the big data restaurant: how technology is leading to customer insight and operational efficiency

Big Data DiningGiving IT the tools to improve pub and restaurant businesses

OPPORTUNITY / ISSUE

Restaurants generate enormous quantities of useful data.

This is really useful, but they can’t always access it.

That’s because data is often siloed rather than shared with the people who need it.

SPAGHETTI SOUPCase in point: we spoke to one IT manager charged with overseeing more than 20 separate, incompatible systems.

Fancy trying to tie all of those together?

The good news is you don’t have to.

Cloud-based Software as a Service enables you to get more from your data without hefty up-front costs.

So, how candata improve a

restaurant business?

THE POWER OF DATA

One: With the right data, marketing can target potential customers more effectively and operations can be confident they can handle the increased volumes.

STEP 2

THE POWER OF DATA

Two:Automated booking remindershave been proven to reduce no-shows.

THE POWER OF DATA

Three:Better understanding of customer behaviour enables restaurants to be more aggressive with table allocations, improving throughput.

THE POWER OF DATA

Four:Trends analysis can predict when the restaurant is likely to be quiet and identify the most appropriate customers to market to.

THE POWER OF DATA

Five:Historical data enables you to accurately identify ROI on marketing activities and promotions.

THE POWER OF DATA

Six:Customers aren’t just a faceless group. You can identify individual customers’ frequency, preferences and spend to develop relevant, personalised marketing that brings them back again and again.

WHAT’S THECATCH?

WHAT’S THE CATCH?

That depends on what provider you choose. Some offer white-label solutions and concentrate solely

on business to business services.

WHAT’S THE CATCH?

And some don’t.

WHAT’S THE CATCH?

This is important: many restaurant businesses don’t want to become a cog in someone else’s machine.

WHAT’S THE CATCH?

Whose branding accompanies the customer on their booking journey - yours or the platform provider’s?

WHAT’S THE CATCH?

What happens to your costs if you’re trying to maximise turnover of each table and paying booking fees per cover?

WHAT’S THE CATCH?

What happens to all that data if you terminate your agreement?

LOOKING AHEADYour competitors may be considering - or have already signed up with - an online restaurant booking service. But such services differ dramatically.

LOOKING AHEADYour competitors may be considering - or have already signed up with - an online restaurant booking service. But such services differ dramatically.

Choosing the wrong solution can have expensive long-term consequences, especially if the business wants to move away from that platform.

Food for Thought

SOFTWARE AS A SERVICE FOR CASUAL DINING BUSINESSES:

WHAT TO WATCH OUT FOR

(a ten course meal)

01. BRANDINGAre you building your own brand,

or funnelling customers from your website to somebody

else’s platform?

02. CONTROLWhat happens to your data should you decide to take your business

elsewhere?

03. SUPPORTAre IT support teams available

when you need them?

04. MOTIVATIONIs the platform provider there to offer personal service, or more focused on becoming another

Ticketmaster or Amazon?

05. FLEXIBILITYIs the product a one-size-fits-all

solution, or can it be customised to meet your exact requirements?

06. COSTIs per-cover the right way to go,

especially if your booking volumes increase considerably?

07. MORE ON COSTIs the fee structure carved in stone

for the duration of the contract?

08. COMPATIBILITYDoes it work with your existing EPoS system? Can reservations

talk to marketing?

09. MOBILITYMobile booking is the

new online booking, and many restaurateurs use

mobile devices instead of PCs. How mobile-friendly is the

platform?

10. EASE OF USEIT knowledge can vary widely across teams, and complex

systems can be a pain point at peak times.

I should be able to layer it in no matter what hardware I’ve got, and

sign a contract for three years or so. At the end of it, if I don’t like it or we part ways I can peel it off and put in A.N. Other. It should be as simple as

that.

J.T., IT Manager

Being able to manage the rate at which your customers arrive, which we’ve never been able to do before, actually smooths the whole operation

out. Suddenly you get efficiencies coming in, and you get the ability to reuse tables where in the past we wouldn’t have felt brave enough

K.W., IT Manager

BETTER IT CAN TRANSFORM CASUAL DINING

The Big Data Restaurant isn’t just about marketing. It’s about ensuring that operations can deliver on marketing’s promises too.

BETTER IT CAN TRANSFORM CASUAL DINING

Electronic reservations enable you to spread your customers’ bookings more smoothly, leading to a steady flow for kitchens and front of house.

BETTER IT CAN TRANSFORM CASUAL DINING

Fewer no-shows, better table utilisation, better occupancy in quiet periods and less stress at peak periods deliver significant, measurable improvements.

BETTER IT CAN TRANSFORM CASUAL DINING

The good news keeps on coming: reduced training and support costs, predictable outgoings, effortless scalability.

AND THEN THERE’S THE FUTURE TO CONSIDER.

IT can continue to improve the customer experience and business efficiency.

AND THEN THERE’S THE FUTURE TO CONSIDER.

It can deliver added value at the table, such as nutritional information, branded content or loyalty programmes.

AND THEN THERE’S THE FUTURE TO CONSIDER.

It can deliver automated booking, making the restaurant experience even more efficient.

AND THEN THERE’S THE FUTURE TO CONSIDER.

And it makes the IT manager a hero in the eyes of everyone.

AND THEN THERE’S THE FUTURE TO CONSIDER.

How delicious doesthat sound?

• Data isn’t just about marketing. It’s about ensuring operations can meet marketing’s promises.

• Cloud-based Software as a Service requires minimal investment and delivers predictable costs.

• Mobile booking is the new online booking. How mobile-friendly is the platform?

• Beware conflicts of interest: is the provider B2B, or does it have a B2C offering too?

• The right solution keeps you in control over your brand, your costs and your data.

KEY POINTS TO REMEMBER:

See how modern restaurant businesses are transforming their technology infrastructures.

Making the Link: How more integrated IT systems are unifying hospitality businesses

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