Food Terminal customers can purchase and pay using the restaurant website. This applies to dine-in, takeout and delivery. Wendell Brock for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Credit: Wendell Brock
Credit: Wendell Brock
Then came the pandemic, and everything slowed down.
“In the beginning, it was very, very hard,” said Ewe, 30, a Georgia Tech grad with a degree in chemical engineering, who, along with her sister Rachel, helps manage the family’s restaurants. “At its worst, sales was like 5 percent, barely, of what it used to be. It was really scary.”
The Food Terminal on Marietta Street was closed for two months before reopening. Wendell Brock for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Credit: Wendell Brock
Credit: Wendell Brock
The family kept the Chamblee Food Terminal open for takeout, but closed the Marietta Street store for about two months, which gave it time to implement some new products and processes.
Now, customers can purchase and pay using a single platform: the restaurant website. This applies to dine-in, takeout and delivery. For sit-down guests, it eliminates the need for physical menus, and minimizes staff interaction.
However, the automated feature hasn’t been as popular as Ewe envisioned. “You’d be surprised how many customers still prefer not to do that, and just have a server serve them,” she said. (I suspect customers who opt to go back to restaurants during a pandemic do so, in part, because they crave human interaction.)
Food Terminal also introduced a greatest hits collection of $7.95 frozen meals (available from the Chamblee location only), and partnered with a new delivery service, Roadie, which will carry food as far as 100 miles.
Food Terminal in west Midtown asks customers to don masks. Wendell Brock for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Credit: Wendell Brock
Credit: Wendell Brock
With these improvements, Food Terminal has been able to bring its sales back to about 60 percent of the pre-pandemic figure.
Meanwhile, Sweet Hut has made some changes, too. Previously, customers used tongs to place pastries on a tray, which a cashier would then ring up and wrap; now, everything is pre-packaged. This ensures the food is hygienic, hastens checkout, and helps the baked goods stay fresher longer.
Ewe may be a company exec, but, when she wants her morning latte with cheese foam and a Portuguese egg tart, it’s how she rolls. “I place an order, and, when I get there, it’s ready. I’m like, ‘Thanks, guys. Have a good day.’”
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FOOD TERMINAL
Menu: Malaysian
Alcohol: yes
What I ordered: tossed noodles with six-hour beef; nasi lemak with curry fried chicken; Cheese’N Cheese; wonton soup. I picked up my order at the west Midtown store, and it was the takeout of my dreams — nicely packaged, truly delicious.
Service options: dine-in, takeout or delivery via ChowNow, UberEats, DoorDash and Roadie
Safety protocols: follows standard CDC guidelines
Address, phone: 5000 Buford Highway NE, Chamblee; 678-353-6110. 1000 Marietta St. NW, Atlanta; 404-500-2695
Hours: 11 a.m.- 9 p.m. Sundays-Thursdays. 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Fridays-Saturdays
Website: foodterminal.com
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