BlankStreet
Creating a Digital Ordering System that Fueled 40 New Locations in Three Years
Company
Blank Street operates a growing specialty coffee business that combines chain-like speed and efficiency with high-end coffee quality at prices below Starbucks and independent cafés. The company started with a single coffee cart in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, and has expanded to over 40 locations.
The Challenge
Co-founders Vinay Menda and Issam Freiha needed an order-ahead mobile app to deliver the quick service their business model required, but as nontechnical founders, they hit immediate obstacles. They had no in-house technical expertise to build the sophisticated product they envisioned—one that required fintech integration, real-time services, user onboarding, and seamless connection between digital ordering and physical café operations. Operating on a tight startup budget, they were also seeing agency quotes that were 66% higher than what A.Team ultimately delivered. Without a solution, their growth strategy would stall: they couldn't scale efficiently, manage operations across multiple locations, or provide the speed and convenience that would differentiate them in the competitive specialty coffee market.
The Solution
Within a week, A.Team assembled a core product team—a Product Manager, Full-stack Developer, Back-end Developer, and Product Designer—and deployed them to start building. The team developed a comprehensive mobile app that integrated digital ordering directly into Blank Street's physical café operations, connecting the Point of Sale system with a payments infrastructure, loyalty rewards program, and progress tracking. They built the app using Flutter and Dart for cross-platform functionality, supported by Firebase and AWS backend services, Node.js and Nest.js for server-side logic, and CodeMagic for continuous integration. The team delivered an intuitive experience with single-click ordering, drink readiness notifications, and an integrated rewards system. Over the three-year collaboration, A.Team scaled alongside Blank Street's growth, working directly with the company's C-suite, Brand/Marketing, and Operations teams as core members of the organization rather than external contractors.
Technologies Used
- Flutter & Swift UI: Built a cross-platform, high-performance mobile ordering app
- Dart: Enabled fast, scalable development across iOS and Android
- Firebase & AWS: Provided backend infrastructure for authentication, real-time services, and data storage
- Node.js & Nest.js: Delivered reliable server-side logic and API development
- CodeMagic: Automated continuous integration and delivery pipelines
- POS Integration & ApplePay: Connected digital ordering with in-store operations and seamless payments, including iOS 14 extensions
"We needed to build something highly-custom on a startup budget, with a team that felt they were a core part of 'the family."
The Results
The mobile app became the engine for Blank Street's rapid expansion, enabling efficient multi-location operations while attracting investor attention that fueled further growth.
Business Growth
Expanded from a single cart to 40+ locations in just three years.
Operational Efficiency
Agencies quoted 66% more than it ultimately cost to build with A.Team, delivering superior outcomes on a leaner budget.
Customer Experience
Earned a 4.9-star App Store rating with 6,300+ reviews through seamless ordering and rewards integration.
Customer Experience
Integrated digital ordering with in-store operations, enabling convenience that differentiated Blank Street.
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