To Meet Needs of Busy Families, Farm Stores Introduces Convenient Online Ordering App for Customers

Founded more than 60 years ago, Farm Stores has long served as the go-to the neighborhood grocery store, bakery and quick-service restaurant, providing families with a unique shopping experience where they can purchase fresh products without ever having to leave their car. Today, there are more than 70 locations throughout Florida, and generation after generation of customers have come to rely on the brand’s convenience when it comes to stocking up on pantry staples.

Franchise expansion

In 2014, recognizing the uniqueness of the Farm Stores model, Carlos Bared, the brand’s CEO, and his brother Maurice, who serves as the brand’s Chief Operating Officer, decided to introduce the concept to an even wider audience through franchising. And through that decision, they realized it was time to bring the 60-year-old brand into the 21st century to better cater to the evolving modern family and their increasingly busy schedules. For the Bareds, that started with introducing better technology into Farm Stores’ day-to-day operating systems—and that starts with introducing a mobile app.

“We’ve always catered to the busy, working moms, and we realized there was a way to make our convenient concept even more convenient. What if we introduced an online shopping experience—with real-time inventory and pricing on a location by location basis—so that these on-the-go families can save even more time by pre-ordering their items on their phones,” Maurice Bared said. “We realize how precious time is as lives get more and more hectic.

A mobile app enables customers to tap into their closest location, so that by the time they drive up to the window, Farm Stores has their order expedited and ready to go. They can drive in, drive out and get on with their lives in a matter of minutes.”

New technology rollout

In the coming months, the brand will be rolling out a new cloud-based POS system that’s integrated with a mobile app. The app is store-centric, meaning customers are able to search through a specific stores’ inventory before placing an order. Customers will also be able to place their orders online before picking them up at their neighborhood Farm Stores, or even have their orders delivered to them. Lastly, the brand is giving the outside of its locations an enhanced and upgraded look.

The new app is just starting to hit the brand’s locations—a handful of stores are currently utilizing the new technology, with two more stores set to launch the program this summer. Going forward, the Bareds expect that this technology will add more revenue to its franchisees’ bottom lines.

“The introduction of this new technology isn’t just beneficial for our consumers—it’s also beneficial for our business owners. By utilizing the latest technology that’s designed specifically for the Farm Stores brand, they’re able to tap into a new group of consumers,” said Bared. “Our new app is going to help franchisees grow their businesses and reach new customers, ultimately fueling the brand’s future expansion efforts.”