Restaurant chain cojean makes leap into digital with Flipdish technology

Founded by Alain Cojean in the year 2000, cojean is a healthy and upmarket restaurant chain, operating a number of outlets around Paris as well as several in London. This international restaurant chain specializes in high-end nutritious food, with an extensive menu including salads, sandwiches, soups, fruit juices and hot dishes.

cojean has developed an excellent brand and reputation, known for healthy recipes, including organic, vegetarian and vegan options. So it’s very much on point with modern-day culinary trends, complemented by a strong social media presence.

Along with this, the business has a strong social conscience, as outlined in its values. Every season, about 40% of their menu is suitable for vegetarians. And it gives back to society in a very real way, with 10% of its profits going to the “nourrir aimer donner” (“feeding, loving, giving”) charitable foundation. The foundation aims to fight poverty and contribute to the sustainable development of the poorest communities worldwide, notably by working on improving access to drinking water and food.

cojean is built on the values of good health and transparency within the fast food industry. Now operating a total of 36 outlets between France and the UK, it has succeeded in retaining these core values while growing to an impressive scale.

“Our Instagram communications have worked well, with the account gaining thousands of subscribers during containment” Stéphane Jitiaux President of cojean

Taking the brand digital

While the brand has scaled, until recently the business had yet to fully leverage digital to its advantage. With the arrival of COVID-19 throughout Europe in early 2020, they were also forced to close their doors for dine-in due to the lockdown measures. So the case for introducing online ordering was compelling and urgent.

They needed a system capable of reflecting their brand image online, where customers could order conveniently and directly from cojean rather than on food delivery marketplaces, while feeling safe making online payments.

They were also determined to cut down waiting times across their locations and provide a superior customer experience. As a large restaurant chain, cojean needed a robust and reliable system with which they could streamline their operations across multiple locations as efficiently and securely as possible.

During the pandemic, cojean launched its very first online ordering system with Flipdish, rolling out both pick-up and delivery services.

The Flipdish ordering technology was embedded on the existing cojean website and CSS was used to provide another level of customisation.

There was a progressive introduction of the service during May and June. cojean customers can now order click & collect or delivery on their branded websites or Flipdish-powered mobile app, which is available on iOS and Android.

Immediate Results

The business began to see results almost immediately as digital orders grew rapidly. Soon after the launch, delivery and collection via the website and app were already accounting for over 10% of the business’s total turnover.

cojean found the implementation quick and simple, with support from the Flipdish France team throughout the onboarding process.

“It seemed relevant to us to go faster because ordering online makes it possible to limit the waiting time in the restaurant. Flipdish helped us achieve this feat,” said Yoan Laigle, Director of Information Systems at cojean.

“Flipdish helped us to install our first mobile app and online ordering system within just a month or so. I have a portal to keep track of all orders while updating their status, and another to geo-track our delivery bikes,” added Laigle.

As the lockdown lifted cojean began reopening its outlets for in-store customers, while continuing to offer online ordering for click & collect or delivery in tandem with dine-in.

They regularly promote their digital ordering options to drive awareness of the service among customers on their websites and social media.

“Our Instagram communications have worked well, with the account gaining thousands of subscribers during containment,” said Stéphane Jitiaux, President of cojean, who expects the new digital offering will be a long-term success.

With a blend of traditional and modern customer experiences, cojean has seamlessly integrated the Flipdish online ordering technology into its restaurant operations across the group, reaping the rewards of the transition to digital in increased sales and customer satisfaction.