The changes in consumer behavior during the pandemic caused Chef Matt Baker — whose company 101 Hospitality operates Washington, DC fine dining restaurants Gravitas and Michele's — to reconsider his approach. "There was a lot of craziness happening in the market, and in the world, at the time," Baker said. But he was sure about one thing: delivery would need to become a larger component of his business.
He spent a fair amount of time crafting a to-go menu that made sense for Gravitas (which earned a Michelin star in 2020 and 2021). "I had a lot of apprehension about trying to do Michelin-quality food in to-go vessels," he admitted. "I tried to envision a menu that represented ourselves, our stories, and where we're from."
To his surprise, customers loved the new takeout offerings. "It was a hit, and we had tons of success with it," he said. "It was very rustic, humble cooking. People were raving about our soups, our sandwiches, our prepared meals. That's where the notion came to me, that maybe we could potentially stand it up on its own."
And in a happy twist of fate, the space across the street from Gravitas became available.
Bringing a speciality fast-casual concept to life
In August 2020, he opened Baker's Daughter, a boutique all-day cafe designed with convenience and quality in mind. Named in honor of his newborn daughter, the cafe harnesses the seasonal bounties of the Chesapeake region with a menu of breakfast items, prepared meals, specialty coffees and juices, and house-made baked goods.
With delivery as a key component from the beginning, Baker saw DoorDash as a natural fit for his new restaurant because of its broad reach. "It just made sense for us to partner with DoorDash to elevate and grow the brand," he explained. "Coming from a fine dining world, third-party delivery is not common. We started partnering with DoorDash in 2020, and we've been a partner at all of our locations since then."
Today, Baker's Daughter has three locations in Washington, DC, with more openings planned for the future.
Delivery brings in incremental revenue
From the start, Baker saw operational benefits from partnering with DoorDash for pickup and delivery. His restaurant costs like rent, payroll, utensils, and ingredients are already fixed, so adding delivery didn't require additional upfront costs. "We already have the staff to make the food, so any additional revenue we can get in the door is beneficial to us and to the business," he explained.
DoorDash also minimizes congestion in their stores caused by takeout customers waiting to pick up their food.
"In our downtown DC location, on any given day from 9–11 am, there's generally a line. DoorDash alleviates that by adding revenue without having to add people to the line or in the store."
As of July 2024, 22% of Baker's Daughter's overall revenue comes from DoorDash. About 58% of their DoorDash sales come from new customers, with an average order value of $24.64.
Comparing July 2024 to the previous month, their DoorDash sales increased by 6% — demonstrating that Baker's Daughter is continuing to grow on DoorDash even four years into the partnership.
While DoorDash helps Baker's Daughter expand their customer base (their new customer sales grew by 11% from June to July 2024), the restaurant also uses the platform to encourage repeat orders. Sales from their frequent DoorDash customers increased 17% from June to July 2024, and from April to July 2024 they achieved an average monthly order frequency of 3.89X — meaning their loyal customers place nearly four DoorDash orders per month.
22%
of Baker's Daughter's overall sales come from DoorDash
58%
of Baker's Daughter's DoorDash sales come from new customers
3.89X
average monthly order frequency April-July 2024
Building brand awareness on the DoorDash marketplace
DoorDash Marketplace has helped to get the Baker's Daughter name out across the DMV (DC, Maryland, and Virginia) area. "You might not live next to Baker's Daughter, but if you're looking for something to eat and you're scrolling through your phone, you're going to see our name and what we offer," said Baker.
While Baker's Daughter restaurants are all currently in DC, Baker appreciates that delivery helps extend his brand footprint to customers across state lines: "Knowing that I can have a customer in Virginia place an order, and in 30 minutes have that order delivered to their house — that's pretty big for brand awareness."
To reach even more customers, Baker's Daughter runs Promotions and Sponsored Listings, or in-app ads, on the DoorDash platform.
"The ads are generally an 80% to 100% return on investment based off of our spend. It definitely works for us."
Optimizing the pickup and delivery experience
Baker finds ways to increase operational efficiency and discover more about his customers. Here are his tips for optimizing a delivery business:
1. Invest in the right takeout containers
Getting the right takeout packaging is a key priority for Baker, as it has a direct impact on food quality and the customer experience. "We're always trying to improve our to-go packaging and the containers we use to make sure they showcase our food in the best way," he said.
Some factors Baker considers are size, breathability, and ensuring containers are fully sealable to avoid spills. "You have to have the right container," he advised. "A sandwich can't be in a container that's too big, because it's going to slide around and fall apart. Toasted sandwiches should have a container that can breathe so they won't get soggy as they continue to steam inside."
2. Create a checklist for to-go orders
Baker emphasizes the importance of creating systems and processes that minimize miscommunication and increase order accuracy during the Dasher pickup process.
"To help orders be fully accurate, we have a two-person checklist to make sure nothing falls through the cracks," he said. "As we've gotten busier, we've added more staff to make sure that we can handle the delivery volume."
3. Elevate your delivery menu with photos and descriptions
The emphasis on takeout has also led to new insights about optimizing the delivery ordering experience. "Food photography and descriptions online are definitely something we've learned a lot about, and have really worked to implement on DoorDash," Baker explained.
He added: "For us, the ones that work best are clear pictures from overhead of the dish itself. We find that interactive photos, like someone holding a sandwich, don't always translate to what the dish might be." This technique is called flat lay photography and produces highly appetizing photos for menus and social media.
4. Drive upsells with menu customizations
Baker experiments with customizations and add-ons on his DoorDash menu, which help to increase order size. "We are constantly updating and trying to be smart about how we're building out menus on the platform," he said, such as filling out items for the "suggested add-ons" that DoorDash customers see during checkout.
"So if you order a sandwich, we give you the ability to add avocado or bacon," Baker noted. "Customizability is what customers want, and the $2 or $5 here and there really start to add up."
"The biggest advice I'd give is just be thoughtful and take the time to set up your DoorDash page properly, with all of the right descriptions, photography, and modifiers. Get it fully built out before you go live, so that you can showcase your brand in the best way possible from day one."
Tweaking the menu is another area of obsession for Baker: "We're constantly tinkering with new dishes. Every month we do specials, and we just added a lot of new menu items: an orange cranberry scone that's fantastic, an elevated version of a traditional pepperoni roll. We'll continue to talk to our guests and add to the menu and be creative."
Setting up Baker's Daughter for successful expansions
Even as a busy entrepreneur, Baker makes time to reflect on his experience: "We took a risk, and rolled the dice by opening a new business during a very uncertain, crazy time. In the three to four years since then, it's been a really fun journey to see how Baker's Daughter has grown up. We've learned more about ourselves, about what our customers are looking for, and what our strengths are."
Baker will apply those learnings as he expands to new locations. "We have a new store opening in January 2025 and we'll continue to look for new sites throughout the DC market," he noted.
And as the business grows, Baker knows delivery will play a central role. "It's always been my goal to continue to grow our online delivery business," he said. "We're looking to boost as much sales through DoorDash as we can."
If you're ready to expand your restaurant's footprint through delivery, sign up for DoorDash today.
