How the Toast Branded Mobile App Helps Slim & Husky’s Look Bigger and Better Than Their Competition

Slim & Husky’s isn’t your standard pizzeria. For the founders and team, life is lived by the motto P.R.E.A.M. — pizza rules everything around me.

With ten locations and counting, Slim & Husky’s is a mainstay in Nashville, Atlanta, and Memphis. Their growth model is strategic, opting for locations on college campuses — particularly HBCUs such as Jackson State University and Morehouse College — as well as high-traffic hotspots like the Nashville International Airport. These locations let their fast-paced, casual, yet gourmet food shine while the hip-hop-inspired atmosphere creates a full experience from first order to last bite. 

At Slim & Husky’s, there are only two sizes of pizzas: Slim and Husky. It was an idea born from a long-running joke between co-founders and friends Clint Gray, E.J. Reed, and Derrick Moore. As kids, Gray and Moore shopped in the husky section of stores, while Reed was “slim” and free to wear just about anything. While the three always had the entrepreneurial mindset and business acumen, pizzas weren’t really the original plan… 

From moving furniture to moving pizzas

Before co-founding Slim & Husky’s, the Tennesse State University alums actually had another successful business: The Green Truck Moving & Storage Company. They built, grew, and sold the company for seven figures before starting their passion project, now known as Slim & Husky’s, in 2015. 

They saw the restaurant as more than just a chance to serve delicious food; it was an opportunity to give back to the community and neighborhood that made the three men who they are today. Gray counts opening the first location in his North Nashville neighborhood among the group’s biggest accomplishments. For them, the restaurant is a way to give back and empower their community, all while honoring Black culture and bringing it to life in new ways.

"At Slim & Husky’s, our brand is deeply rooted in the communities we serve as we strive to intertwine all cultures in our stores,” shared Courtney Gray, Director of Customer Experience. “With 10 thriving locations, our mission is to expand across the Southeast while strengthening our brand identity.”

“We decorate the spaces with work from Black artists and showcase Black culture a lot within the restaurants,” added Courtney. “Most of the pizzas are named after music.”

While pizza is at the core of the business, it’s not the only thing on the menu. Slim & Husky’s offers 12 signature pizza flavors, four cinnamon roll flavors, wings, salads, and stuffed cheesy bread. Plus, they serve a rotating selection of beer and wine crafted by their favorite local breweries.

Strengthening their brand with a mobile app

Slim & Husky’s didn’t start out with Toast, but they’re glad that they made the switch.

“We used Aloha before switching to Toast,” said Derrick. “That was our first app experience. When we switched over to Toast, Toast didn’t offer an app. But we were really happy with Toast and even happier now that there’s an app component.” He went on to say that an app was important to them: “We wanted an app. We knew we needed an app. We had looked at integrations, but sometimes it’s better to just go with one POS company that offers it all because integrations can be tricky.”

What attracted the restaurateurs to an app experience for its guests? Two things: convenience for the customer and uniqueness for the brand. 

“Everybody is on their telephone,” said Courtney. “So it’s good that we let people know we’re in the App Store. Plus, our competition may not have apps!” 

New branded mobile apps from Toast help restaurants create an exceptional digital ordering experience with solutions built to capture your brand, boost sales, and attract and reward your most loyal guests. Launch your own customizable branded mobile app on iOS and Android, and build your brand on our white-labeled solution integrated with your Toast POS and Online Ordering for simple setup. With Digital Storefront Premium, restaurateurs can easily bring their brand to guests on the go.

The custom app experience provided by Toast allows Slim & Husky’s to connect with other Toast products, like Online Ordering and Loyalty, giving them a holistic picture of performance across channels and the data they need to make smarter business decisions. Plus, Toast's branded mobile apps allow them to grow their business with confidence. “When introducing the brand to a new market, we look bigger and better because we have an app,” shared Courtney.

“We were thrilled when Toast created a branded mobile app integrated with their platform, as the app plays a key role in our growth,” Courtney shared. “The app is customized to reflect our brand and makes it incredibly easy for guests to order and reorder on the move, eliminating the need for multiple clicks online. This convenience keeps our brand at their fingertips, enhancing accessibility, builds a loyal customer base, and positions us as a professional, brand-savvy, and dependable business."

Growing with Toast

Slim & Husky’s hopes to continue growing and expanding the chain with smart, strategic decisions. But that doesn’t mean they have to change as they get bigger. 

“When it comes to scaling the company, we want to keep the same things in every market we go in, especially if it’s working, “said Derrick. With Toast as a partner, they know they’ll have the right technology solutions every step of the way.