Little Caesars finds some new smiling faces!
“At our lowest, we were down to 20 people and I believed the customer experience was in real jeopardy,” owner Brian Wood said, “Now we’re back to about 30.”
With more customers becoming vaccinated and COVID restrictions being lifted, Little Caesars was caught in a familiar place among restaurants – more customers, but fewer employees to serve them.
“We’re so blessed to have the overwhelming support from the community,” Wood said. “In large part, our customers have been very patient with us.”
Anyone who has visited Little Caesars in Navarre on a busy Friday night can see these hard-working young people at their finest.
“They hustle, they work hard to get every order out quickly and correctly,” Wood said.
He calls it the “Show.” There is a lot of verbal communication that happens any given night. Acronyms for pizzas are called out to be made, as well as requests for completed orders.
The crew functions like a well-orchestrated offense for a football team, calling out plays and audibles.
“I am so proud of my crew here, they rise to the occasion every time” Wood said.
The newest members of the crew have caught on quickly he adds, and he continues to work with them to sharpen their customer service skills. Little Caesars in Navarre wants every customer to have a world class experience when they come visit them. They try to go the extra mile for every customer, even offering to bring their order right to their car if they desire.
Customers can now choose delivery when they place their orders online via LittleCaesars.com or DoorDash.com or use their innovative Pizza Portal Pickup which is an industry convenience game changer. Customers place their pickup orders online, then using a three-digit confirmation number or QR code can open their portal door and receive their pizza all while skipping the front counter. It’s super convenient and so easy parents send their children inside to retrieve the family meal.
“Delivery helped us tremendously during COVID,” Wood said, “and it continues to grow exponentially for us!”
DoorDash partnered with Little Caesars exclusively in early 2020 and gave Little Caesars a delivery option, something they weren’t able to offer customers before.
Recently, corporate Little Caesars brought back the Pretzel Crust Pizza to the delight of their most loyal customers and gained some new fans of that specialty pizza, too.
Little Caesars’ willingness to be innovative yet value-focused gives them an advantage over their competitors.
“We’re always going to be the best value in pizza, and products like the Pretzel Crust and upcoming Stuffed Pepperoni Cheese Crust pizza will keep customers excited about our brand,” Wood said.
Keeping prices affordable, innovative products and offering exceptional service are cornerstones in any business and Little Caesars in Navarre strives to achieve these all the time.
“It’s not easy, balancing the cost of labor right now and keeping prices affordable for our customers,” he said. “I have to pay my employees before I pay myself, and that has been the case so far in 2021. My wife’s teaching salary keeps us personally afloat during these lean months.”
However, Little Caesars in Navarre believes the best is yet to come and is looking forward to summer 2021.
“I have the best crew in pizza that work here!” Wood said.
Starting in June, Little Caesars in Navarre will begin their summer hours which will be 10:30 a.m. till 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 10:30 a.m. till 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday.
Wood wants to thank his longest-serving employees that have been with Little Caesars for over a year: *Jakob Hughey, *Kendall Bridges, *Harley Furlong, *Carson Smith, *Allyson Wood, Rebecca O’Roarke, Lou Jaime, Dean Gilbert, Julian Castleberry, Hannah Johnston, Dana Eaddy, Emily Reeves, Jordyn Smith, Emily Yaccarino, Mark Arceo, Michael Moretz, and Colin Wood.
- = since Opening Day
Little Caesars
8162 Navarre Parkway, Navarre, FL, 32566
(850) 684-1014
Hours: Sunday-Thursday 10:30 a.m. – 9 p.m.
Friday-Saturday 10:30 a.m. – 10 p.m.