As the cost-of-living crisis bites we can expect consumers to go out less frequently – a fact recently confirmed by research from hospitality data firm CGA, in which three in five people (60%) said rising costs will lead them to visit venues less often over the next year. However, experience of previous economic downturns also tells us that, when they do come out, they are likely to spend more.

This means pub operators must be primed and ready to drive spend during these visits, as well as delivering customers the best experience possible to encourage them to return.

1. Prompt pre-orders

Before customers have even stepped through your door, there is an opportunity to attract some additional spend.

With people increasingly booking ahead to reserve tables or areas (particularly during busy trading times such as Christmas), operators can make the most of digital booking systems that can be set up to encourage customers to buy extras ahead of their visit.

Think about prompting customers to pre-order bottles of bubbly for the table, some nibbles on arrival or special decorations for the table.

2. Get customers to spend more per visit

For people going out less, a drink or a meal out is even more of an occasion than it used to be and so customers are potentially more open than usual to upselling.

Menus and staff themselves are, of course, a key element of this but technology can play an important role here too.

Handheld ordering devices can prompt waiting staff with relevant sides and extras related to the dishes being ordered – suggesting an upgrade from fries to parmesan fries for example, or a reminder that the cauliflower cheese is a popular add on to a roast dinner. For those ordering at the bar, fixed terminals can be configured to do the same.

3. Leverage the bill

Believe it or not, even settling the bill can be a prime selling opportunity.

While it may be too late to entice customers to purchase anything else on this particular visit, receipts offer prime space in which to highlight promotions and offers to encourage guests back.

Codes for special offers, bounceback deals for the quieter times and, for licensees that also offer takeaway, click & collect or delivery, cross promoting this with a money-off incentive, can all prove lucrative methods for increasing revenue.

4. Drive return visits

Just because customers have left for the night, it doesn’t mean the chance to get them to spend has come to an end. In fact, these days post-visit marketing offers a huge opportunity to drive further customer spend – and you won’t need to spend a fortune on fancy technology to achieve it.

Automated emails can be set up to promote special offers, vouchers and gift cards to give to friends and family. A friendly message reminding them how lonely pubs are during quieter periods and tempting them in with a free drink or money-off promotion can work wonders and, for those with a little budget, SMS text message marketing is making a comeback.

Technology can often seem like an expensive investment or a daunting prospect, but simple solutions can help take the strain and make a genuine difference to the bottom line – something that’s feels more important than ever right now.

Zonal has a wide range of technology solutions designed to make life easier and businesses more profitable. Find out more about our range designed specifically with pub tenants and licensees in mind, here.

Zonal has a wide range of technology solutions designed to make life easier and businesses more profitable. Find out more about our range designed specifically with pub tenants and licensees in mind, here!

According to the Garden Centre Association’s Barometer of Trade report, catering sales in garden centres were up a staggering 3,679% in March 2022 compared to the same month in 2021, and have been up throughout 2022 so far^[1], which neatly demonstrates just how important this arm of the business has become. Now playing a key role in driving revenue and footfall, café and restaurant F&B managers in garden centres must deliver on evolving customer expectations in order to continue to drive growth in 2022.

Delivering exceptional customer service in garden centre cafés and restaurants can be easily achieved by implementing the right tech – and technology specifically designed to meet the challenges of a hospitality environment can be employed to give garden centre restaurants the edge.

Here are four ways this tech can help improve the customer journey in your garden centre restaurant or cafe:

1. Booking systems can reduce queue times

Although Brits are known to love a queue, we don’t like to be kept waiting unnecessarily. In fact, according to research we conducted together with KAM Media, a main bugbear for consumers when spending time in a restaurant is being forced to queue for a table, with 55% of consumers citing this as a top frustration.

Implementing a simple and easy-to-use booking system is one solution to alleviating this pain point. Having systems in place that allow customers to either reserve a table, or be added to a waiting list whilst they shop and be alerted when their table is available, is a great way to manage customer expectations and alleviate a major pain point for customers.

Further research also showed that 64% of consumers have reserved a table or space to eat or drink out since hospitality venues reopened in April 2021. With more customers wanting to have the assurance that their table is booked and ready for them, garden centres that provide customers with this facility will get happier customers as a result.

2. Mobile devices can speed up service

Not only do customers not like to be kept waiting, but we know from our research that customers are looking for slick, quick, convenient service. In fact, we know that more than a quarter of consumers (29%) now expect to receive updates about things like the status and timing of their orders, and another 46% would welcome them.

The challenge then, is to deliver a convenient service that doesn’t compromise on the overall quality of face-to-face service and going mobile is one solution to this dilemma. If you offer table service in your restaurants or cafes, or are considering offering it, an easy way to increase speed of service, is for staff to use handheld ordering devices, as this reduces the reliance on fixed terminals and eliminates the need for staff to rekey orders into the POS, both saving your team a significant amount of time as well as reducing any potential mistakes. This will free up staff to focus on delivering great customer service.

Digital order and payment solutions, which enable customers to order and pay directly from their mobile phone, are another easy-to-implement piece of tech that offers customers a quick and easy way to order food and drink or pay for the bill. Post-pandemic, customers have become accustomed to the presence of such services in their everyday lives. Our GO Tech report findings, in partnership with CGA, found that 79% of consumers were happy with the ease and speed of payment when paying digitally. The warm reception from consumers given to order and payment apps is reflective of how valued they have become, making them a valuable addition to any garden centre restaurant or café.

3. Digital loyalty schemes can drive repeat footfall

Our latest report conducted in partnership with CGA found that 80% of customers seek some form of personalisation from restaurants. What’s more, a third of people expect tailored discounts and details as a matter of course. But what does this mean for garden centres?

We know that people want to be treated on a personal level when spending time in other hospitality venues, so there’s every reason to believe they will have the same expectations in a garden centre café or restaurant. Meeting these expectations and providing customers with the personal touches they expect will make them feel valued and hopefully keep them coming back again and again. Having your EPoS system linked to a digital loyalty scheme is a fantastic way to achieve this. The customer data businesses acquire from their EPoS can inform F&B managers on vital sales information about their customers which can be used to create bespoke offers, deals and promotions as well as targeted marketing campaigns.

4. Digital stock management can remove customer disappointment

Specialist hospitality technology can help keep track of stock levels down to every single ingredient – in real time. This is important in terms of reducing wastage and keeping costs down, but it also removes a customer frustration before it has even occurred.

We know that another major bugbear for customers in hospitality is ordering things on a menu that are sold out already and therefore unavailable to them. With an inventory and ordering system such as Zonal’s, menus can be updated as items are ordered by customers and staff can be informed of shortages ahead of customers ordering them, side-stepping a potential customer upset.

Garden Centre Association, April 2022