How The Trevor Arms thrives with an EPOS that adapts
“If ever there was a problem like the internet or electricity going down, which can be an issue for rural venues, we know we’ve got the Mini EPOS there as a backup and can still take orders and payments," – Steve Keegan, Owner, The Trevor Arms
The resurgence of The Trevor Arms in Glynde, East Sussex, is a story of realised potential. Owner Steve Keegan and his partner Bethany have an eye for restoring forgotten venues, and after some much-needed repair work following eight years of closure, ‘The Trevor’ is now back where it belongs, delighting locals and visitors with top-quality pub food and an exciting range of beers.
You could say that their decision to use Tabology EPOS is a story of realised potential as well. Steve had previously used the system in a cafe, but was only scratching the surface of what it could do. Taking on a vibrant gastropub like The Trevor Arms would allow Steve to use more of the features.
Steve has vast experience in hospitality, having spent over two decades managing venues with great success, including working as an area manager for Fuller’s and Mitchells & Butlers. This meant he needed an EPOS system with the flexibility to fit around his unique ways of operating, a blend of digital and analogue that works for his team.
Automated online bookings
Every venue has its own rhythm, and the booking system must adapt to the tune. The Trevor Arms runs separate lunch and dinner services, and despite being a smallish pub, they can do 100 covers per sitting on a busy weekend. They use Tabology's built-in booking system, with a booking form on their homepage.
“I’m not the most technical person but it was really easy to add the booking form to the website and get it working,”
Steve says.
“At first, we used manual booking approval while we found our rhythm with the floor management. But we soon switched to the system’s automatic booking confirmation as it works so well.”
They’ve also used the system’s facility to limit the number of tables available for bookings as they
“are a good old (new) fashioned pub and want to always have space for people who pop by or just fancy a drink.”
Before each service, they print off a hard copy of the bookings list so managers always have that to hand and can organise any walk-ins. Staff also refer to the EPOS Table View to manage tabs and payments.
Precise stock management
As familiarity and confidence with the system grow, so should usage. The Trevor Arms keep tight control of their wet stock using Tabology’s built-in stocktaking and line check functions. It has been so effective that they are now going to use it for dry stock, and making use of the advanced stock control tools that come as standard.
“We want to have a clear picture of GP and theoretical vs actual food costs, so will be using the recipe creation tools for all of our products.” A complex task, but he will be ably assisted by Tabology's experts who work closely with venues using the advanced features to make sure everything goes smoothly.
Mini EPOS for outdoor service
Seasonal changes demand flexibility, and The Trevor Arms was an early adopter of Tabology’s handheld Mini EPOS. Steve says, “In summer, we put on events and can get 300 people in the garden, but adding a fixed POS in the bar isn’t really practical. Having the iPhone-based POS to take orders and payments in the garden was really helpful, and it worked really well with no issues.”
Tabology’s flexible contracts allow operators to scale up and down as needed, so you only ever pay for what you use. At the end of summer, Steve disconnected the Mini EPOS when he no longer needed it. This was just a matter of a few clicks in his Back Office. But the Mini EPOS app is still there on their iPhone, available if required.
“If ever there was a problem like the internet or electricity going down, which can be an issue for rural venues, we know we’ve got the Mini EPOS there as a backup and can still take orders and payments. And because it’s a different payment provider from our main EPOS, we could also switch to that if our main payment provider had any issues.”
Support that’s there when needed
It’s not just the tech itself that needs to be flexible – support needs to consider the levels of confidence, experience and aptitude of operators using the tech. Steve’s experience meant he could do a lot of the initial setup himself. But Tabology’s onboarding experts are always on hand to help out, such as uploading The Trevor’s wine list to the EPOS.
Steve says,
“The support has been absolutely fantastic, never more than a few-minute wait to get things sorted. And having worked so closely with the onboarding team, I know I can go to them for anything overly technical.”
A new lease of life
After just a few months of operating, the rebirth of The Trevor Arms has been a huge hit with locals and tourists alike. Steve and his team look like they’ve devised a winning formula, and at Tabology we’re proud to play a small part in the resurgence of this beloved venue.
If you'd like an EPOS system that bends to fit your business, not the other way around,
drop our experts a line and they can arrange a free demo and trial.
