Highlights — TLDR

1. High-End Sushi Experience: Ryu, established in 2008 in Canada, offers a sophisticated Japanese-inspired dining experience, focusing on high-quality, sustainably sourced ingredients.

2. Evolution in Takeout and Delivery: Initially offering nightly 10-15 takeout orders, Ryu has now expanded to 50-80 orders, emphasizing the growth in off-premises dining. They began delivery in 2019, further scaling operations during the COVID-19 crisis.

3. Integration with Deliverect: Ryu utilizes Deliverect to integrate with third-party delivery apps like DoorDash and Uber Eats. This integration simplifies order management and enhances efficiency in the kitchen.

4. Operational Efficiencies and Cost Savings: With Deliverect, Ryu has streamlined its processes, reducing the need for manual order entry and separate app management, resulting in significant staff cost savings.

5. Enhanced Customer Experience Off-Premises: Despite the shift to more off-premises orders, Ryu maintains its distinctive dining experience through custom-designed, recyclable takeout bento boxes, ensuring the brand’s unique presentation is extended to home dining.

Ryu Sushi is taking delivery to new heights with Deliverect

Ryu has been offering high-end sushi as part of a sophisticated Japanese-inspired dining experience since it opened in 2008. The Canadian brand is part of a larger restaurant group, alongside sister brands Livia Café, a coffee and matcha bar, and Ayla, a brand-new Mediterranean restaurant.

“Eating at Ryu means enjoying a fine dining experience at a premium location,” says Jorge Da Silva, Director of Restaurant Operations. “At Ryu, we continuously strive for excellence. We prepare our dishes with the highest quality standards, using fresh and sustainably sourced seafood and other ingredients. Ryu has developed an excellent reputation because we care about quality and deliver originality and attention to detail in a unique setting.”

Scaling delivery operations with Deliverect

Ryu, which means ‘dragon’ in Japanese, has been offering takeout since the beginning, so it has seen the evolution of off-premises dining firsthand. According to Jorge, the restaurant would do around 10 to 15 takeout orders a night in the early days, whereas today, the average number of orders ranges between 50 and 80 a night. “Takeout has taken on a whole new level,” he explains. “We also started with delivery around a year ago, in 2019. In light of the COVID-19 crisis, we have started scaling, getting on more applications to increase our visibility.”

“When we reopened in April, we signed up with DoorDash and Uber Eats, and although we were able to manage our delivery orders, we soon felt that we needed to simplify the way we work. Cluster, the point-of-sale system we use at Ryu, told us about Deliverect and how they integrate with third parties like Uber Eats. That’s how we came to join Deliverect!”

“Deliverect allows us to be more efficient - which is crucial for a busy restaurant like us. Before, we were punching in orders, rushing, and double-checking for mistakes. With Deliverect, orders print in the kitchen and on bills. It saves time, manpower, and labor while simultaneously simplifying things.”

"Deliverect enables us to modify our delivery schedule, so instead of updating every app on its own, we can just go through our Deliverect account."

—Jorge Da Silva, Director of Restaurant Operations

Cutting costs and ramping up efficiency

“Previously, we had one person solely on the phone and another working with the delivery apps,” Jorge continues. “That’s all in the past. From an operational point of view, saving staff costs in times like these is so valuable. And once restaurants fully reopen, it will take time for people to get used to dining out and feeling safe again. That’s why investing in delivery and in simplifying the delivery process is a decision we are happy to make.” 

“Deliverect enables us to modify our delivery schedule, so instead of updating every app, we can just go through our Deliverect account. And it’s the same for menu items and descriptions: I add them once for each language, and they will sync to all the different platforms”

According to Jorge, delivery adds a valuable channel for Ryu. “Now, we can serve even more customers that we wouldn’t have been able to because of the limited capacity in our restaurants. The only difference is that now some of our orders are off-premises… But that doesn’t mean you miss out on the Ryu experience! Our custom-designed, recyclable takeout bento boxes reflect our brand personality, and they’ll change how you eat sushi at home, making it a fun and exciting experience.”