Step up to the counter at Forest Hills Bagels and you’re guaranteed an authentic New York City experience. This family-owned bagel shop has been serving homemade recipes for over 25 years. Located in Queens, Forest Hills Bagels is known for their old-fashioned hand-rolled water bagels, as well as a selection of juices, breakfast dishes, sandwiches, and pastries.

Manager Luis Diaz has been leading this local favorite for over a decade. He strives to create a restaurant environment that is more than just serving great food, prioritizing friendly and quick customer service.

“We love serving the community,” Luis said. “We are all about our customers, they are very loyal. Without them, we wouldn’t be in business.”

Delivering bagels across boroughs with Grubhub

While Luis values his local walk-in customers, he knew that delivery was necessary in order to expand the business. Luis needed a delivery partner that matched his staff’s high level of service, so he turned to Grubhub.

Online ordering has taken off, but Grubhub has always generated the most orders for us. Everywhere you look in New York City you see Grubhub.

Luis Diaz, Forest Hills Bagels

“Online ordering has taken off, but Grubhub has always generated the most orders for us,” Luis said. “Everywhere you look in New York City you see Grubhub.”

Forest Hills Bagels utilizes Grubhub’s supplemental delivery to expand their delivery zone. Connecting with his Grubhub Account Advisor has empowered Luis to strategize ways to reach new customers.

“I’ve had a great relationship with my Account Advisor,” Luis said. “Every week we would look into what was working and what we could do differently.”

Monitoring success has been key to keeping up with dining trends. Forest Hills Bagels 

One avenue Luis has explored with Grubhub is creating ghost kitchens. Operating multiple restaurants out of one kitchen has allowed Forest Hills Bagels to appeal to different segments of customers and generate new sources of revenue.

“Each store is more than just one restaurant,” Luis said. “You just have to see it and use online ordering to your advantage.”

Boosting order volume with Grubhub promotions

You can find a fresh bagel on almost every street across New York City. To make Forest Hills Bagels stand out, Luis knew he would have to offer a better deal than his competitors. 

What’s Luis’ secret ingredient? Promotions. Forest Hills Bagels has received 80% of their Grubhub orders through promotion redemptions. Luis has this recipe down to a science, testing out different marketing tools to see what drives the most orders. On Grubhub, Luis has experimented with creating promotions for different items and different times. He launches campaigns for a few weeks, and then checks back to see their success.

“What grabs the attention of new customers or customers who don’t order anymore is a good deal,” Luis said. “Restaurants that offer percentage deals or money off an order grab my attention as a customer, so I know other customers will respond to it.”

The logic is simple: customers are more likely to place an order if they are offered an irresistible deal. Luis implemented this strategy on one of New Yorker’s favorite morning meals: a bacon, egg, and cheese sandwich. To stand out from the competition, Luis ran a discount promotion on this item.

“Early in the morning, people are looking for a deal,” Luis said. “Restaurants that have a special or a promotion are where customers are going to spend their money.”

Luis has also found success in using promotions to expand Forest Hills Bagels’ customer base.

“I wanted customers in a new area to get a taste of the quality of food we have, so I ran a promo there for three months,” Luis said. “We targeted certain areas we wanted to expand our delivery to by using promotions, and it worked great.”

At the end of the day, Luis’ main goal with promotions is to encourage customers to try Forest Hills Bagels’ delicious food. Testing out Grubhub’s marketing tools on different diner segments has helped him find his sweet spot and boost order volume.

“If I run a promotion that offers free coffee if a customer spends $20, they are going to spend that amount to get the freebie,” Luis said. “And in the end, they end up spending a little bit more.”

Growing a local restaurant with Grubhub

There’s no doubt customers enjoy ordering Forest Hills Bagels on Grubhub. The local business has earned a 4.8 star rating from over 5,000 reviews. While Grubhub has helped Luis expand the business and reach new customers, his dedicated staff are really what sets the restaurant apart.

“We’re more than just bagels,” Luis said. “Our welcoming employees and good energy is what keeps customers coming back.”

With Grubhub by their side, Forest Hills Bagels has expanded their exceptional service and menu across New York City. Adding promotions to their off-premise dining strategy has given customers more reasons to place orders, and Luis has seen this pay off.

“Whether it’s free delivery or a BOGO offer, promotions catch people’s attention,” Luis said. “For me, promotions always pay off.”

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Are you a restaurant owner looking to gain more customers and grow your business? Partner with Grubhub today to make your restaurant a community staple like Forest Hills Bagels.