Outback Steakhouse brings convenience to customers front door
Product Overview
North Star
The restaurant industry is constantly evolving, and it’s important to stay up-to-date on new trends and technologies. In this case study, we’re going to discuss how I helped spearhead the rollout of online ordering with the national restaurant chain Outback Steakhouse.
I was brought on board as the Lead UX Researcher and Designer, and my job was to oversee the end-to-end customer journey for delivery in online ordering. It was an amazing opportunity to work with Bloomin’ Brands, the parent company of national restaurant chain Outback Steakhouse, Carrabba’s Italian Grill, and Bonefish Grill. In this role, I was responsible for spearheading and overseeing the UX and Design of online ordering with the national restaurant chain. This case study highlights the challenges I encountered while spearheading the rollout of online ordering with Outback Steakhouse.
About Client
Bloomin’ Brands is a company that specializes in the fast-casual dining industry. They own several restaurants, including Outback Steakhouse, Carrabba’s Italian Grill, Bonefish Grill, Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar, and others.
02.
The Challenge with the Delivery Journey
To implement online ordering delivery capabilities, I first focused on defining a North Star. I identified three main areas of focus: ease of use, speed of service, and the ability to order from anywhere.
I wanted to make it as easy as possible for customers to find and order from their favorite restaurants, whether they were at home or on the go. I also wanted them to be able to do it fast—we know that when someone’s hungry, they want their food ASAP! Finally, we wanted them to be able to order from anywhere so they could get their favorite food wherever life took them—whether it was at home or out running errands.
Questioning the core assumptions…
As a digital strategist and UX researcher on this initiative, I began with a customer development exercise. By questioning the core business assumptions, we could establish a solid foundation that consisted of explicitly knowing what business assumptions were wrong, what was the customer’s problem, and what could be a solution. This resulted in us being able to identify a need, define a solution, and what basic features it would need to perform.
03. The workflow after Design thinking sessions…
04.
Leveraging the users to tell us who they are.
After this exercise, we had an understanding of the problems users faced when they came into our restaurant and how they wanted their experience to be different from what they were currently experiencing.
We then created personas based on these findings which helped us better understand our customers’ needs and expectations when coming into our restaurants. This informed us of what features we needed to make their experience as seamless as possible while also making sure that it did not take away from the authenticity of our brand or disrupt our current systems or processes for ordering or paying for food or drinks at any given location throughout our company’s network of locations nationwide within the United States alone
05.
The final verdict is in.
The solution would be an online ordering terminal that would empower users to select from the menu, choose their delivery date and time, enter payment information, and place an order. It will also allow users to track their orders and communicate with restaurant employees.
Customer Segments
Frequent diners between the ages of 25-60 who lived within a 5-mile radius of a franchise.
Problem
Customers can self-serve orders and enjoy lunch or dinner from Outback Steakhouse or Carrabba’s without leaving the comfort of their homes.
Solution
An online terminal that would allow customers to access the full menu, place orders online, and accept all forms of digital payment.
Value Proposition
It’s always a win when a restaurant can offer alternatives to the dine-in experience, such as ordering from the comfort of their home, as well as offering time-saving options for those customers who do not have the time to leave their job to grab lunch.
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