June 17, 2022

Tech to support omnichannel

What’s happening on the tech front? For those unaware Clover has been building our own tech since the first food truck (2009). We run our own order management system, Point of sale, Kitchen display system, and more. We have amazing programmers as a critical part of our team and they do magic.

One huge unexpected benefit of this set-up is that it’s allowed us to build and scale our meal box business and is supporting our move to what we call “omnichannel” — meaning that in the future we expect to sell through multiple channels, not just restaurants but delivery to your home, in offices and other institutions, and packaged products at grocery.

We made some quick changes in 2020 to facilitate the box program. You might notice if you download our app or direct your phone to order.cloverfoodlab.com that there is an icon there for the meal boxes. We added that. Added the ability to set delivery windows. Added the ability to set pick-up at the restaurants. We added subscription management. I think overall it could use a UX overhaul but it’s working pretty for the time being.

Our focus at the moment is on the back-end, making these things work more efficiently for our commissary operations and logistics teams. Our tech team is finishing up a recipe management tool. This is something we’ve avoided for years but we just can’t get any 3rd party tools to do what we want. So we’ve taken it on. We’ll have clear production lists based on orders coming in (e.g., kitchen will know they need to make 473 small stickered delis of hummus to service tomorrow’s home shipments plus 34 containers of hummus for the restaurants; and they will have the info they need to place precise orders for production 4 days from now).

We’re working to get all of the nutritional, allergen, ingredient information synced up to support the meal boxes. This is a big undertaking. We’ve made this stuff transparent for years for the restaurants but the boxes present a new level of technical challenge since they have so many items (and we change the items all the time). If you order a Taco Tuesday box from us next week it will be different from the one the following week. (If you haven’t tried the subscriptions you should! They may change your life.) We need to get every single ingredient and the nutritional information accurate for those. Very excited to say that we’re getting very close to having that all automated and synced in real time.

We’ve also been beefing up our logistics support. Drivers get optimized routes using a 3rd party software called Optimoroute (local company!) We’re making sure stickers printed for boxes line up nicely and that addresses are verified in the app before orders go through.

This stuff maybe not as exciting as talking about the dreamy Baja Sandwich that just returned to the menu, but it’s critical stuff to make everything happen efficiently.

Recent Posts

November 29, 2023
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November 28, 2023
These sweet potato latkes date back to early days on the Clover food truck. They’re so yummy and the sweet potatoes lend them such a fun golden color. They’re probably the most popular item in our Hanukkah Meal Box, which you can get delivered on December 7th. Inside the box you’ll find: 
November 21, 2023
Hope everyone has a great Thanksgiving. We will be closed Thursday 11/23 at all locations. For our kitchen team, it will be a good chance to rest after prepping a ton of Brussels casseroles for our Thanksgiving Box : ) As for the days surrounding Thanksgiving, we’ll be open normal hours, except for CloverFIN (Financial District) and CloverHSC (Harvard Science Center) which will be closed tomorrow and Friday. CloverHSQ (Harvard Square) will be closing early (at 8pm) tomorrow. 
November 16, 2023
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November 16, 2023
Some of you have been asking for a sides-only box – and it’s true, sides are the best part, aren’t they? We’re making a limited number of boxes with mashed potatoes, gravy, stuffing, cranberry sauce, and King Brussels’ Casserole. Each Sides Box serves 6-8 people and can be delivered to your door for 11/21 or 11/22. 
November 9, 2023
The moment you’ve waited for is here. Western Mass Brussels sprouts are back in the restaurants, which means the King himself has landed! What’s on this glorious sandwich and why is it the King of all seasonal sandwiches? A dijon-mayo spread, smoked Grafton cheddar, fried Brussels tossed with za’atar (a Middle Eastern spice blend), pickled red cabbage, and toasted hazelnuts.
November 6, 2023
On Friday we had a company meeting with all our leadership to talk about a decision we’ve made about the future of Clover. We are all focused on putting Clover on solid financial footing so we can continue to make the food you love for many years to come. COVID changed everything for restaurants like us. The way we eat, drink, work, and get together has shifted substantially and, while Clover has seen a steady recovery in sales…
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October 26, 2023
If you stop by tomorrow (Friday 10/27) around 11am, you might be treated to a bit of Clover history in the form of a carrot cupcake with buttercream frosting. One per paying customer, while they last! And they may not last long : )
October 26, 2023
A bunch of you have been asking, and yes, we are doing a Thanksgiving Box menu again this year, with all the favorites from years past – Hubbard Squash glazed with maple-Sriracha butter, mashed potatoes, gravy, Ayr’s dad’s walnut-mushroom patè, stuffing – there’s even a limited run of Petsi pies. Free delivery to your door if you’re within 30 miles of us. Click here to reserve yours.
October 22, 2023
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October 18, 2023
On 10/29 Clover will turn 15 years old. It’s been 15 years since we first pulled up a tiny white food truck to the MIT campus in hopes of testing a menu that could make a dent in global warming. Since then we’ve supported so many local farmers; had tons of adventures on board trucks and restaurants; and met tons of wonderful customers. And most of all we’ve made food. Lots and lots of food. In honor of our 15th birthday, we sent out a survey asking you about your favorite LONG-LOST MENU ITEMS. We’ve picked the top results and we’re going to bring them back for one day only – in the form of a Birthday Meal Box!