With food becoming increasingly important to pubs, licensees are getting better organised and using technology to gain a clearer understanding of their customers.
Richmonds is a busy bar-restaurant in the centre of Blackburn, Lancashire. It enjoys a diverse clientele with varying demands, depending on whether they are coming for breakfast, lunch or dinner.
Owners David and Serena Edwards took over the business in March last year and could see they needed a strong system for managing bookings across a total of 100 covers in the restaurant, bar and coffee shop.
As relative newcomers to a competitive market they were also keen to explore marketing methods that could attract new customers and differentiate Richmonds from its rivals.
Their solution was a new reservations system from Uniwell. As well as giving them automatic table bookings that have enabled them to throw away the paper diary, it includes business analysis tools and marketing features.
"Uniwell.net Reservations has helped us refine our service and overcome problems with the paper-based system, but it's the marketing potential that excited us most," says Serena. "Because we are now capturing customer details in a systematic way, right down to wine preferences and birthdays, we can be much more targeted in our marketing."
Consumer insight combines with the system's reports on the bar-restaurant's performance, detailing footfall, frequent diners and service efficiency, enabling promotions to be used more effectively, capture new business and increase customer loyalty.
"Through the reports we have a detailed picture of how our restaurant is performing and we finally feel we are in control of the business," explains Serena.
"We now know exactly how much business is coming through the door at particular times and we can time promotions with more precision and focus on business that is more profitable.
"We've found the real power of the system lies in its marketing potential. We are now storing customer details on a central database and it is no longer a separate activity that prevents staff concentrating on service - it happens quickly and naturally as part of the reservations process.
"The information allows us to be more targeted in our marketing, and communication with customers is more convenient and personal. The ability to text reservations and promotions to them is a real differentiating factor for us and it's these little touches that can make all the difference in a market focused on service."
If it all sounds a bit complicated, the experience of Richmonds suggests otherwise. Serena believes working with the system has introduced the kind of discipline that not only improves efficiency and service but makes it easier for staff.
"Uniwell.net Reservations works in an intuitive way, leading staff through a step-by-step process that ensures all the details are captured before taking the booking," she explains.
"This fixed process helps us present a professional and efficient image. There's no problem reading handwriting or confusion about scribbled comments in the diary.
"Staff can easily see what's happening in the restaurant at any one time and an on-screen table plan and timeline means they can instantly view a simple snapshot of restaurant capacity, making it quick and easy to slot covers in where it's most appropriate."
www.uniwell.net