Janik’s Cafe has been with Grubhub since the beginning. When owner Felippa Janik heard about the new restaurant marketplace back in 2011, she eagerly decided to give it a try, interested in what the new development in restaurant technology had to offer. Over a decade later Felippa is still embracing new developments in the restaurant industry with Grubhub by her side.

Janik’s Cafe brings a unique twist to a diner, pairing traditional Latin American and Polish dishes with American comfort classics. This Chicago cafe has been a staple to the Wicker Park neighborhood for 20 years. Janik’s Cafe has stuck with what they know best: homemade breakfast and lunch.

Growing a community restaurant

When Felippa and her husband Wayne first sought out to open their restaurant in 2003, they wanted it to be woven into the community. Starting a family business wasn’t easy, but the couple was able to make a name for themselves in Wicker Park. Their homemade soups (and specifically their delicious lime chicken soup) have kept customers coming back for seconds year after year.

Janik’s Cafe uses their own delivery drivers, opting for a self-delivery partnership. With Grubhub, Felippa can easily connect with her customers to tell them the status of their food. Felippa uses Grubhub to adjust her delivery boundaries to ensure that the quality of her food is protected.

“To me, Grubhub feels like my own website,” Felippa said. “When people order through Grubhub, I don’t want the food to look or taste bad. I have the power to control the quality of my food because of adjustable delivery boundaries.”

Relying on third-party support during the pandemic

Like most independent restaurant owners, Felippa was looking for creative ways to keep her business afloat during the pandemic. Janik’s Cafe’s partnership with Grubhub allowed the restaurant to double down on delivery while in-person dining wasn’t available. Felippa also turned to adding alcohol to the menu, using Grubhub Marketplace to advertise her latest offerings. The momentum Janik’s Cafe gathered from Grubhub has carried on today, helping the diner become a community staple.

“Grubhub has helped us grow our business,” Felippa said. “Word of mouth is one thing, but having customers go onto Grubhub to find us and then sticking with us works for my restaurant.”

Now, Janik’s Cafe is about 70% take out and delivery.

Building a food delivery partnership restaurants can trust

A major operations priority for Felippa at her restaurant is making sure her orders are accurate and the order process is efficient. Janik’s Cafe’s vibrant diner menu gives customers many options to choose from, but with more options comes more chances for special requests. 

That’s where Felippa turns to the Grubhub for Restaurants portal to manage adding requests to orders. Food quality control at Janik’s Cafe begins long before an order is sent out for delivery. It starts when a customer places their order, where Felippa and her staff are committed to meeting her diners’ requests.

“We have the access to add whatever cost we need to when a customer adjusts an order,” Felippa said. “It’s very easy to make the changes to make sure the pay is correct. It’s very convenient.”

The easy customization tools on Grubhub for Restaurants give businesses the power to optimize their offerings, increasing customer satisfaction.

“With other third-party providers there isn’t someone there responding to us when we have issues,” Felippa said. “There’s no way to contact the driver if they’ve already left our restaurant. There’s no way to add extra items if a customer requests it.”

Janik’s Cafe’s excellent customer service is reflected in their Grubhub reviews. The restaurant has earned over 2,500 high ratings on Grubhub, averaging 4.5 stars. The proof is in the pudding:

• 95% of customers said Janik’s Cafe’s food was good
• 97% of customers said their food was delivered on time
• 94% of customers said their order was correct

Personalized care for independent restaurants

Felippa’s ability to integrate her POS systems to specifically cater toward both her customers’ requests and her kitchen’s needs has helped her business thrive. Her Grubhub Account Advisor has guided her restaurant to run promotions that capture new customers. With consistent support, Janik’s Cafe has become a local success on Grubhub.

“The customer care at Grubhub is always there,” Felippa said. “You always have someone who is knowledgeable there for you.”

Felippa relies on Grubhub promotions to send fliers to repeat customers and promote her own online ordering. Launching promotions gives diners more incentive to place an order, leading to higher order averages and repeat customers.

About 30% of Janik’s cafes’ total online orders come from Grubhub. To Felippa, this has proven the high financial return her cafe gets from their partnership with Grubhub. 

The 15% charge we have with Grubhub is nothing compared to what we would have to pay to do our own marketing. You have the ability to solve problems with customer care. The price is very reasonable.

Felippa Janik, Owner of Janik’s Cafe

As Felippa reflects on her two decades running Janik’s Cafe, she is grateful she took a chance on Grubhub years ago. Looking into the future, Janik’s Cafe is still on the cutting edge of restaurant innovation, incorporating digital ordering to their brick and mortar location.

“Grubhub’s marketing support gave us the ability to not only improve deliveries, but also get more people to come into our restaurant,” Felippa said. “It’s made a difference.”