If you’re a current user of Zonal’s Events and iOrder solutions and need to build a pre-order set menu for a special day such as Mother’s Day, this Quick Guide is for you! Simply follow these 3 steps.

When building two course or three course set menus with a set cost, they can require a bit of extra configuration to ensure promotions are applied correctly. We’ve put together our recommended steps as used by other customers using the system, to help simplify the process.

To complete these steps, you will need access to Aztec, Events and iOrder – The three core platforms which provide you with pre-order.

STEP 1: Starting in Aztec

1. Initially you need to ensure you have configured your products in Aztec product modelling (don’t forget to add the products onto the panel and price products)
2. In the promotion wizard, create a Multi Buy promotion and define rules. Follow the wizard through, ensuring that:
   1. Areas are added
   2. Groups are defined (Quantity of 1 each group).
   3. Define each product for each group. Don’t forget to add correct portion (applies mainly to wet division)
   4. Define the times for all day and everyday
   5. Choose single reward price for when each item is selected (e.g. 1 starter 1 main 1 dessert = £40)
3. Clone the created promotion. This will need to be done twice. One promotion with a starter and main and one with main and dessert. Use priorities to look at the 3-course promotion first and the two, 2-course promotions following it.

STEP 2: Building in iOrder

1. In Menu Manager, create a new menu ensuring “pre-order” is ticked in the platforms section of the details page
2. Assign the applicable availability profile
3. In the ‘Build your menu’ section, create your groups as each set menu course (starters, mains etc)
4. Under edit in each course/group, set the maximum number of selections to 1
5. Search each product under the ‘Product’ tab, configuring them as you go and adding them to the relevant group. (Remember to also configure any related choices within that product)

STEP 3: Finishing touches in Events Admin

1. Under menus, create a *new menu using the add new menu button.
   *Useful tip: Using the same menu name in iOrder and Events can help troubleshooting in the future.
2. When creating your menu, ensure that:
3. The correct site(s) are selected in the site list
4. The relevant channels are selected from the channel list (do you want this visible in the booking widget/API or just visible to the host so it can be booked internally?)
5. The menu schedule is correct. Think of the schedule start and end date as a 24-hour period. The example schedule shown here has been set up for the Valentine’s menu to run on Valentine’s Day 12pm-9pm, as well as the Friday and Saturday of that week only.​​​​​​​
6. ​​​​​​​​​​Select the applicable pre-order menu from the list, then using the > button, move it into the selected pre-order menus box.
   *Useful tip: It is recommended that the schedule here is left blank.
7. Under ‘Booking Rules’, click the ‘Add new booking rule’ button, ensuring that:
   1. ​​​​​​​The booking rule is given a name (visible internally only)
   2. Under conditions choose the conditions required to trigger the pre-order requirement (This can be a cover range, occasion, or menu)
   3. Under actions select requires pre-order
   4. Choose the number of days the pre-order is due before the booking’s arrival date. In the guest portal customer will see a timer ticking down to the pre-orders due date and time.
   5. Click the enabled box to enable the new booking rule​​​​​​​.

Once you have built this, we recommend running some tests to be sure it works for the end user.

For further information on any of the above, check out the Product Portal.

​​​​​If you’re not currently using Zonal’s Events or iOrder solutions and would like to find out more, contact your Account Manager today who will be happy to give you a demo.

With the madness of Christmas and New Year a distant memory, industry-wide attention is now laser-focused on minimising the sobering impact of the cost-of-living crisis. Over the coming weeks and months, we’ll be sharing a plethora of useful tips, checklists and more, to help you get the most out of your Zonal systems – showing you exactly how and where you can save money, save time and increase profits, starting with this handy Stocks checklist to help tackle issues around poor stock GPs.

In a recent visit to one of our customers, we helped them to carry out these ten things. Once actioned, GPs started increasing almost immediately – improving the bottom line and making a huge difference to their financial reporting.

By having full visibility of your inventory, you can maximise profit margins, which in turn will help you to make better decisions around purchasing, sales and marketing, enabling you to sell more products and reduce the need to mark down old, unsold stock.

So why not take the opportunity in a quiet moment during the January/February lull, to focus on getting your stocks in order by completing this checklist:

1. Ensure all delivery notes are accepted in your Purchasing solution
2. Discontinue any redundant products in Aztec Product Modelling
3. Ensure Default suppliers are checked behind Products in Aztec Product Modelling
4. Re-visit all recipes in Aztec Product Modelling
5. Double check that all Promotions and Discounts were set up correctly for the Christmas Period
6. Ensure that you’re using the Loss and Gain (Value/Cost) Report, Stock Holding Report, and Profitability Report before accepting stocks
7. Ensure stock taking is being completed regularly and all counting is being done accurately
8. You may benefit from additional stock training to ensure that members of staff at your organization are following the correct Aztec procedure – contact your Account Manager directly who will be happy to arrange it for you

If using Zonal’s Stock & Order solution, Acquire:

9. Ensure all deliveries have been reconciled and accepted in Acquire
10. Check all Products and prices are correct in Acquire

For more assistance with stocks, training, or information on Acquire, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with your Account Manager.

Dan Brookman, CEO of Digital Loyalty Company Airship, part of Zonal, shares his thoughts on how to boost business this winter.

Have you ever wondered whether digital loyalty schemes really deliver?

After years of working in partnership, Zonal acquired digital loyalty company Airship and Toggle a few months ago, immediately unlocking new ways for operators to increase profits, grow their loyal customer base and provide a smoother, more connected customer journey.

The man who knows everything there is to know about gift cards, Airship CEO Dan Brookman, remains at the helm, and here he addresses some of the most frequently asked questions about how bounce-back deals, vouchers and personalisation can help boost takings in January and beyond.

Are promotions and bounce-back deals the best way to drive business in January?

The start of the year is all about grabbing market share after christmas and getting customers to revisit your business rather than having a prolonged absence. For some time, hospitality businesses have used various marketing methods to drive footfall and spend in-venue, such as January bounce-back or New Year sales, and consumers have come to expect them. If an operator doesn’t offer it, they risk losing their competitive advantage.

What is key to success is making sure you get in early with your customers – so you should be promoting these deals early. Let customers know that it’s coming, be clear on the dates it will be valid for and keep it simple, don’t add too many terms and conditions. If you can, don’t keep promotions limited to a particular day of the week or an hour of the day either, so it’s easy to claim.

What’s a compelling offer, is 10% off enough?

Be generous, as there is a lot of competition out there! Think a minimum of 25%, potentially up to 50%, if you were doing a Monday to Thursday offer. Don’t forget the importance of a stored value, so rather than a discount, consider actually giving people money in advance. One of the best things that are a benefit during January and February is giving a £10 or £5 voucher to customers in your database, with the onus being on that this has to be spent in January. These kind of offers often have high levels of redemption, as those customers who were questioning whether to dine out or not will be more incline to do so with money off. They’re able to enjoy the experience at a cheaper price, when in turn builds up brand loyalty.

What’s the most effective mechanic in your experience?

Across the board, one of the most effective methods we have seen is operators marketing to their database with a 50% off food and drink, with no terms and conditions attached. Every time somebody redeems one of the vouchers, they are sent another to follow. So, it’s about re-targeting the customers that do use their vouchers and drive revisits, increasing efficiency and spend-per-head. Of course, it’s not a one-stop shop for all, and every operator and their customer base are different. It’s about finding the right technology that retrieves the correct data, which means you can then offer a tailored approach to fit your audience.

How can businesses make the most out of these deals to build customer loyalty?

Businesses that go a step further through making their promotions personalised specifically to their customer base, will ensure repeat service. We know this works. Research has shown that 81% of consumers expect personalisation, wanting to receive promotions and deals. It’s basic psychology: people are more likely to visit again if they get free stuff and that’s not about to stop in 2023. Data is key to this; in order to offer great deals, you need to know your customers, and for this you need data.

Through technology such as an EPoS system, hospitality operators can create or import voucher codes for the redemption of promotions or discounts during the payment process or at the point-of-sale. This helps in incentivising additional spend and increasing the frequency of visits through tactical promotions and offers. Triggered voucher codes can be issued to thank customers for their loyalty or distributed to prospective customers. This integration allows operators to capture and analyse valuable customer data with every transaction including what they’ve ordered, how much it costs, and how frequently they have visited. This information will help in building an effective and personalised digital loyalty scheme suited to customer needs.

With so many loyalty programmes out there, building a scheme that’s right for your business isn’t always easy. For more information about how we can help you with digital loyalty schemes, please visit our loyalty programmes page here.

From the crucial difference between customer care and customer service, to the importance of making time to visit other pubs yourself, the benefits of investing in order & pay apps and implementing a four-day week for staff, our Pioneering Pub People Podcast, in association with the BII, is packed full of insights and advice from some of the best in the business. You can see below for just a few choice highlights from the series…

The importance of failing – Chris Black, Pityme Inn, Cornwall

Whilst most of us have a fear of failing, Licensee of The Year 2021, Chris Black from the Pityme Inn says that trial and error is key to success. Whether you want to champion local produce in your meals or focus on outdoor drinking and dining, it’s important to stick to your gut instincts and learn from any mistakes made. Things do go wrong, things do change and it’s important not to fear it but to improve as a result. To set yourself up for success however, it’s important to get the basics right and provide top service to guests and having the right systems and tech in place has helped the Pityme Inn to achieve this.

Listen to the full episode with Chris here!

Keeping staff happy – Alex and Tanya Williams, The Polgooth Inn, Cornwall

Amidst a staffing crisis in the hospitality sector, it’s more important than ever to make your staff feel valued and Alex and Tanya seem to have managed it perfectly. They have around 40 staff, with the kitchen team on a four-day week, flexible shifts for other staff that provide a good work-life balance, a share of the tips and a good hourly work rate. These simple fixes have worked wonders, resulting in an engaged team who are willing to go above and beyond for customers, resulting in great customer service. Tech has also played its part in this – for example, Alex and Tanya have invested in a handheld EPoS system to alleviate pressure on staff and help them deliver brilliant customer experiences.

Listen to the full episode with Alex and Tanya here!

Engage with the local community – David Hage and Mark Osborne, The Railway in Lowdham

David and Mark at The Railway have really delivered on providing great food that draws in customers from far and wide, as well as being a hub for the local community. Staff greeting customers with a smile is essential but so is the layout of the pub. For example, separating the bar area from the restaurant ensures that locals are not put off the idea of popping in for a drink on their own. For destination diners, the team at The Railway have found their online booking system to be invaluable, as it not only gives customers a simple and friction-free way to book but it also helps the team better manage covers in-venue and continue to provide exceptional service.

Listen to the full episode with David and Mark here!

It’s about customer care, not customer service! – Cassie Davison, The Gate Hangs Well, Syston

It sounds simple, but the success of a pub isn’t just about providing customer service – it’s about customer care, says Cassie. Pubs are places where people go to relax and are a safe space for people to forget about the stresses of everyday life. Therefore, in order to provide that customer care, the key is teaching your staff to understand the true meaning of the word ‘hospitality’ and remind them why they work in the industry in the first place. By helping staff to understand what it is that makes serving customers so great and by employing staff who have the same values as you, teams can offer customers unrivalled experiences and keep them coming back time and time again.

Listen to the full episode with Cassie here!

Leverage customer data and take time to learn from other operators – Amanda and Nick Herring, The Heron, Cornwall

Learning from the business decisions made by other operators can inspire you to implement new, creative ideas into a venue. Amanda and Nick Herring of The Heron in Cornwall often take time out to visit London and other areas to check out pubs and chat to fellow operators. They use the insight to inspire them and to assess their own business. For example, they implemented online ordering and payment and labour management tools during the pandemic. Initially this was just to help them operate through all the various levels of restrictions, but they found the technology delivered far more benefits, helping them streamline their operations, cut costs, and improve the customer experience.

We also know that the hospitality industry is an incredibly supportive sector. Through the pandemic, for example, we saw pub operators sharing knowledge and advice to others on how to weather the storm and that continues to be the case. Why not visit other pubs and share knowledge in order to gain perspective on your own business’ successes and areas for improvement?

Listen to the full episode with Amanda and Nick here!

To stream the complete Pioneering Pub People podcast series, click here!

Research recently released from KAM Media has highlighted that the takeaway and delivery boom is not going anywhere, with 22 million Brits now ordering a takeaway or delivery from a restaurant or pub at least once a week.

Encouragingly, rather than replacing on-trade visits, the survey shows the significant majority – 74% of people – are ordering in to replace cooking at home. Further research from Otter highlighted the opportunities further, citing that Brits on average spend ₤21.29 per delivery order, with the average amount spent increasing throughout the day.

As we all know, many operators had to pivot to at-home dining offers during the pandemic – a move which no doubt saved thousands of businesses. With a cost-of-living crisis on the horizon, the question for hospitality now is: can takeaway and delivery can also get the sector through the next few months and beyond?

The results from CGA’s Hospitality at Home Tracker would suggest so, revealing that demand for takeaway and delivery remained high, even when normal trading resumed, with demand for both up on the same months in 2019. Furthermore, the research shows that a key factor determining the strong performance of restaurants is omnichannel operations – that is, those that have a takeaway, delivery or click and collect arm of the business.

Tech can play a huge part in this – moving online can streamline operations and increase visibility of a brand. For those considering how the takeaway and delivery boom might well help them through the current economic crisis, here are some top tips:

1. Make it digital

Even pre-pandemic, the likes of Deliveroo and Uber Eats were popular. In fact, last year our GO Technology research conducted with CGA revealed that in January 2021, nearly a quarter (23%) of consumers said they had ordered deliveries or takeaways from platforms like Deliveroo and Just Eat more often than usual—double the number (11%) who said the same in April 2020 during the first lockdown. With this in mind, operators should consider shifting this element of the business online, to align with consumer behaviour and ensure that their delivery options are visible – especially as competition will be fierce. Don’t make your online ordering options hard for consumers to find!

2. Accessibility is key

We know from our own research that customers who order via takeaway and delivery services do so for convenience and speed. In fact, two in five (43%) consumers say they would like to see faster delivery than they currently experience and the KAM research shows that 62% of people would prefer to order direct. Thus, whilst hosting a venue on third-party sites is great for visibility, it is also worthwhile for venues to set up their website to be able to process orders directly. Tech can help businesses and there are plenty of tools available to help businesses process takeaway and delivery orders efficiently and provide a more seamless experience for customers.

3. Centralise online orders for complete control

An efficient digital takeaway and delivery system can also be essential in supporting staff on-shift. By offering online ordering to the customers– whether that be via app or website – and it being linked to your EPoS, staff won’t need to spend time on the phone taking orders or having to re-key them into the till. Instead, they can focus on delivering exceptional customer service to customers in-venue. It also avoids errors made from busy staff re-keying in orders taken over the phone.

It is also possible to connect online bookings to back of house tech, to support the kitchen staff in delivering orders in a timely manner. For example, Zonal’s Click and Collect technology and delivery solutions will only show orders to the kitchen team when preparation needs to begin. Instead of simply printing tickets as orders are placed by customers, the system will delay displaying information until it’s actually needed.

For the service to deliver maximum impact, it’s important that you can manage the flow of orders to the kitchen from orders received through online channels at any given time, to ensure the kitchen never gets overwhelmed. If a restaurant is usually particularly busy between 7-8pm, tech enables operators to simply set the system to reduce the number of orders that can be accepted during that time – or stop it all together.

Find out how takeaway, delivery and click-and-collect can boost sales for your business here.

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!

With the impact of the cost-of-living crisis, soaring inflation and eye-watering energy bills hitting the retail sector hard, garden centres that are looking to plug the finance gap will need to dig deep in order to unearth new revenue streams and cost savings. With the significant increase in importance of F&B as a revenue driver, it’s important, now more than ever, for F&B managers to control costs.

Technology that has been designed specifically for food and beverage operations will provide a simple and effective way to achieve this.

Waste not, want not

One of the easiest ways to save money is by reducing the amount of stock that goes to waste, of course – and yet it’s so much easier said than done. A digital stock management tool can help, however. Specialist hospitality technology can track stock levels down to every single ingredient and in real time. This becomes particularly important when it comes to keeping costs down but also removes a customer frustration before it has even occurred – our research shows that customers choosing an item from the menu only to be told it is no longer available, is one of the biggest causes of customer frustration.

For venues that use an online purchasing management solution for example, the guesswork is taken out of stock control by providing real-time availability. If implemented into garden centre cafés and restaurants, managers will be able to more easily ensure they are maximising the profitability of each product they stock, giving garden centre café and restaurant managers tighter control over their purchasing. This minimises waste and avoids a situation where cash is tied up in stock.

What’s more, the data collected from a digital inventory assists operators in making smarter decisions for their business, with many operators using this insight to improve profit margins. Such digital solutions also alleviate the use of printed count sheets and manual count entries, saving time and reducing the risk of human error. Consolidating and joining these systems will also highlight where inefficiencies lie, improve reporting at all levels and increase profitability as a result.

Make your profits bloom

As well as helping businesses save money, tech can also help garden centre F&B operations drive revenue. For example, apps have been proven to help hospitality businesses drive sales and research has shown that customers tend to spend more when eating and drinking out when using them. In fact, total monthly spend on apps averages £99.35, against an all-consumer average of £76.47. If customers are pleased with the speed of service on an app, they are more likely to use it again and again. What’s more, if this technology is integrated with an EPoS, waiting staff, where table service is offered, will no longer be required to take orders from one system and input them into the fixed POS terminal, enabling staff to process orders more orders more quickly as well as efficiently.

Linking an EPoS system to a digital loyalty scheme is another easy way to drive revenue in the F&B arm of a garden centre business. While printed stamp cards or physical loyalty cards have worked for some time, tech can help garden centre F&B managers maximise the opportunities offered through digital loyalty schemes – apart from anything else digital loyalty schemes don’t get lost or relegated to a forgotten pocket.

Our research has shown that 49% of consumers in Britain think loyalty schemes are important to them when choosing which hospitality venue to visit —and that rises to nearly two thirds (63%) of 18- to 24-year-olds[1]. Digital loyalty schemes allow customers to store their digital card, offers and more on their phone, meaning they are more likely to come in and make the most of the promotions and deals offered to them. What’s more, if a business can offer bespoke deals and promotions based on a customer’s preferences and previous spend habits, they may be more inclined to use the scheme repeatedly.

Sales data that goes through the EPoS can then be used to create bespoke offers and promotions on products relevant to an individual customer on. The system also enables operators to plan ahead and set up future promotions with scheduled go-live dates to make the most of key trading times and occasions. Garden centre F&B operations can use this as a golden opportunity to gain a competitive edge by learning more about their customers so they can engage, surprise and delight them time and time again.

There are also ways that technology can help garden centre F&B managers upsell. Online booking systems, for example, help to reduce customer frustration when forced to queue for a table, but they also provide garden centre restaurants and cafés with a fantastic opportunity to upsell and offer customers extra products when they are about to confirm their booking. F&B managers can add in the option for customers to pre-book their orders, offer deals on certain products and lots more, encouraging customers to increase basket spend.

No one will argue that times are tough – and about to get tougher – but garden centre F&B operations that harness the power of specialist hospitality tech will be those who don’t just survive but thrive.

[1] Zonal and CGA’s GO Technology survey, January 2021

About Zonal

Zonal’s experience in garden centres, combined with our roots in hospitality, enable us to work in partnership with retail operators to grow F&B profits, streamline restaurant operations and provide a first-class customer service.

If you would like to find out more, check out Zonal’s dedicated Garden Centre page, where you’ll find a variety of resources including top tips, insight and advice from industry experts, the benefits technology can have for your business and how operators just like you are using technology in their F&B operations.