Riddling Rack, Newton Le Willows
"The stock report from Tabology is superbly accurate. Using it reduces my ordering time from about three hours a week to just an hour” Bernie Snagg, General Manager
Offering a drinks range including a regularly changing choice of wines from around the world, as well as cocktails and beer, and specialty coffees, Riddling Rack is a popular local café and bar in Newton-Le-Willows, near Warrington. The offer also includes freshly-made food including breakfast and lunch options, sandwiches, small plates and sharing platters.
Riddling Rack has been using Tabology’s Bar EPOS system since it opened in 2018, and has seen the range of functionality it uses grow alongside the business. Alex Myhill, Director, explains: “The main appeal initially was the Tabology system’s integration with our staffing software Deputy, as well as our accounting software Xero. “
Alex admits now that she didn’t know enough about everything the business would need from its EPOS system, but “I wanted an EPOS that covered every base. The support from Tabology has always been amazing. They’re very responsive and can help us with any queries that we’ve got.”
Ensuring its core product range, including the required GPs, and the recipes for drinks such as cocktails and speciality coffees, are entered on the system has been key to maximising the business benefits of the Tabology EPOS
“As with any system, it gives back what you put in,” says Alex. “It delivers a great deal for us now; because we’ve spent the time putting all the products in, we get the reports and results we need from it. Now, when we have a new product, it’s not too onerous to add.” Having the cocktail recipes on the Bar EPOS system means it updates the stock levels for each ingredient whenever a drink is sold.
The job of stock management and ordering falls to General Manager Bernie Snagg, who says “As long as I keep on top of physical stocktakes, the stock report from Tabology is superbly accurate. Using it reduces my ordering time from about three hours a week to just an hour.
“I look at stock reports weekly on the system, and aim to do a full stocktake monthly. We have five different suppliers, and each product is assigned to a particular supplier. I can ask the Tabology system to suggest what I need to order, and I can match that to what bookings etc. we have on the system.”
Using Tabology’s Bar EPOS stock reporting functions, Bernie can see a list of which products from a specific supplier should be in stock, the cost, and by comparing stock to the bar’s periodic automatic replacement (PAR) levels, get the system’s assessment of how much of each product is needed. “I then just press the button and send the order. It’s a very good system.”
Riddling Rack is using the Tabology integrated booking system to manage customer bookings. “Before using Tabology, we had too many ways to book, which was a recipe for disaster,” says Alex. “We had a paper bookings diary, we recorded information such as special requests on the Google drive, and we took bookings via our website and social media. It was very easy for information not to get transferred from one to another, and although we ever dropped the ball, we came close a few times.”
Now, using Tabology’s booking widget embedded in the Riddling Rack website, all bookings are automatically generated, while telephone bookings are keyed straight into the system. Online bookings are automatically flagged up both in the back office and on staff tablets front-of-house. “Tabology have added the alert system, which is very useful, and means we don’t miss a booking even at the busiest times,” says Alex.
“We then allocate the tables as bookings come in, and accommodate any special requests. For example, we’ve just had a booking via the website asking for a table that can accommodate a small Scottie dog.” With bookings overlayed on the table plan, “we can see straight away if there’s already a booking for a large party, or a private function in our upstairs area.“
Advance bookings tend to peak towards the weekend. “We’re a casual venue where people come for a drink, and maybe a bit of food, so we get a lot of walk-ins. However, our regulars know that we can get very busy at times, and we sometimes have to turn people away, so they book in order to know that they’ve got a table when they want it.”
Front of house, “the system is really straightforward for staff to use,” says Alex. As well as taking drinks orders, sending food orders to the kitchen printers, and closing tabs, the Tabology promotions functionality is used to schedule special offers such as Riddling Rack’s popular Fizz Friday, and Two for £12 cocktails.
”It will automatically update the tills to the promotional price at the right time, so staff don’t have to worry about remembering, or checking the time. It also takes some of the pressure off staff if a customer is asking them to put a promotion through after it’s finished – if it’s two minutes past eight, they can just say that it’s not available on the till any more.”
Tabology’s membership system is also used to manage gift cards. Customers can add a balance, and an RF card reader connected to the Tabology system automatically updates the amount on the card when it’s used.
Tabology’s online support will always go the extra mile, says Alex. “The quality of the WiFi in our area can be variable, so sometimes we get networking or printer issues that are nothing to do with the Tabology system. Even so, support is still on hand to help us trace the fault back to where the issue is, and advise on what we should do to resolve it.”
Bernie adds: “The great thing is that even when a manager’s not available at our end, Tabology’s support is very good at explaining things simply, making it easy for staff to get back online.”
To find out more about our Bar EPOS, and how it could work in your venue get in touch to arrange a demo.
