Odd Duck Increases Annual Sales by $500,000 Using Toast Go™

Founded in 2009, Austin-based Odd Duck has transformed from a food truck to an upscale, full-service restaurant. In the midst of rapid growth and critical changes, the team never lost sight of their vision of creating modern dishes with local ingredients.

"We are a seasonal farm-to-table restaurant," says Cory Neel, General Manager. "100% of our menu, from top to bottom, is sourced locally."

To accelerate their success, the team found a reliable business partner in Toast POS and utilize Toast Go™ handheld devices to improve turn times and delight guests.

Driving Sales Through Decreased Ticket Times

Prior to using handheld technology, Cory grew concerned over the unreasonable wait times his guests experienced. 

"Before we had Toast Go™, we were losing a lot of people to wait times," Cory explains. "Typically, for a table for two, on a Friday night, wait times were anywhere from an hour and a half to two hours."

After making the switch to Toast Go™, Cory noticed a stark decrease in ticket times.

"With Toast Go™, we found that our turn times, for every category, dropped anywhere from 30 to 45 minutes per table," Cory says.

Odd Duck's ability to serve more guests every night directly translated to an equally impressive increase in their sales volume.

"Now that we're using Toast Go™, we're running an additional $500,000 a year in sales," Cory says.

Improvements in Employee Retention

In addition to seeing operational improvements with table turns and guest wait time, Cory also noticed the positive impact that Toast Go™ handhelds were having on his staff. The increase in tip amounts his servers have been receiving has created more incentive for his servers to stay - a crucial advantage in an industry with such high employee turnover.

The handheld devices show suggested tip amounts to guests as they pay. This prompts them to tip more than they normally would. More tables served and larger tip amounts per table have led servers of Odd Duck to see their paychecks skyrocket.

"One of the biggest things in keeping servers in the building is having a job where they know they can pay their bills," says Cory. "The tip increase we saw with the Toast Go™ devices astounded me. From 2016, when we were running Aloha, to now, our servers are making anywhere from an extra $6,000 to $7,000 a year in tips."

Combined with a management-level focus on creating a healthy working environment, this increase in tip amounts has been extremely beneficial for Odd Duck's retention.

"Being happy where you work, coupled with making really good money, has made our employee retention amazing," he says.

Handheld Devices Fostering More Interaction with Guests

With handhelds utilized on the floor, Odd Duck's servers now have the ability to spend significantly more time in their sections, interacting with diners.

A key factor behind this, Cory states, is the fact that servers can send orders immediately to the kitchen without having to step away to enter them into a stationary terminal.

"It allows us to better serve the guest and to be more attentive to the guest," Cory explains. "We're in their section, and we're making eye contact with them pretty much for the duration of their meal. It has an immensely positive impact on guest interaction."

With guests, servers, and management happy, Toast Go™ handhelds have created the perfect momentum to continue pushing Odd Duck to new heights.