Manager Matthew Kelly explains that Tabology was recommended when the previous EPOS system they were using was shut down. “Tabology was by far the most user-friendly, so we went for it. We were able to use the same iPads as previously, so it was a very smooth transition.

“Tabology was able to sort out the back office, by putting all our products onto the system for us. They went above and beyond other companies, who told us we’d have to do all that work ourselves. That saved us time and money.”

The Honeycomb & Co product range and menu changes throughout the day, and also as new, freshly-prepared products become available. As a result, the speed at which Tabology enables the EPOS menu to be updated has proved to be an asset. The till menu is pre-set to change as the day progresses, and “where previously, if we wanted to change a product it was quite cumbersome and time consuming, with Tabology you just go into the back office, make the change and refresh the app.

“You can pretty much deal with anything straight away. We have special cakes at weekends, for example, that need to be added as soon as they’re available.”

When customers eat in, orders are taken at the table, including the outside seating, while takeaway orders are taken at the counter, all using the iPads. “When we get an online order, we process it through the EPOS as we would any sale, so our books match,” says Matthew.

All orders go to the main till to be added to the bill, with printers also located in the bar and kitchen so that different parts of the orders go to the right area. “With our previous system, the kitchen printer wasn’t picking up the orders, but it was very simple to set up with Tabology’s Cafe EPOS, you just add a printer with a click.”

Honeycomb & Co relies on the Table Plan function of the EPOS to manage customer tabs and payments. “When we open up a table, we click to say how many customers we’ve got. We’ve decided to automatically add a service charge to tables of six or more, and that just needed a quick message to Tabology to set up.

“Using Table Plan it’s very simple to open up a new tab. For walk-ins ordering to takeaway, there’s a simple quick sale option at the press of a button, which doesn’t require opening up a new table.”  

Matthew is also able to keep an overview of the business remotely using the EPOS system’s back office function. “Although I try to be good on my days off and not access the system, if I do need to check anything, it’s very simple to open up the back office from wherever I am. It means if there is any issue when I’m not in the business, I can get onto it straight away.”

Tabology's Cafe EPOS has also enabled Honeycomb & Co to add a new strand to the business. “We now do some outside events, and with Tabology’s support all we have to do is take an iPad and card machine – as long as there’s Wi-Fi (or a dongle) you can set the system up very simply wherever you are.“

Overall, sums up Matt, “Tabology are always contactable, and they’re prompt to respond. I’d recommend the Tabology Cafe EPOS system to anybody.”