From social media to a mailed postcard or text message for a free birthday treat, Zaxby's restaurant franchise puts customer satisfaction and quality service in the front and center of its business platform.
"With our Kidz and Zaxby's club memberships, we get to connect on another level with our returning customers. It's great to be able to send them rewards in the mail and to recognize their birthdays -- especially the kids. We want them to be satisfied customers, as well," said marketing coordinator Brittney Hillegass.
The use of social media outlets helps Zaxby's to connect to the community through YouTube, Twitter and Facebook. There is a corporate account for each of these, as well as individual pages on Facebook for each location in Northwest Arkansas.
Zaxby's dedication to giving back expands from involvement in community fundraisers to the guest-appreciation, semi-annual Repeat Days.
"Repeat Day is another way for us to reward our guests. Our customers absolutely love it," Hillegass said.
The premise for the Repeat Days is surprisingly simple: Customers that visit Zaxby's on Repeat Days can bring that receipt back to the same store the following month and get the same order absolutely free. Repeat Days receipts are good for a one-time redemption at the same location for the exact same order that was purchased the previous month.
Repeat Days are scheduled for Sept. 24 at 1670 Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and Oct. 29 at 3251 North College Avenue in Fayetteville; Oct. 15 at 3510 SE J Street in Bentonville; and Oct. 22 at 400 S. Thompson Street in Springdale.
Menu items are prepared to order, and each of the five Zaxby's locations in Northwest Arkansas has a drive-thru window for added convenience. Customers can place their order at the inside counter, phone in the order to pick-up, order at the drive-thru speaker or or online at zaxbys.com.
To order online, customers select the Zaxby's Locations tab, then select the store location from which the order will be picked up. By creating an account, previous orders and preferred store locations can be saved for quick and easy ordering.
Online ordering is offered for regular menu items, as well as the cater-style options of Travel Paks, Zax Pax Boxed Lunches and Party Platterz.
Zaxby's Party Platterz feed 8-18 people and come on a ready-to-serve platter with garnishes and sauces. Platters also provide the flexibility of ordering up to four different sauces.
For a personal and individualized serving method, Zak Pak Boxed Lunches serves a choice from eight of the most popular menu items with a bag of chips, side of coleslaw and fresh-baked chocolate chip cookie.
Party-sized portions of the House Zalad, chicken salad, Nibblerz, Chicken Salad Nibblerz, sides and desserts are also available.
"Whether you're looking for individual meals or buffet-style catering, Zaxby's has it covered. We try to make these orders as simple as possible and if we have advanced notice, we will even deliver the order for no extra charge," Hillegass said.
The cater-style options are a popular choice for groups including business meetings and athletic teams.
"I have even met coaches in their school's parking lot and helped them pass out boxed lunches to the players on the bus before away games. They have enough to worry about, so we do what we can to exceed expectations and relieve some stress," she added.
The menu at Zaxby's highlights the originating recipes of chicken wings and tenders, and also offers salads, sandwiches, appetizers, cookies and milkshakes.
Zaxby's defies the notion that diners can't have their food both fresh and fast. Each order is made fresh and can be customized to the customer's preference.
Each piece of chicken is prepared on site with a house marinade, then breaded and cooked to order.
The thick-cut chicken tenders can be tucked between slices of Texas toast or roughly chopped and layered atop salads. The wings are available both traditional and boneless. One of the most popular menu items, Wings & Things, offers both wings and chicken fingers served with crinkle-cut fries, Texas toast, celery, ranch dressing and Zax sauce.
Zaxby's offers nine sauces in all -- Wimpy, Tongue Torch, Nuclear, Insane, Original, barbecue, teriyaki, hot honey mustard and sweet and spicy. Each is made from an original Zaxby's recipe, and in the early days, all sauces were made right in the store. As business grew, the same recipes were kept, but now the concoctions are bottled and shipped to each store.
Zaxby's also has gained notoriety for its freshly prepared salads. "Zalad" varieties include Caesar, bleu cheese with Buffalo Fingerz or blackened chicken, and House Zalad.
Side items and "Zappetizers" include onion rings, coleslaw, spicy fried mushrooms, fried white cheddar bites and thin-sliced fried potatoes.
Weekly promotions include 99-cent Nibblerz each Tuesday; four Meal Dealz and six cookies for $20 served 5-8 p.m. each Wednesday; and 99-cent kids meals with purchase of a chicken-finger plate or Wings & Things item 3-8 p.m. each Thursday.
NAN Dining Guide Cover on 09/12/2014