feature / ONLINE ORDERING The Online Game If you still are resisting online ordering, you're making a big mistake STORY SCOTT ANTHONY PHOTOS JOSH KEOWN "My phone's ringing and my wait staff does just fine taking orders, so why add online ordering?" It's a question I've heard numerous times. The Big Three pizza chains process nearly 15 percent of all of the pizza industry revenue via their digital platforms. In the last 10 years, the pizza industry has been reshaped by technology deployed by major chains and new independent ordering platforms that are readily obtainable. "But I'm not a 'Keeping up with the Joneses' kind of business. I like the personal touch and talking with my customers." Okay. But you also like staying in business, right? Operators in rural areas seem to mani- 4 8 / P I Z Z AT O D AY. C O M / J A N UA R Y 2 0 1 7 fest a reluctance to change for varied reasons. While this is understandable, famed Hungarian businessman Andy Grove observed that "Complacency breeds failure." It's time to get over yourself. That line of thinking was valid a decade ago. I asked my married daughter, a Millennial, if she ever ordered dinner online. The answer: "Absolutely!" Today, online ordering isn't about copying industry leaders - it's about giving customers an ordering option they desire. Think of it like accepting bank cards: 20 years ago I could run my business without that payment option. Today, I'd never make it. The consumer has spoken. Digital and online ordering is growing 300 percent faster than dine-in ordering. The revenue flow is dramati-http://www.PIZZATODAY.COM