Business Goal

Transform Pilot from being primarily known as a fuel stop into a reliable, convenient food destination by launching Mobile Ordering & Order Ahead directly in the Pilot app. The initiative aimed to:

• Establish brand awareness on the platform, engaging customers while establishing first-time transactions and becoming loyalty members.Grow food & beverage sales through first-party digital channels
• Improve convenience and order accuracy for guests on the road
• Reduce dependency on third-party delivery commissions while still leveraging marketplace reach
• Create repeatable, scalable store workflows for consistent guest experience across locations

Background

Pilot’s early digital success came through third-party delivery platforms (DoorDash, Uber Eats, Grubhub). These partnerships helped build foundational practices around:

• Menu & modifier structuring
• Bagging and labeling workflows
• Basic staging / pick-up coordination

However, first-party Mobile Ordering introduced new requirements:. Guests, not delivery drivers, would be picking up orders.

This shift required:

• Creating brand awareness in-store that coincides with app experience
• Clear pickup signage and location flow
• Standardized bagging and condiment workflows
• Defined refund and exception handling
• Training & adoption support for store teams

Additionally, menu expansion beyond pizza into hot deli, grab-and-go, wings/tenders, and cold case offerings increased order complexity — making operational consistency essential.

Role

Business Stakeholder & Digital Product Management, I connected Product + UX Design + Store Operations + Support + Consumer Insights to ensure the mobile ordering consumer experience worked both digitally and operationally.

My goal: create a seamless and reliable end-to-end experience, from the digital interface to the final pickup.

Core responsibilities:

Project required working closely with:

• Marketing
• Product & UX Design
• Product & Engineering
• Operations Excellence & Field Teams
• Food & Beverage Leadership
• Customer Support
• Consumer Insights
• Guest Services

Business Insight

We were already running third-party delivery through DoorDash, Uber Eats, and Grubhub — which gave us mental models to work with.

Delivery surfaced operational patterns:

• Missing condiments which caused instant guest frustration
• Bagging process was not effecient which slows pickup
• If pickup isn’t signed clearly guests feel lost
• Refund handling must be consistent to maintain trust
• Drive website and app traffic, build brand awareness

Instead of starting from scratch, we built Mobile Ordering on top of what worked — and improved what didn’t.

Mobile Ordering wasn’t meant to replace delivery — it complemented it:

• Delivery drives reach.
• Mobile Ordering drives loyalty, margin, and repeat behavior.

Customer Experience

Established a welcome offer experience that converts intent into action by rewarding users at the exact moment of sign-up.

Problem’

Traffic does not convert users not loyal members. Guests lacked an immediate, tangible reason to create an account. Adoption of the app was also a concern as guests are introduced to new behaviors.

Strategy

New users are promoted to download the app and join the loyalty program to unlock a free slice of pizza, the offer saves to their account once the account is created, and is redeemable before checkout.

Customer Engagement

Bring a clear value proposition t entry points, making sure several entry points are accessible. This allows them to Join the program, save the offer, and redeem at checkout.

• Reward immediately when added to checkout to reduce friction
• Redemption at checkout reinforces behavior and perceived value.

Outcome

The flow transformed loyalty from passive concept into active, non- loyalty members into reward members, with a value driven experience. Converting anonymous traffic into registered users, increasing first-order transactions, establishing early habits that support long-term retention.

Third-Party vs Mobile Operations

Each platform has its own personality—different user habits, interfaces, and technology. We had to recognize those nuances and adjust our approach so the experience felt seamless no matter where guests ordered.

Market & CX Research

We looked at how other brands handle customization, pickup, and fulfillment. We grounded decisions utilizing mental models from our competitors:

We also performed observational store walk-throughs, time studies, and Food Business Partners ride-alongs to understand:

• Prep rhythm
• Team communication during peak hours
• Space constraints by store layout
• The “mental load” of bagging vs. serving walk-in guests

Insight: The product can only succeed if the workflow is fast, clear, and repeatable under pressure. Guests want food ordering to feel effortless and predictable.

Operational Enhancements

Created fulfillment standards to reduce complexitity and elevate the guest experience. The enhancement had business and guest impact. These standards create ease of operation for the team members and elevated experiences for the guest.

Condiment Standards

Guests care about condiments more than we think. Missing condiments = instant frustration.

Solution

• Created a condiment pairing matrix for every menu item
• Introduced pre-built condiment kits for simpler pack-out
• Added visual prompts at the assembly station

This alone reduced refund requests tied to “missing item.”

Example of condiment offerings:

• Packets: Ketchup, Mustard, Mayo
• Dips: Ranch, BBQ, Honey Mustard, Blue Cheese

Example of condiment by category:

• Whole and Sliced Pizza: Crushed red pepper, Parmesan cheese
• Chicken: All packets and dips

Bagging & Label-First Workflow

Before mobile ordering, every store bagged differently — which meant guests sometimes couldn’t tell which order was theirs.

Solution

• Standardized bag size
• Implemented a label-first workflow
• Created visual pack-out diagrams (especially for hot + cold orders together)

This improved speed, consistency, and guest confidence at pickup.

Pickup Zone Signage

Pickup only works when you know where to go.
We designed clear signage and recommended placement by store layout, so guests never have to ask.

This reduced counter congestion and supported staff during peak hours.

Refunds & Guest Feedback Loop

Created a structured feedback loop with prioritization and a follow up system to field ops team and product teams for improvement.

• Inputs: Support tickets, app feedback, field manager reports, refund data
• Analysis: Identify patterns (e.g., condiments missing at open, pickup signage creates low visibility)
• Action: Deliver workflow and UX + communication updates
• Validation: Field test → rollout → reassess

This allowed Mobile Ordering to improve after launch, and not become stagnate.

Solution

• A repeatable system to convert guest and field feedback into product and operational improvements.

Inputs Used

• Guest support tickets
• App and store signage usability feedback
• Food Business Partners surveys
• Menu performance and refund analytics trends

Outputs Produced

• Menu configuration simplifications
• Condiment pair defaults added to packs
• Pickup signage moved to higher visibility zones
• UX naming and layout improvements

Outcome

• Continuous improvement driven by real behavior, not assumptions.