Phil Friedman knows a thing or two about growing restaurant brands. Before acquiring Salsarita’s Fresh Mexican Grill 12 years ago, he had already built a career as president and owning manager of McAlister’s Deli. When he took over Salsarita’s, a Charlotte-based, quick-casual Mexican chain now celebrating its 25th anniversary, he saw an opportunity to strengthen its catering program and make it a major part of the business.

“Catering has been in our DNA since our concept’s inception,” says Friedman. “It has proven time and again to be a great way to introduce the brand to a market.”

Today, catering makes up 20% of Salsarita’s total sales across 75 locations. But keeping that business strong takes more than just great food. It takes knowing what customers need, adapting to trends, and making smart decisions before the market shifts.

That’s exactly why Salsarita’s chose to partner with ezCater. In fact, Salsarita’s has been with ezCater for over a decade. Long before workplace catering became a mainstream strategy, Phil saw its potential — and the value of working with a workplace catering leader. “We’ve rarely seen catering sales improve where in-restaurant sales don’t follow,” he continues.

Over the years, this early investment in catering has paid off. While other off-premises dining channels have fluctuated, especially post-pandemic, Salsarita’s catering business has remained a steady source of growth.

Adapting to trends with ezCater

Phil has always been a firm believer in staying ahead of the curve. “I’m always interested in trends, what’s working, what’s not,” he says. “We’re all learning and adapting together.” That mindset became critical during the COVID-19 pandemic, when catering habits shifted overnight.

Before the pandemic, Salsarita’s had boxed lunches on the menu, but they were rarely used. Then, as safety concerns reshaped how workplaces ordered food, ezCater helped highlight a growing trend: individually packaged meals were in high demand. “We completely reversed ourselves and focused on boxed lunches,” Phil recalls. “And sister to that was selling trays of tacos and burritos when we could.” 

This ability to pivot wasn’t just a lucky guess. It was fueled by data. Salsarita’s uses ezCater’s dashboards and industry reports — like Feeding the Workplace — to keep a pulse on evolving catering needs.  

By analyzing order volume trends, workplace preferences, and emerging food formats, Salsarita’s has been able to make data-driven decisions that keep its catering strategy competitive and relevant.

Strategic partnership and communication

For Phil, ezCater is more than just a platform for orders — it’s a strategic alliance. “I like to think of suppliers and vendors as partners,” he says. “It’s very important to have mutual understanding of goals.” One of the most valuable aspects of this partnership is communication. Salsarita’s has regular check-ins with ezCater, where they discuss trends, share insights, and troubleshoot challenges together.

“When we need an expert, someone is brought in to help us see what’s happening in a specific area, so that lets us pivot to the situation at hand,” explains Phil. “ezCater’s knowledge has helped us in our overall catering evolution.”

That open line of communication extends to Salsarita’s franchisees as well. As a franchise-heavy brand, Salsarita’s relies on strong leadership to help individual locations succeed in catering. The insights gained from ezCater allow Salsarita’s to provide franchisees with the latest trends and best practices, helping them refine their catering strategies and drive more business.

This collaborative approach helps Salsarita’s stay competitive in the catering market, no matter how the industry evolves.

Marketing and brand awareness

Visibility is key in the restaurant business, especially in catering. That’s another area where ezCater has made a significant impact. By being part of ezCater’s platform, Salsarita’s benefits from national marketing efforts that help attract workplace catering customers.

“As ezCater has grown, its advertising power has become very important for us,” Phil says. “It’s a way for us to get our message out, and that’s really valuable.” ezCater’s marketing efforts — both through targeted campaigns and its broad platform reach — have helped Salsarita’s connect with more workplace catering customers and grow its catering business.

Economic impact and growth

“Catering is 20% of our business, but it’s a very profitable 20%,” Phil explains. It’s more than an extra revenue stream — it’s a major factor in restaurant success. Over the years, Salsarita’s has found that locations with a catering mix of 15-20% tend to have healthier unit economics.

“Catering utilizes downtime and keeps inventory moving, making for a fresher, better product for everyone,” Phil says. Instead of relying solely on in-store traffic, catering brings in large, reliable orders that help stabilize revenue and maximize efficiency.

Phil also sees ezCater as a key driver of this growth. “I think ezCater has become a real segment of the catering world,” he says. “It’s a reliable source of growth and volume, that’s for sure.”

Looking ahead

Phil has spent decades in the restaurant industry, but he knows that success comes from staying adaptable. “The ezCater relationship really lets us adapt to trends because they provide the research,” he says. “They let us know what’s going on in the catering world, and that helps us evolve.”

For restaurant operators looking to grow their catering business, Salsarita’s story offers a valuable lesson: catering is about more than just great food — being successful requires understanding the market, staying flexible, and having the right partners to support long-term success.

If you’re looking to expand your catering business, ezCater can help you reach more customers, streamline operations, and stay ahead of industry trends. Learn more about how you can grow with ezCater.