Founded in 1950 as a family-run fish market in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Legal Sea Foods is synonymous with fresh, delicious seafood.
Adding its first restaurant in 1968, the chain became a staple in the Boston area for locals and tourists alike. Over time, Legal Sea Foods has expanded to 24 locations along the eastern seaboard.
Commitment to freshness & quality
Legal Sea Foods maintains its commitment to fresh, quality seafood and unwavering loyalty to customers and employees. The restaurant chain sources cold-water fish that is either “top of catch” (hauled onboard just prior to landing) or caught from day boat operators.
While the menu offers a wide variety of fresh seafood prepared in a number of ways, the most popular menu item is undoubtedly their clam chowder. In fact, this dish is so beloved that Boston has designated January 15 as an official ‘Chowda Day’ in the restaurant’s honor.
Expanding into digital
Like many restaurants, Legal Sea Foods had to shift operations dramatically during the pandemic. The first place they started was delivery.
Previously, Legal Sea Foods only fulfilled pickup orders by phone or in-person; delivery wasn’t even an option. However, with health regulations keeping employees and customers at home, they knew it was time to change.
They also knew that an online solution would help them reach a wider customer base – including their loyal customers who were now seeking the convenience and familiarity of Legal Sea Foods delivered to their door.
The restaurant selected DoorDash to ensure that the quality of the delivery food would be just as good as the food served in their restaurants.
A commission-free online ordering solution
Legal Sea Foods found that DoorDash Storefront would help the restaurant achieve its goals. An online, commission-free solution (2.9% + $0.30 credit card processing fee), Storefront allowed customers to order pickup and delivery directly on the Legal Sea Foods website. The ordering experience looked and felt just like the Legal Sea Foods customers had grown to love.
We had to offer delivery of our food. It was what folks needed at the time. It was what we needed to sustain our business as well. So we chose to go with DoorDash because we knew that DoorDash had the brand recognition and existing guest base — we were building this from scratch.
We want [guests] to think of our takeout and our online Online Ordering as part of our brand experience, as part of the authentic Legal Sea Foods experience. It was very clear off the bat [that guests] thought our Online Ordering was ordering from Legal Sea Foods’ own delivery service.
Embracing gift card technology proved profitable
Customers had often expressed frustration that they weren’t able to redeem Legal Sea Foods gift cards online. An added benefit of Storefront was the solution to this problem.
Through Storefront’s integration with loyalty and gift card platform Paytronix, Legal Sea Foods customers were able to redeem gift cards online with ease and convenience, proving to be a win/win solution both for customers and the restaurant’s bottom line. Cocce stated, “We want to encourage them to get gift cards so they can use them however they want. It’s just making their experience that much better and more seamless. That’s why we were so excited when this came out.”
The average order value for gift card transactions was 23% higher in comparison to non-gift card orders during the first three months following the Storefront integration. Gift cards helped the restaurant retain customers by encouraging repeat business, while also bringing in new customers.
9.6% increase
in sales month over month
23% higher AOV
for gift card orders compared to non-gift card, after 3 months
Sales began to tick up right away. Legal Sea Foods saw a 9.6% sales increase during December 2022 compared to the previous month. And despite accounting for less than 2% of the transactions, gift card orders accounted for nearly 3% of the total order value over the same time period.
Overall, the restaurant has been pleased with the outcomes and the positive customer experience. “More than anything, it’s just making their journey and their experience with Legal Sea Foods that much better and that much more seamless,” said Cocce.
Ready to get started? Learn more about Storefront, included in every DoorDash partnership plan. If you're interested in signing up for the integration with Paytronix, please contact your Storefront representative.
