in New York,” Piazzolla remarked. “When I first opened my restaurant, I made sure I had Grubhub turned on.”

Beyond offering delivery and takeout through Grubhub Marketplace, Giuseppe wanted to provide his customers an avenue to order takeout and delivery directly from his website. So he turned to another online ordering provider to build Broccolino’s online ordering site. 

But when using this other online ordering site, Giuseppe quickly realized he was missing out on fundamental features. “That online ordering provider didn’t give me the chance to personalize my online ordering site by including menu item photos,” he explained. 

“They only provided me with a basic online text menu. But I knew how important it would be to have my online ordering site include menu photos and feel like my restaurant.”

Around that time, his Grubhub Account Advisor contacted him and introduced him to Grubhub Direct.

Building an online ordering business with Grubhub Direct

After some work with his Account Advisor, Giuseppe was able to get his Grubhub Direct site up and running smoothly. “It was very convenient for me to switch my online ordering site over to Grubhub Direct,” he explained.

One thing Giuseppe loved was the ease with which he could manage his Grubhub Direct and Grubhub Marketplace menus — it could all be done at once.

“The dashboard I use for Grubhub is very easy for me to use,” Piazzolla detailed. “I save time by making a change to my Grubhub Marketplace menu, and the system automatically applies that change to my Grubhub Direct menu.” 

The convenience of Grubhub Direct was not the only thing that Giuseppe valued, though. The access to his customer data inside his insights dashboard, along with the ability to run targeted promotions on the platform, were also unmatched in his eyes. “I always run promotions on Grubhub Direct,” he said.

Through the implementation of Grubhub Direct, Giuseppe has seen an influx of first-time Grubhub customers. Since adding Grubhub Direct to his business, 86% of Broccolino’s Grubhub Direct orders are from first-time Grubhub customers, which means Broccolino is expanding their reach through their own branded ordering channels while also continuing to reach new customers and drive loyalty on Grubhub Marketplace.  

Giuseppe plans to continue to invest in his online ordering strategy

It’s a lot of work to manage both an on-premise and off-premise restaurant business, so Giuseppe stays extremely busy like many other restaurant owners. 

Despite how busy he is, he knows how important it is to continue to invest his time and resources into building his online presence and promoting his Grubhub Direct site. In the future, he plans on using direct mailing and his Facebook page to promote Grubhub Direct to his loyal fan base.