Running a restaurant in today’s world can be tough. Your team has to manage orders, menus, multiple locations, delivery, a website… it’s a lot to keep under control. Now, what if we told you that one passionate owner is operating his entire restaurant alone? And what if that restaurant got some of the best reviews in its city? Meet Aziz Hussein, sole proprietor of Detroit Grill & Smoothie Bar in Detroit, MI. What’s Aziz’s secret to success? He uses Otter’s Direct Orders to maintain his website, first-party delivery sales, and profit.
We recently caught up with Aziz to learn more about his passions and history in the restaurant industry. Spoiler alert: he’s one of the most ambitious – and resourceful – business owners we’ve ever spoken to. During our interview, Aziz discussed what first interested him about owning an eatery, and how he was introduced to Otter. He also described many of the challenges and benefits of running a restaurant single-handedly, and his thoughts on Direct Orders. Find out what makes Detroit Grill & Smoothie Bar a Motor City icon below!
Tell us about Detroit Grill & Smoothie Bar. What inspired you to get started with the restaurant?
Aziz: I’ve been thinking about owning a restaurant for the last three years. I’ve had friends in the industry. They had a lot of restaurants, and I gained experience from them. I took over Detroit Grill & Smoothie Bar about six or seven months ago – I found this business and bought it.
I’ll be honest with you – I used to be a cook before I bought this restaurant. I don’t have any experience with management. I’m still learning.
What is Detroit Grill’s cuisine like? What influences your menus?
It’s a Mediterranean restaurant. We have chicken kebab, fattoush salad, kafta chicken and beef, deboned chicken, shawarmas, hummus, tabouli, grape leaves, cream chop, and New York-style rice dinners with a special sauce. We also have Mediterranean salmon, a range of soups and salads, and lots of grill and fry options. We have a variety of smoothies, too. You can see them on our menu.
Why combine a grill and smoothie bar?
The old owner decided the name of the restaurant. I kept it when I bought it from him. I like it. It has a good name, and a good brand. I really like that – it has “grill” and “smoothie” in the title to easily share what we do. Very strong branding.
What first made you interested in Otter?
A friend of mine who owned a restaurant was using Otter, and I got lots of experience with it. I really liked the platform – it made everything a lot easier. It put everything together, and made it really easy to control. For my restaurant, I wanted to have all the [delivery] companies coming together. That would make things easier for me.
Which delivery platforms does Detroit Grill use? How does Otter help with them?
On my Merchant Portal, I have DoorDash, Uber Eats, and Grubhub. I like how you can put them together and edit everything for them, together or one at a time with Otter. Before Otter, the delivery person took a long time to pick up my orders. Now, they’re here in 10 minutes – at the most. It doesn’t take a long time at all. I really like that.
How do Otter’s solutions support your day-to-day activities?
They make it all very easy for me. I can do anything I want to with them. I’ll edit anything I want one time, like menu items or pricing, and it applies across the entire restaurant. I don’t have to change anything twice. If I want to add new customizations or items, I can do it easily.
How does Otter help your staff’s everyday tasks?
I only took over Detroit Grill & Smoothie bar six or seven months ago, and I’m still building my business. I’m working by myself in the restaurant right now. I’m handling everything, but I have one occasional employee. He really likes Otter. He says it makes everything very easy, too. It’s all really easy for us. We don’t have to deal with different tablets – it all happens with one tap.
Detroit Grill’s website was created by Otter. How did this happen, and what are your thoughts on the site?
The Otter team asked me if I wanted a new website, and I said, yeah, go ahead! They took, like, two days to make it, which was really cool. I’m really happy with it. I can share my website with my QR codes, too. I’m getting good customers and more profitable orders through the site.
Which of Otter’s other solutions does Detroit Grill & Smoothie Bar use?
I’ve got Order Manager and Menu Manager, too. I like that, when I have to edit something, I don’t have to go to DoorDash or UberEats’ manager. I go to Otter right away and change my permissions there. If I want to edit the prices of my menus, I can do them all at the same time. It’s pretty easy. It really saves my time.
What’s your favorite item on Detroit Grill’s menu?
My favorite dish is our chicken over rice, which is also our most popular item. I like all of our dinner items.
What are your plans for the restaurant’s future?
I’m focusing on my catering. I’ve already sent a menu to Otter that should be published on my website soon. I’m happy you guys are focusing on that – this is a great time to be in catering. It’s really good for the restaurant.
As the restaurant industry evolves, how do you plan to keep up and innovate?
I’m working really hard to build my restaurant. I’m not gonna lie to you: Otter has really helped a lot. I’ve had a lot of website visitors from Otter. They’re sending me customers from everywhere.
That’s what puts Detroit Grill & Smoothie Bar ahead!
Through Aziz’s hard work and willingness to evolve, Detroit Grill & Smoothie Bar remains one of the city’s most popular eateries. With a Direct Orders website, the restaurant is well-equipped to strengthen sales and profit – no matter where they’re coming from. Aziz’s dedication to providing his customers with great food and service is critical to his business’s success and reputation. Empowered by strong tech, Detroit Grill & Smoothie Bar is the perfect representation of what forward thinking can do in the restaurant industry.
🌐 Follow Detroit Grill & Smoothie Bar on the restaurant’s Instagram, Facebook, and website!
