How technology can streamline your customer's experience

Frankie Neale • 22 June 2021

“Digital is in place to help, whether it’s the ability to book your table online, that you’re quickly and easily checked in and shown to your table, and can order and pay from your table. The aim is that you can get into the pub, be seated, and order your first pint all within two or three minutes.” Jane Jones, Fuller's.

For reopened hospitality businesses that are already finding the market competitive, the news that more than a quarter of Britain’s licensed premises have yet to reopen after lockdown may come as a surprise.

However, that’s the estimate of the latest Snapshot Market Recovery Monitor from sector analyst CGA and AlixPartners, which found that almost one in four (23.7%) of pubs, bars and other licensed premises are still closed.

Many of these operators have taken the view it would be a challenge for them to trade profitably while social distancing restrictions are still in place, and will be waiting anxiously for confirmation of the revised government roadmap, as well as, crucially, details of any restrictions that will remain in place.

When they do reopen, what they will find – as those operators now trading know already - is that consumers’ expectations of the way they interact with hospitality businesses has changed, for good. Jane Jones, Marketing Director of pub group Fuller’s, sums it up with the view that the response to Covid has accelerated the use of digital solutions such as remote ordering and contactless payment, and made customers who might previously have been ‘late adopters’ of the technology catch up quickly.

Jones says: “Digital is in place to help, whether it’s the ability to book your table online, that you’re quickly and easily checked in and shown to your table, and can order and pay from your table. The aim is that you can get into the pub, be seated, and order your first pint all within two or three minutes.”

Mobile ordering in a pub, paying with Apple Pay

That makes it essential for every hospitality business to ensure that, not only do you have a full suite of digital apps in place, but also that they are all talking to each other. Many pubs and bars have a range of systems in place to do different jobs, but sometimes find they are not compatible with each other. This results in operators needing to switch between systems as customers arrive, and look to place their order – slowing down that arrival journey.

Having an integrated Hospitality EPOS system that offers bookings & mobile food and drink ordering as part of your EPOS allows for that all important, seamless arrival and first order experience. You want this to be as quick and easy as ordering at the bar.

Tabology customer The Windsor Castle has made the booking, arrival, ordering and payment process quick and simple for their customers and staff using our integrated EPOS, booking system and mobile food & drink ordering.

With CGA estimating that another 25,000 venues are still waiting to open, competition is only going to increase. To stay ahead of the pack, every part of your business, from online booking, via customer check-in and on-screen ordering, to paying at the end of the session, has to be connected.

To find out how our fully integrated hospitality EPOS can help you keep your business streamlined and agile, get in touch.

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a bartender makes a cocktail while two other barstaff and two guests watch

How to make sure your restaurant, pub, or bar is ready for Christmas

by Matt Hall • 10 September 2025

There’s no such thing as ‘too early to think about Christmas’ when you work in hospitality. And after a bruising year that’s brought major challenges for the industry, December is more important than ever for many businesses. When it comes to crafting the perfect festive atmosphere, you’re the experts there – we’re simply here to show you how getting things like your tech systems, menus, staffing, and gift cards sorted now, means you’ll make the most of Christmas and manage your venue more effectively. Optimise your offerings and boost profit margins No doubt you’ll want to capture the spirit of the season with a festive menu. Roast meats and Christmas puddings are a must, but don’t forget a vegan option too. Whatever you choose, make sure your dishes balance popularity and profitability. Recipe management tools let you input ingredient costs and amounts, so you get precise costs for every item on your menu. It then automatically calculates GP so you can easily set the right prices both for individual items and festive set menus. This works really well for food, but also for cocktails, and festive drinks you might make on-site, such as mulled wine or cider. Using technology to manage bookings When it comes to Christmas bookings, balance is key. You want more bums on seats, but you don’t want to overwhelm your kitchen and Front-of-House staff – especially when bookings around Christmas tend to be larger. A flexible booking system helps you maintain control. Those office Christmas lunches often have ten or twenty guests, so it helps to keep them separate from your usual bookings. Asking for pre-orders and prepayments makes it much easier to manage those big complicated bookings. Email links go out to organisers so everything can be booked and paid for in advance. This guarantees your cash flow ahead of time and means your kitchen can prepare and ensure the right amount of stock. You can also create custom drink packages to upsell during the booking process.