diff --git a/.env b/.env
index 8a55fe4cdf..28304ad02a 100644
--- a/.env
+++ b/.env
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 # compose
-IMAGE_VERSION=v0.3.4
+IMAGE_VERSION=v0.3.4-alpha
 IMAGE_NAME=ghcr.io/open-telemetry/demo
 
 # Collector
diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index dd495561b3..b5fd2a7380 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -89,3 +89,5 @@ significant modifications will be credited to OpenTelemetry Authors.
 ([#331](https://github.com/open-telemetry/opentelemetry-demo/pull/331))
 * Add span events to shipping service
 ([#344](https://github.com/open-telemetry/opentelemetry-demo/pull/344))
+* Improve initial run time, without a build
+([#362](https://github.com/open-telemetry/opentelemetry-demo/pull/362))
diff --git a/docker-compose.yml b/docker-compose.yml
index 80445cbddf..b4766f7b51 100644
--- a/docker-compose.yml
+++ b/docker-compose.yml
@@ -52,10 +52,8 @@ services:
     build:
       context: ./
       dockerfile: ./src/adservice/Dockerfile
-      # cache_from:
-      #   - ${IMAGE_NAME}:${IMAGE_VERSION}-adservice
-      # cache_to:
-      #   - inline # see https://github.com/moby/buildkit#export-cache
+      cache_from:
+        - ${IMAGE_NAME}:${IMAGE_VERSION}-adservice
     ports:
       - "${AD_SERVICE_PORT}"
     environment:
@@ -74,10 +72,8 @@ services:
     build:
       context: ./
       dockerfile: ./src/cartservice/src/Dockerfile
-      # cache_from:
-      #   - ${IMAGE_NAME}:${IMAGE_VERSION}-cartservice
-      # cache_to:
-      #   - inline # see https://github.com/moby/buildkit#export-cache
+      cache_from:
+        - ${IMAGE_NAME}:${IMAGE_VERSION}-cartservice
     ports:
       - "${CART_SERVICE_PORT}"
     environment:
@@ -98,10 +94,8 @@ services:
     build:
       context: ./
       dockerfile: ./src/checkoutservice/Dockerfile
-      #cache_from:
-      #  - ${IMAGE_NAME}:${IMAGE_VERSION}-checkoutservice
-      #cache_to:
-      #  - inline # see https://github.com/moby/buildkit#export-cache
+      cache_from:
+        - ${IMAGE_NAME}:${IMAGE_VERSION}-checkoutservice
     ports:
       - "${CHECKOUT_SERVICE_PORT}"
     environment:
@@ -130,10 +124,8 @@ services:
     container_name: currency-service
     build:
       context: ./src/currencyservice
-      # cache_from:
-      #   - ${IMAGE_NAME}:${IMAGE_VERSION}-currencyservice
-      # cache_to:
-      #   - inline # see https://github.com/moby/buildkit#export-cache
+      cache_from:
+        - ${IMAGE_NAME}:${IMAGE_VERSION}-currencyservice
       args:
         - GRPC_VERSION=1.46.0
         - OPENTELEMETRY_VERSION=1.5.0
@@ -153,10 +145,8 @@ services:
     container_name: email-service
     build:
       context: ./src/emailservice
-      # cache_from:
-      #   - ${IMAGE_NAME}:${IMAGE_VERSION}-emailservice
-      # cache_to:
-      #   - inline # see https://github.com/moby/buildkit#export-cache
+      cache_from:
+        - ${IMAGE_NAME}:${IMAGE_VERSION}-emailservice
     ports:
       - "${EMAIL_SERVICE_PORT}"
     environment:
@@ -175,10 +165,8 @@ services:
     build:
       context: ./
       dockerfile: ./src/frontend/Dockerfile
-      # cache_from:
-      #   - ${IMAGE_NAME}:${IMAGE_VERSION}-frontend
-      # cache_to:
-      #   - inline # see https://github.com/moby/buildkit#export-cache
+      cache_from:
+        - ${IMAGE_NAME}:${IMAGE_VERSION}-frontend
     ports:
       - "${FRONTEND_PORT}:${FRONTEND_PORT}"
     environment:
@@ -258,10 +246,8 @@ services:
     build:
       context: ./
       dockerfile: ./src/paymentservice/Dockerfile
-      # cache_from:
-      #   - ${IMAGE_NAME}:${IMAGE_VERSION}-paymentservice
-      # cache_to:
-      #   - inline # see https://github.com/moby/buildkit#export-cache
+      cache_from:
+        - ${IMAGE_NAME}:${IMAGE_VERSION}-paymentservice
     ports:
       - "${PAYMENT_SERVICE_PORT}"
     environment:
@@ -279,10 +265,8 @@ services:
     build:
       context: ./
       dockerfile: ./src/productcatalogservice/Dockerfile
-      # cache_from:
-      #   - ${IMAGE_NAME}:${IMAGE_VERSION}-productcatalogservice
-      # cache_to:
-      #   - inline # see https://github.com/moby/buildkit#export-cache
+      cache_from:
+        - ${IMAGE_NAME}:${IMAGE_VERSION}-productcatalogservice
     ports:
       - "${PRODUCT_CATALOG_SERVICE_PORT}"
     environment:
@@ -301,10 +285,8 @@ services:
     build:
       context: ./
       dockerfile: ./src/recommendationservice/Dockerfile
-      # cache_from:
-      #   - ${IMAGE_NAME}:${IMAGE_VERSION}-recommendationservice
-      # cache_to:
-      #   - inline # see https://github.com/moby/buildkit#export-cache
+      cache_from:
+        - ${IMAGE_NAME}:${IMAGE_VERSION}-recommendationservice
     ports:
       - "${RECOMMENDATION_SERVICE_PORT}"
     depends_on:
@@ -325,10 +307,8 @@ services:
     build:
       context: ./
       dockerfile: ./src/shippingservice/Dockerfile
-      #cache_from:
-      #  - ${IMAGE_NAME}:${IMAGE_VERSION}-shippingservice
-      #cache_to:
-      #  - inline # see https://github.com/moby/buildkit#export-cache
+      cache_from:
+        - ${IMAGE_NAME}:${IMAGE_VERSION}-shippingservice
     ports:
       - "${SHIPPING_SERVICE_PORT}"
     environment:
@@ -345,10 +325,8 @@ services:
     container_name: feature-flag-service
     build:
       context: ./src/featureflagservice
-      # cache_from:
-      #   - ${IMAGE_NAME}:${IMAGE_VERSION}-featureflagservice
-      # cache_to:
-      #   - inline # see https://github.com/moby/buildkit#export-cache
+      cache_from:
+        - ${IMAGE_NAME}:${IMAGE_VERSION}-featureflagservice
     ports:
       - "${FEATURE_FLAG_SERVICE_PORT}:${FEATURE_FLAG_SERVICE_PORT}"     # Feature Flag Service UI
       - "${FEATURE_FLAG_GRPC_SERVICE_PORT}"                             # Feature Flag Service gRPC API
@@ -385,10 +363,8 @@ services:
     build:
       context: ./
       dockerfile: ./src/loadgenerator/Dockerfile
-      # cache_from:
-      #   - ${IMAGE_NAME}:${IMAGE_VERSION}-loadgenerator
-      # cache_to:
-      #   - inline # see https://github.com/moby/buildkit#export-cache
+      cache_from:
+        - ${IMAGE_NAME}:${IMAGE_VERSION}-loadgenerator
     ports:
       - "${LOCUST_WEB_PORT}:${LOCUST_WEB_PORT}"
     environment:
diff --git a/docs/docker_deployment.md b/docs/docker_deployment.md
index 3a85eeda36..66850b3b1e 100644
--- a/docs/docker_deployment.md
+++ b/docs/docker_deployment.md
@@ -23,13 +23,17 @@ cd opentelemetry-demo/
 
 ## Run Docker Compose
 
-- Start the demo (it can take ~20min the first time the command is executed as
-all the container images will be built):
+- Start the demo:
 
 ```shell
-docker compose up
+docker compose up --no-build
 ```
 
+**Note:** The `--no-build` flag is used to fetch released docker images from
+[ghcr](http://ghcr.io/open-telemetry/demo) instead of building from source.
+Removing the `--no-build` command line option will rebuild all images from
+source. It may take more than 20 minutes to build if the flag is omitted.
+
 ## Verify the Webstore & the Telemetry
 
 Once the images are built and containers are started you can access: