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Guides
The Loyalty Landscape
Discover how connected pub tech can help join up operations, drive revenue and manage costs
Amidst a challenging trading environment for pubs, many operators will be looking to use every tool at their disposal to help them better navigate rising costs, protect their margins, drive revenue and enable their team to achieve more.
Powerful pub tech, which has previously only been seen as viable for the big brands is now more accessible than ever, and the value it can add for smaller businesses – from independent village pubs to groups with aspirations for growth – has never been more apparent. In this guide, we explore the different solutions available to pub operators, and how this technology can help pubs meet their objectives.
Download this guide to discover:
- The benefits technology can have for your pub business
- Innovative solutions you should be investing in this year
- How to choose a partner that’s right for your business
Discover more resources for pubs
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Research
GO Technology: The social value of hospitality
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Webinars & podcasts
People Make The Experience: How Your Staff Drive Customer Loyalty
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Webinars & podcasts
It Should Feel Like Magic, Not Marketing: Personalisation, Loyalty & Data in Hospitality
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Webinars & podcasts
Loyalty That Lasts: Growing with Guests, Not Just Points
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Webinars & podcasts
What Diners Want: The New Rules of Loyalty in Hospitality
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Blog
How hospitality businesses can create ‘Superfans’
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Blog
How loyalty can help tackle no shows
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Stock and Order Self-Assessment Tool
Are your stock and order processes costing you time and money?
Managing and maintaining accurate stock levels is now more important than ever to maintain cash flow and make sure every penny counts. With ongoing changes in restrictions and fluctuation in demand, it is essential to get your stock under control.
Our short online questionnaire will ask you about your current methods of working, and by simply asking yes or no, you will quickly be able to identify your capabilities around key areas, including:
- Whether you can identify and update allergens across your estate
- Your ability to control orders on a per site basis
- If have full visibility over stock levels from head office
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Buyer’s Guide: Essential Tech for Restaurant Operators
Discover the benefits of connected restaurant tech, and how it can help streamline operations, boost revenue and manage costs
Technology continues to play a vital role in the running of a restaurant business. With consumer demands always changing, many technologies previously associated with larger restaurant groups have become widely adopted, enabling restaurants of all sizes to meet these ever-changing consumer expectations, as well as navigate the challenges faced by hospitality in the current trading environment.
In this guide, we explore some of the different technology restaurant operators should be considering implementing into their venues, the benefits these solutions bring to the table, and the importance of choosing the right tech partner to work with when considering a new system.
Download this guide to discover:
- The benefits connected technology can have on your restaurant business
- The solutions you should be investing in
- How tech can give you the freedom to spend more time with staff and customers
Discover more resources for restaurants
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Guides
The Loyalty Landscape
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Research
GO Technology: The social value of hospitality
-
Webinars & podcasts
People Make The Experience: How Your Staff Drive Customer Loyalty
-
Webinars & podcasts
It Should Feel Like Magic, Not Marketing: Personalisation, Loyalty & Data in Hospitality
-
Webinars & podcasts
Loyalty That Lasts: Growing with Guests, Not Just Points
-
Webinars & podcasts
What Diners Want: The New Rules of Loyalty in Hospitality
-
Blog
How hospitality businesses can create ‘Superfans’
-
Blog
How loyalty can help tackle no shows
Subscribe to get the latest news, product announcements and industry updates
Top tips for minimising food waste following Tier changes
With more cities and counties up and down the country entering Tier 3 and 4 restrictions, restaurants, pubs and hotels are yet again forced to work out what to do with the mountain of stock and fresh produce that will be wasted. As UK Hospitality Chief Executive recently stated before London’s recent move to Tier 4, “as with previous short-notice lockdowns, this is going to cause a glut of wasted food and drink,” because hospitality businesses cannot “just turn on and off”.
Whilst changing Tiers and their resulting restrictions is out of your hands, having a clear picture of your inventory is always helpful at any moment in time, so that you’re able to quickly work out a clear plan of action to minimise all avoidable waste. And as lockdown measures are eased and re-imposed over the next few months (as is sadly inevitable), customer demand for stock items will continue to fluctuate, so knowing what you have in-hand has become more important than ever.
Our in-house stock and order experts have put together some top tips to help you reduce stock wastage and improve profitability over the coming months:
1. Stock ordering policy
Make sure you iron out your inventory and ordering policy and brief relevant team members. This includes establishing who’s in charge of ordering, what food items can be re-ordered (if you are open for takeaway), and when they can be re-ordered. If you have an integrated purchase-to-pay system in place, then an easy way to do this is by adding an approval structure within your system.
2. Understand what stock you hold
Ensure you have complete knowledge of what stock you hold at all times, as it allows you to prioritise which products are at most risk of going out of date or have the highest value. This will help you to identify ways to save your stock. For example, could some of your highest valued food products be frozen? Or could your stock be transferred to another site that are operating in tier one or two? These are all ways to help you educe food wastage and ultimately cut costs in the long run.
3. Find out which orders have been placed
Find out what stock orders have been placed and see if they can be cancelled. This may seem pretty obvious, but when you’re trying to manage all aspects of closing your restaurant this can easily slip one’s mind.
4. Adapt your food offering
Why not consider readjusting your sales mix and bundle some of your food items together to increase sales. For example, if you’re open for takeaway or are offering a click and collect service why not offer an extra side or starter, or if they spend over a certain amount offer them a free dessert. Whilst your overall margin and profit percentage will be less, you’ll still bring in more cash. It’s better to get some cash for your stock, even if it’s less than what you have paid for it, than to throw it away and get nothing for it at all.
5. Rotate your stock
Prior to the Coronavirus, WRAP estimated that 21% of restaurant food waste was due to food spoilage, so make sure you keep on top of your stock rotations by ensuring your oldest stock is utilised before its use by date. This will help you cut down the number of items going out of date and therefore waste.
6. Close your beer lines
Make sure your beer lines are shut properly as you don’t want to come back to beer that’s gone off or spoilt in the lines as this will increase wastage. This allows you to focus on what really matters – getting back up and reopening!
7. Donate to a good cause or charity
Sadly, despite the very best of efforts, there will inevitably still be wastage –especially if your business has no choice but to close completely during the pandemic. According to our latest GO Technology report with CGA, 60% of consumers are more likely to use a brand that donates spare food to charity. So, rather than simply throwing good stock away, why not consider giving it to charity, a local food bank or other good cause. There are plenty of fantastic organisations such as Too Good to Go who would be incredibly grateful for the support.
For more tips on how to reduce stock wastage and improve your profitability, don’t hesitate to get in touch with our in-house experts.
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COVID-19 has sharpened the focus on sustainability
Consumers cite venues with a responsible approach to reducing food waste as an important factor when choosing to eat out according to the latest insight from Zonal and CGA’s GO Technology research.
The side-effects of the COVID-19 pandemic have seen an increase in people working from home and shopping locally, which has led a fresh awareness of environmental impacts. When asked about what has become more important to them when eating-out since lockdown, almost half (47%) of the 5,000 UK adults surveyed cited issues linked to sustainability, with a 24% like how local their food is sourced and 12% said the carbon footprint of ingredients was an important factor.
The survey highlighted that 67% of consumers believe it is important that brands take a responsible approach to food waste, with more than half (56%) think a small menu is a positive indication that the brand has a responsible approach to minimising waste. Whilst over three quarters (78%) of those aged 55+ think quality is more important on a menu than variety.
Download the full guide
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Stock and Order Savings Calculator
How much time and money are you wasting each year due to inefficient and inaccurate stock management and ordering processes? Discover the real cost of your operations with our handy calculator.
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Your recipe for improved profitability
Competition is fierce, customers have high expectations, and the economic climate remains very uncertain. That’s why cost control is so important. It allows businesses to develop solid processes that allow them to overcome unexpected challenges and ensure maximum profitability. Waste is not the only area where you can make improvements that will save you a great deal of money and make your business even more competitive. It’s all about seeing the big picture of your business and being able to make many little changes that, combined, deliver huge benefits. Download our eGuide to discover how Zonal’s integrated Menu Management solution gives you real-time control and visibility over stock and spending – but not at the expense of quality.
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Consumers demand more from operators when it comes to allergen advice
Consumers are demanding more from hospitality operators when it comes to allergens than simply ticking the legislative box, according to the latest insight from Zonal and CGA’s GO Technology research.
With high profile cases dominating the headlines, the issue of allergen management and availability of information is very much front of mind for today’s consumers.
Genuine engagement, with on demand access to accurate, up to date allergen information is key, with more than four in five (83%) of the 5,000 UK adults surveyed expecting to have details made available online.
However, although online information about menus is crucial, consumers also want to access the facts when they are in-venue, with 75% expecting to see allergen information on materials, such as menu symbols and signifiers, acting as quick and simple points to highlight relevant information.
Almost three quarters (73%) of those surveyed also stated that they expect staff to be able to give verbal information about allergens at point of order, with a smaller but still sizeable number (44%) seeing it as the responsibility of managers or supervisors to know this information and come to a table to take orders if required.
With rising awareness of allergens coupled with changing dietary requirements, the challenge for operators is how to ensure accurate allergen information is made available at every customer touch point – whether a customer is searching for a venue on their mobile or walking in off the street. And this is where technology plays a major part in the solution for operators and the wider supply chain, according to Zonal.
Director of online commerce, Helen McMillan, said: “The GO Technology report tells us how important it is for operators to invest in integrated technology. Recipe, menu and purchasing systems simply must be aligned in order to deliver the level of accurate and detailed information that today’s consumers both need and expect.
“This approach will give the confidence needed by operators and customers alike in the accuracy of the information that often crucial decisions are being based upon. This is not only essential for building brand loyalty and earning confidence, respect and credibility with customers, but also for legislators and those seeking to enforce it.”
The survey also highlighted that those who show interest in advance and seek allergen information is significantly higher among young adults. Three quarters (75%) of those aged 18 to 34 say they look for it now—compared to just over half (56%) of those aged 55+. Women and Londoners were also more likely to seek out allergen and nutritional information.
Karl Chessell, Business Unit Director, Retail and Food, CGA said: “Food safety is a top concern for all businesses in the out-of-home food and drink sector, and the need for vigilance on allergens has never been greater. But as this GO Technology research shows, it’s not just legal requirements that should be motivating operators to be concerned about this issue.
“Consumers want genuine engagement and comprehensive, accurate information about allergens—and they expect to be able to access it easily. From websites to menus to staff, brands need to be able talk confidently about allergens and inspire confidence among their guests. If they can do so, there is an excellent opportunity to secure the respect and loyalty of the growing number of people with dietary requirements and establish a competitive advantage.”
Download the full guide
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Zonal’s Acquire reaches £2 billion milestone
Zonal’s online purchase to pay platform, Acquire, has successfully processed £2 billion worth of orders since its launch four years ago.
With 3,100 sites across the UK now using the software to manage their purchasing and stock management, over 3.1 million orders have been received since 2016, with 1.6 million in the past year alone, equating to an Acquire order processed every 2 seconds.
One of the key trends emerging from the Acquire data shows how operators are increasingly using this smart and highly insightful purchasing to pay technology to not only manage costs but minimise waste by removing the risk of over ordering.
Hoburne Group – a leading holiday park operator – was one of the first Acquire customers and since joining in February 2016 has achieved cost savings across the group of more than 11 per cent from managing its orders more efficiently.
Ben Dalton, group retail manager at Hoburne Group, said: “Acquire has streamlined our stock controls and purchasing so we are far more efficient as a business. We have greater control of our suppliers and full visibility of what we are buying and selling so we can purchase more effectively, reducing both costs and waste. The fact that Acquire is an end to end, integrated solution means we also benefit from a single, real-time view of our entire supply chain – from what’s in stock, what’s on its way and how much we need to replenish.”
Operators also have access to more than 900 suppliers of every size – from small artisan producers to large national wholesalers. With a variety of interfaces and integration options, new suppliers can be boarded quickly and easily regardless of scale and complexity.
Zonal’s director of online commerce, Helen McMillan, said: “Acquire has been very well received by our customers, which range from leisure businesses such as Hoburne to small, medium and large scale restaurant, pub and hotel operators. They all value its agility and the fact they can tightly control costs through its integration with menu management, stocks and finance.”
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Acquire - purchase to pay product demonstration
Join our webinar to learn more about:
- An overview of the Acquire Purchase to Pay solution at site level.
- Users will learn how to place an order using regular order templates, add additional products manually, accepting part orders (with changes) and raising credit requests against the invoice.
The demonstration is available on demand and you can register your interest here:
