Cousins Subs has launched a new concept in an effort to improve its catering and delivery services throughout downtown Milwaukee.
The Menomonee Falls-based company on Thursday announced it has opened its first-ever delivery-only location, servicing customers as far west as I-94/43 and the Menomonee River Valley corridor, as far east as Lake Michigan, as north as East North Avenue, and as far south as East Howard Avenue.
That concept has taken over a 5,355-square-foot building located at 117 W. National Ave. in Walker’s Point. The company in March applied for a license to operate a food storage and prep site, but had declined to disclosed further information at that time.
“This approach allows us to utilize space in downtown Milwaukee to increase food production and offer full-service delivery without the guest-facing portion of a restaurant,” said Joe Ferguson, vice president of development at Cousins Subs. “We’re able to allocate more space and equipment for the kitchen area and focus on the fulfillment of large catering orders delivered directly to our guests’ homes or offices.”
The company plans to hire up to 18 hourly employees at the site. It will be operate daily from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Ferguson said the concept will operate at a lower cost, allowing Cousins to expand its hours of operation and allocate more resources for labor and delivery drivers.
The opening comes shortly after Cousins rolled out a third-party delivery service via its website and mobile app at 71 locations in Wisconsin and Illinois, with plans to launch that service at five additional locations by late June.
The company said almost 85 percent of its locations now offer delivery.
“As guest expectations continue to evolve in our industry, we’re committed to meeting consumer demand by expanding our delivery service to better serve the downtown Milwaukee market and beyond,” said Justin McCoy, vice president of marketing for Cousins Subs. “Through our third-party delivery partnership and delivery-only restaurant concept, our guests will have access to Cousins’ local eats with the touch of a button.”
Cousins Subs and its franchisees currently operate almost 100 sub sandwich shops in Wisconsin and Illinois.
