How CW Coop’s Went From Juggling Phone Orders to Thriving Online with ChowNow

CW Coop’s is a full service restaurant located in Angus, Canada, positioned near Base Borden, a Canadian military training facility, serving a unique community where about 70% of customers are military personnel. With such a high concentration of military clientele, CW Coop’s needed to be exceptionally reliable and efficient to properly serve their on-the-go customers.The restaurant is known for serving wings with over 100 sauce flavors to choose from.

When owner Jennifer Foster purchased the established business in 2019 from the retiring original owner, she immediately saw the need to modernize operations and expand their service offerings. What began as a traditional dine-in restaurant has evolved into a thriving business that seamlessly blends in-person dining with a robust online ordering system.

The Challenge of Limited Ordering Options

Before partnering with ChowNow, CW Coop’s faced significant limitations with their takeout operations. “When we took over the restaurant in 2019, they didn’t have online ordering. It was all just phone-ins and people picking up,” explains Jennifer Foster, owner of CW Coop’s.

The restaurant needed a solution that would let them reach more customers while also creating a more efficient system for managing takeout orders. They needed technology that would be easy to implement and maintain, especially as a newly acquired business.

Finding the Right Online Ordering Solution with ChowNow

“When we started thinking about online ordering, we didn’t even know where to start looking. This was six years ago, and things were not like they are now,” she recalls. After requesting information about ChowNow’s services, Jennifer quickly realized it offered everything they needed. “It was everything we wanted. So we thought, let’s do this.” 

“We got it completely up and running by December, and COVID happened in March. We just flawlessly kind of went into that, and it worked out,” Jennifer explains. This timing proved fortunate, positioning CW Coop’s to thrive during a period when many restaurants struggled to adapt.

Making an Immediate Impact

Implementing ChowNow transformed CW Coop’s business practically overnight. With online ordering in place just months before the COVID-19 pandemic hit, the restaurant was uniquely positioned to serve their community when dining rooms closed.

“During COVID, we were bringing in like $40,000 to $50,000 a month. It worked out really well,” Jennifer shares. To date, CW Coop’s has processed over $886,000 in sales through ChowNow’s platform, showing the substantial long-term value of their investment in direct online ordering.

The Power of Real-Time Platform Control

For Jennifer, one of the most valuable features of ChowNow is the ability to make menu and pricing changes in real time. “Being able to do it immediately is super great,” she says, explaining how this flexibility proved particularly valuable during the pandemic.

When the provincial government suddenly allowed restaurants to sell alcohol for takeout, Jennifer needed to quickly update their menu. After a brief tutorial from ChowNow’s support team, she was able to make these changes herself. “Since then, we’ve never had to call,” she explains, highlighting the platform’s user-friendly interface.

This control extends to day-to-day operations too. During a recent ice storm that caused power outages across town, Jennifer was able to quickly adjust their availability on the platform. “Then we lost power completely, so we shut it down. An hour and a half later, it came back up, and I turned it right back on.”

ChowNow’s reliability ensures that even when technical issues arise, orders still get processed. “Whether or not the internet’s working, somebody’s still going to get their order,” Jennifer says.

Building Long-Term Success

ChowNow has become an essential part of CW Coop’s daily operations. “I get all of the orders on my phone. I know what’s going on all of the time,” Jennifer shares, emphasizing how seamlessly ChowNow has been integrated into their business.