Thainabox use online ordering to stand out from the crowd
When Thainabox restaurant chose to open it’s doors on the golden sands of Sydney’s Bondi Beach, Australia in 1998, it felt right at home.
Sixteen years, four more stores and a food truck later, Thainabox is a well known quick service restaurant name in New South Wales. Adam Elchakak, owner of Thainabox, talks about their journey to success and how online ordering has helped to set them apart from other Thai restaurants in New South Wales.
Origins and locations
Thainabox opened it’s first store to Bondi beach locals in 1998. The business was bought six years later by Adam, taking over all existing stores. Adam and wife Alia got to work and began exploring ideas on how to take Thainabox to the next level.
Today there are five stores in New South Wales. Along with the original Bondi Beach store, there are now stores in Parramatta, Merrylands, Burwood, Neutral Bay, UTS and a food truck that roams festivals, events and markets around Sydney. Adam says the food truck has been successful in attracting new customers and exposing the brand to a wider audience.
“We’ve received great exposure from the Thainabox food truck. The food truck allows us to get to people who haven’t tried us before.”
How has online ordering improved business for you?
Adam was recommended Mobi2Go from a friend who works in the hospitality sector. When the stores went live with online and mobile ordering a year ago, Adam’s perspective on the business completely changed.
“Before online ordering, we were operating as a restaurant/takeaway business. There is so much more potential now. We didn’t realise how much potential we had until we launched with Mobi2Go.”
Moving into the quick service dining space has been a positive move for Thainabox. The new service model is more in tune with their customer’s lifestyles, and the business has become more efficient and profitable.
“We serve a lot of business people, and they want things to be quick and easy. Online ordering is more convenient for them, and our sales have increased too.”
Best bits about Mobi2Go?
Adam particularly values the increased order accuracy that’s improved with online ordering. Mishearing orders over the phone is a common problem, resulting in wasted time and bad customer experiences.
“We don’t get any orders wrong with online ordering. The order comes out exactly the way the customer wants it. It’s faster and there are no communication problems.”
To make life even easier, Thainabox chose to integrate their Aloha point-of-sale system (POS) directly with Mobi2Go. This means online and mobile orders are sent directly to their POS.
“Aloha POS and Mobi2Go tie in well together. Orders go straight from the web to Aloha, and there are no flaws with delivery orders. We’ve reduced customer wait times and complaints within the restaurant.”
What’s next in the pipeline?
With a new sense of purpose and potential, the future is looking bright for Thainabox. Adam owns all of the stores currently, but he’s looking to move into the franchising business model.
“There’s been lots of interest from people who would like to have their own Thainabox store in New South Wales. We’ve even had interest from people as far away as Norway!”
The food truck’s been keeping them pretty busy lately, but the next project on their list is developing their own loyalty programme for their customers.
“We love our base of loyal customers and we’d like to reward them.”
Thanks for reading. Mobi2Go is an online and mobile ordering platform made for the hospitality and quick service restaurant industry. Used by businesses in over 300 cities around the world, Mobi2Go is generating millions in monthly revenue for clients.
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