Investment in Technology is Key for the Hospitality Sector

This last week there have been a few comments in the hospitality press about the ‘new look’ customer experience. Repeated lockdowns and social distancing requirements forced many pubs to completely change the way they were operating. This inevitably resulted in more technology being involved in a customer’s trip to the pub, and where there is technology there are always glitches that need to be ironed out. These glitches might be small and easy to fix but shouldn’t be overlooked because they could mean the difference between a good and bad experience, a repeat trip, or a bad review.

‘The implementation of clunky technology and over-complicated systems has been a problem in many venues I’ve frequented during covid-19. I’ve been tripped over by QR codes, failed to download apps, berated my children for staring at their phones in a restaurant when they’ve actually been looking at the menu because no paper alternative was offered, accidentally over-ordered and, one time, the setting up of an account and password along with entering my payment details took longer than the supping of the pint I’d bought.’

It will be imperative that pubs and restaurants iron out these sorts of problems because consumers are becoming increasingly comfortable and reliant on technology for ordering and paying. When you add in the massive issue of staff shortages then the tech is guaranteed to play an outsized role over the coming months.’ (Glynn Davis, leading commentator on retail trends).

Even before your customers book, the research phase is most often a quick google. Do you have an easy online reservation system? Recent research from Zonal & KAM Media has found that “difficulties in making a reservation” was the second highest reason given for customers deciding to stay home instead of going out.

It also found that half of respondents found it ‘exceedingly frustrating’ trying to get the waiting staff’s attention to pay the bill. Have you thought about a mobile ordering and payment solution? During lockdown it was a necessity to maintain social distancing but now that customers have tried it, 45% of people consider it an important factor when choosing a venue. It has become an easy way to streamline the ordering and payment process.

With people’s decision-making process being increasingly digitally driven you need to ‘invest in tech and work with the right partners for your operation.’ (Amber Staynings, chief executive of Bums on Seats,)

Switch4Profit work with an array of trusted partners and can help you introduce a low cost mobile order and pay at table solution. A quick review of your merchant services may well save you the money (and more) to cover the costs of introducing new technology.

Combine that with upgraded card terminals with fast transaction processing and GPRS connectivity which will work even at the end of the garden, and your customers’ experience could be vastly improved.

Get in contact today by clicking HERE.

This is a guest blog written for Pubs Advisory Service Ltd by Switch4Profit.

(Source: Propelhospitality.com)

It’s the day we’ve all been waiting for! Around 45,000 pubs have reopened today following the lifting of COVID restrictions by PM Boris Johnson. It is estimated that 104 million people will return to hospitality venues this week giving a much needed £2.5bn boost to sales. Today alone almost 13.6 million people will visit pubs and restaurants across the country. In encouraging news it is predicted that hospitality will see a quick and strong recovery with an increase in sales of over 63% compared to last year and a bumper 2022. (Research for VoucherCodes.co.uk conducted by the Centre for Retail Research)

The British Beer & Pub Association are however urging the government to remain committed to lifting all restrictions on 21^st June given that some venues are still unable to open due to the social distancing restrictions and the requirement for table service. BBPA chief executive Emma McClarkin said: “This is by no means the end of the crisis for our sector. We need pubs fully reopened without any restrictions at all on 21 June if they are to survive and trade viably. The countdown to freedom, and recovery, is on.”

Switch4Profit are delighted to have helped so many of our clients through lockdown and proud to see so many reopening this week. We’ve helped existing clients to reduce overheads and been extremely busy bringing on a raft of new clients with monthly rolling contracts, low rates, brand new terminals with outstanding connectivity, next day settlement, EPOS integration and a whole host of other benefits. We look forward to helping more and more businesses get out of long, expensive contracts for old technology and onto much better deals for state of the art card terminals.

Please contact us for a free review of your merchant services. If we can’t help you we’ll tell you straight, but on average we save our customers 42% on their monthly bills as well as upgrading terminals. We can also advise on EPOS, order and pay at table apps and even reduce utility bills.

We want to see our pubs thriving and we’ll do all we can to do our part to make it happen.

Good luck to all pubs today. We’ll certainly be heading to the pub after work!

Get in touch today by clicking HERE.

This is a guest blog written by Switch4Profit.

Latest Pub Feedback

46% running out of fast moving drinks

35% having delivery issues

17% say customers are asking for a broader range

Solutions?

• Order early
• Stock up
• Expand the range
• Buy better

For your free pricing consultancy click HERE.

This is a guest blog written by G.I.F.T.

The VOA is writing to all publicans as they roll out their revaluation of all commercial property by 2023.

The VOA page related to this process can be found HERE

The revaluation document has a blank box right at the end for you to write any comments and or get clarification from the VOA.

We strongly suggest publicans include the following text to the VOA – this is in order to avoid the chronic problem of the VOA using your actual trade as the basis of the rateable valuation assessment.

…………………………………
Sirs,
The accounts on their own simply indicate a level of trade I am attaining and perhaps a rent I can ‘afford’ rather than any open market rental value (RV) that an REO would pay. I would argue that our accounts demonstrate I am over trading, and as you know, the tenant’s accounts should not be adopted for the purposes of setting rent under FMT. The fear is you would be assessing us on our performance, and I naturally seek reassurance from you, and evidence in the form of comparable pubs and sight of a detailed calculation of FMT that this is not going to be the case and that the assessment you are undertaking is following a recognised professional assessment of a public house.
So to be clear:
Are you going to be setting the rent based on my accounts?
If not then why do you need them?
Are you assessing the FMT without a visit to the pub?
If not, what weight are you attaching to the evidence I am supplying on this form?
How will you assess and disregard the goodwill of our operation given that there is no box/section on the form you have supplied?
Further, I will need to see the detailed FMT breakdown from your surveyor that underpins the lawful assessment of RV, e.g. the revenue and expenditure, including the sales mix (% of draught wines spirits and minerals, the sediment & wastage you are applying) the gross profit for the categories and or selling prices and a detailed breakdown of the expenditure wages, utilities etc.
Please confirm the comparable pubs (if any) you are relying upon in the assessment of the RV or if you are using benchmarking and if so what benchmark?

Further, it is noted that during (public health) restrictions a pub business is for the most part unable to trade and or has to comply with all new stringent requirements which come with extra costs. This is quite unlike other classes of retail businesses who like us sell food and drink to consumers and are able to open with no such restrictions. This has exposed the clear disadvantage a pub business such as mine faces going forward. Seeing as it is quite foreseeable that my pub is now treated differently in such situations I expect a reduction in the RV as a matter of course to reflect the changes in operation our pub faces under restrictions. The other commercial retailers, many of whom have no such impediment and have had huge uplifts in trade can of course expect an uplift in their RV as they have clear advantages that are far in excess of our pub business.

I look forward to hearing from you regarding the above points.
 

…………………………………

If you need specific help with the VOA assessment please see our dedicated page HERE