Contactless payments, online banking, Facebook and the Sky+HD Box. These are just some of the technological advancements that have changed the way we live.
Technology within the pub sector has had an equally dramatic impact on the customer experience with the use of EPoS; chip and PIN; apps; online reservations and free Wi-Fi. And the advances behind the bar are helping pubs to maximise sales and operate more efficiently.
The Always On-trade Report, conducted last year by the Association of Licensed Multiple Retailers (ALMR) and ordering app Orderella, revealed that pub operators are embracing new technology.
The survey of 17 ALMR members with 348 venues, showed that 35% were actively installing new tech-nology; 24% had identified it and will install it soon, while a fur-
ther 35% were currently re-searching the market.
What works?
So, with operators engaged with technology, what is working for licensees and how is it helping their businesses?
Ashley McCarthy, former British Institute of Innkeeping (BII) Licensee of the Year and owner of Ye Old Sun Inn in Colton, North Yorkshire, has been trialling a new kitchen system for six months through the BII called MyEchef.
“I went into it kicking and screaming because it was not the way I wanted to go — you need flexibility as a chef,” says McCarthy.
“But I have been converted and it has helped us out — especially with training new staff.”
One major benefit of the system is that it logs all the recipes, which allows trainees in the kitchen to download them when needed. This means they can follow the instructions and provide better consistency for menu items. The system can also help with stock control and even work out the GP of every meal served in the venue.
“It tells you the portions and it standardises everything. You put in the prices and it tells you the GP and what you should be making,” he says.
“You can also pull out recipes to make up a dish such as a spinach purée. It can be pulled from the database that you have already loaded and automatically gives us a GP on the whole dish.”
The initial hours and hard work is in loading the data and recipes, says McCarthy, but the long-term benefits are worth it.
As a chef and licensee he had concerns about using a system that would make the operation like a branded chain.
“But it does not take the heart out of the chef because you are free to do what you want with recipes, which is the beauty of it,” he says.
“You can also look at a former recipe from last year and see why the costings are coming out different.”
As well as monitoring these costs, the system also has a wider range of functionality such as the ability to provide allergen information; to access information from anywhere and control food costs.
Management systems
Brakspear has also been using a new kitchen management system, which it is rolling out across its managed estate.
In the past six months, the Kitchen CUT has saved the company 4% on food costs as well as saving time for kitchen teams.
“We introduced it to the Brakspear managed estate last autumn and are rolling it out as we acquire new pubs,” says Brakspear executive chef Antony Ely.
“It helps the chefs in each pub to control costs, track allergens and, most importantly, deliver Brakspear dishes to consistently high standards.”
It also allows an overview of food performance across the estate, linked to its EPoS. Ely can also access it by mobile or tablet while he is out and about, which is useful because he has to split his time between eight kitchens.
The Kitchen CUT also offers a range of options for different types of users. Single users can have access to full recipe costing, allergen com-pliance, and nutritional analysis.
A more advanced system for multiple users, up to five, offers additional reporting features and menu engineering while its executive system for up to 10 users even allows pub groups to run ranges of daily reports from wastage to breakages.
Fully integrated
Meanwhile, John Molnar, managing director at the four-strong Nottingham-based Moleface Pub Group, says many of the technologies used in the pub sector are now seen as part of the operation.
“The stuff that is amazing we take for granted, such as the EPoS till systems that link to the back of house,” he says.
He is enthusiastic about the value of online booking systems, which allow for the reservation of tables.
“We have an online booking system called QuadraNet that maximises the bookings. Who-ever is taking a booking goes into the computer and, if there is not a table of four available at midday, it will automatically push two tables of two together to create one,” he says.
The system allows staff to book tables into the system and also for customers to reserve tables online on the Moleface Pubs website.
“We can also store information so that it is like a database. We can say to the customer ‘do you want to re-order a bottle of Malbec for your next visit?’” Molnar says.
“You maximise every table at every time. That is what is so good about it.”
With technology making for a more efficient pub operation, licensees are given time to concentrate on other areas of the business.
Whether you are a licensee struggling with technology or one that is embracing the benefits, one thing is for certain — it is essential for any efficient pub operation.