When Russia burst into celebration on June 14 with the 2018 Fifa World Cup opening ceremony, UK restaurants and bars were prepared to celebrate too.
The British economy is forecast to benefit to the tune of £1.33bn during the tournament, and the ever-creative hospitality industry has been in the forefront of seizing the opportunity to boost business.
Bars in particular were tipped to benefit from people going out to watch the matches in the company – and many restaurants setting up special events to capture their share of the bounty.
So with competition high, which establishments put themselves in the best position to grab World Cup glory? After all, they were also competing with the stay-at-home-with-a-pizza trend…
One thing eating at home cannot provide is a great guest experience, and hospitality businesses have long known that customer service is a huge differentiator in their business.
In the run-up to the World Cup and during the competition, those using Aloha hospitality EPOS were among the establishments that were really able to capitalise on a market keen to enjoy the tournament to their full ability.
In one solution Aloha provides integration between stock control, labour management, loyalty and gift cards, head office management, table reservations, guest management, tableside ordering and mobile payment systems.
And thanks to their hospitality software, many bars and restaurant owners were able to maximise their appeal to customers and their revenue through 5 different techniques:
- Good rostering
- Better customer service with mobile devices used tableside
- Customer offers and loyalty
- Improved stock control
- Informed planning and decision-making
Good rostering
It’s crucial to have the right number of serving staff on at the right time. Too few and customer satisfaction suffers – but too many and it eats into your profits.
It can be difficult, though, for bars and restaurants (particularly those in multi-locations) to keep track of their busy and quiet periods and get an overview of operations.
However, Aloha hospitality EPOS provides comprehensive reports and accurate forecasts that help managers and owners get their rostering absolutely right.
With just the right number of staff available to meet demand perfectly, the bottom line benefits while customer service is kept at high standards designed to bring customers back again and again.
Better customer service with mobile devices used tableside
Aloha hospitality EPOS provides staff with the ability to take orders at tableside on handheld devices ranging from dedicated handsets to tablets and smartphones.
It means orders are sent directly to the kitchen with no chance of inaccuracy and no running back and forth with bits of paper. And it means the food arrives swiftly, which today’s quick-fire diners like.
Staff can also add to orders effortlessly (the software provides up-selling prompts), and take payments at tableside. Aloha hospitality EPOS splits bills with ease – which is handy for bars and restaurants dealing with large groups out to celebrate the latest World Cup round.
It adds up to excellent customer service – people get exactly the food and beverage they have ordered, rapidly delivered, and they don’t have to hang around waiting to pay or doing complicated maths to see who owes what.
Aloha hospitality EPOS also ensures your business and your customers’ information are better protected. Every transaction is noted, so it’s difficult for staff to indulge in dishonest activity, which protects your profits and reputation.
Customer offers and loyalty
When customers make a reservation online, Aloha begins collecting information to help you give them the very best of service.
During the meal, it will capture their preferences – for vegan food or real ale, perhaps – so next time they visit, your staff will be able to greet them personally and offer food and drink to match their preferences.
It’s also great for helping you create email offers and loyalty programmes that you know will appeal to the individual, engaging them further with your brand and business.
During this World Cup, we suggested that events-based promotions could be set up ahead of time for certain matches – gin during England matches, for instance, and vodka for Russia.
When the time of the event came, there was nothing additional for staff to do – the system automatically calculated the prices based on that promotion.
Improved stock control
Another benefit of capturing data with EPOS software is that it includes real-time information about which of your dishes is selling at which time.
Along with Aloha’s forecasting ability, it enables you to spot trends and capitalise on them. It also means you can manage stock control better, maximising best-sellers and cutting waste. Your kitchen staff don’t waste time cooking dishes that no-one is ordering – they know exactly what will go down well.
Informed planning and decision-making
This is a big advantage. Bar and restaurant businesses are notoriously difficult to track because of the multiple elements that have to come together to make everything work well.
Aloha’s mobile platform Pulse Real-Time, provides comprehensive Business Intelligence via detailed web-based reports in areas including:
- Net sales by hour, day part, category and order mode
- Staff costs and percentage by job code
- Comps and voids
- Employee performance
- Payment details.
It even monitors your social media account and alerts you if adverse reviews are being posted so your managers can tackle issues before they become big ones.
Unfortunately, Aloha can’t do anything about the team performances your guests are watching on your sports screens!
Away from the football, Aloha hospitality EPOS is widely used by many sports clubs and venues to optimise restaurant or bar management and increase revenues.
Patrick Morris, Head of Events at Gloucester Rugby Club, employs up to 120 staff on match days. He uses Aloha to monitor his bar sales in 15-minute windows, as well as looking for patterns that help the club to manage staffing and stock levels more effectively.
Patrick says: “When you deal with cash and vast levels of stock, you need effective control, or the potential for scams and mistakes is huge. Once you have a system in place, you can police the business, tighten controls and manage the business with more informed decisions.”
The 2018 Fifa World Cup creates a great opportunity to bring the world’s nations together – and a fantastic opportunity for bars and restaurants to bring fans across the UK together too.
And the uplift in profits? We’ll raise a glass to that…cheers, World Cup!
