How Grégoire's Catering Program Amplifies Its Business Model

Grégoire, a franchise renowned for its innovative and French-inspired cuisine, continues to make waves in the fast casual world, and its catering program is a great example as to why. As the Grégoire brand has continued to perfect its business model over the past 21 years, catering has become an integral part of its operations, offering a multi-revenue-stream opportunity for franchisees and a go-to choice for customers.

To start, the Grégoire menu, with its emphasis on seasonality, competitive pricing and top-quality ingredients, is perfectly suited for catering, whether it's a corporate event, a family gathering or a last-minute party. But Grégoire's catering program is not just about providing food for events — it's about offering flexibility, consistency and top-notch quality.

“The customer can call you the day before a party and you can have the catering ready the next day — it is super flexible,” said founder Grégoire Jacquet. “We use the same ingredients for catering as we do for our standard menu. Really, there is no reason for customers to say ‘no’.”

This adaptability has made Grégoire the go-to choice for many customers in a pinch. "Last week, a customer sent me an email saying that he was in a pickle,” said Jacquet. “The caterer who was going to do the party couldn’t make it, and I said, ‘Sure, no problem.’ This level of commitment ensures that Grégoire remains top-of-mind for customers thinking of catering.”

But what truly sets Grégoire apart, Jacquet says, is its consistency. "With Grégoire, customers can have amazing flavor, delivered quickly, every time — it will be exactly the same as they would get if they were ordering a meal in the restaurant," he said. This reliability, combined with prompt communication and invoicing, makes the entire process seamless for customers.

Of course, catering is not without its challenges behind the scenes, Jacquet says. "Catering is not easy. When you have normal operations, you just have to think about buying the product and preparing it, but with catering, there are a lot more operational logistics to consider,” he said.

Luckily, just like Grégoire has made the process as easy as possible for customers, the brand has also streamlined the catering program for franchisees. The secret ingredient, Jacquet says, is the brand’s unique culinary hub-to-store kitchen model, which leverages preparation and distribution centers for the fresh, housemade ingredients that make Grégoire stand out.

Franchise location staff simply build the dishes the culinary hub has prepared, utilizing the Grégoire Culinary Hub software system to guide essential functions such as production, availability, delivery, invoicing and more. This streamlined process will make franchisees’ jobs easier, giving them the freedom to completely focus on the customer and engage with the community.

“We handle all the food preparations as a franchisor,” said Jacquet. “As a franchisee, you just have to tell us how many sandwiches you need or how many salads, and it will be delivered the next day. Our culinary hub is never further than two hours away from each location we open. It really makes catering a breeze — you don’t have to worry about how much chicken you need to serve 200 people. We will take care of that for you.”

All of these factors explain why catering service accounts for nearly a fourth of all franchisee revenue across the Grégoire system. Jacquet says there's potential for that number to be even higher depending on the specific store.

"It is really up to the individual franchisee on how much they want to focus on catering,” said Jacquet. “If you want to thrive in that space, we can help you, but you have to go after it. Once you satisfy the customer and show them that you are a great option for catering, they will always come back. You have to cherish and love your catering customers, just like you do your walk-in customers. If you do that, catering can be a rewarding and lucrative aspect of the Grégoire franchise opportunity.”