How Toast Pub & Kitchen cut labour costs from 26% to 23.9% with a modern EPOS
“Usually when you ask for an improvement, it falls on deaf ears. But with Tabology you can see it live, it’s scheduled, you know something’s going to happen.” Jacob Georgallis, Managing Director
Toast is one of the busiest sports bars in Leeds, so when they went looking for a new EPOS system, speed behind the bar was only part of the equation. They wanted one platform that could simplify day-to-day management and help them run the business more efficiently. They’ve used Tabology’s Pub & Bar EPOS since July 2025.
We spoke to Managing Director Jacob Georgallis during the World Cup, when they were packed to the rafters.
He worked in the bar for 11 years before taking it on in 2025. He’s clear on what makes Toast such a great place to watch the biggest events. “We’ve got more screens than most (17 in total), we’ve got the two big projectors, and we've just redone the audio system so the commentary’s nice and loud,” says Jacob.
General Manager Kody Norris also says, “Because it’s one room, rather than lots of smaller rooms, you really feel that atmosphere. When we’re full, it’s amazing.”
“I think our customer service is second to none as well. We get customers served nice and fast,” adds Jacob.
The challenge – tech that couldn’t keep up
Of course, that speed of service is critical, particularly where thirsty football fans in a celebratory mood are concerned. On match days, the Toast team needs to make fast decisions around staffing, stock and service. But with an ageing EPOS system and reporting tied to the venue, Jacob felt the technology was starting to hold the business back.
“We were with Zonal previously. It was good but you sort of had to be here all the time. If you left the building, you left all the reporting behind. And they were a bit behind the times. They didn’t really work with you if there was an issue or we wanted to improve something.”
The solution – a cloud-based EPOS that runs your venue from anywhere
Jacob wanted something that could ensure speed of service, in-depth reporting, and a high degree of responsiveness when it came to updates and requests.
“We also looked at Square, SumUp, and EPOS Now, but in terms of the interface they didn't look anywhere near as simple as what Tabology is. And the fact that you can view reports, do a rota, update the till etc, all from home, there was nothing really comparable. Also with Tabology, I really like how you can see the schedule of updates and improvements coming through on the feature request board.”
Kody adds, “Having iPads really helps, as they're newer technology than those older-style screens. It’s really well laid out and easy to use. I like how you can bring up a product’s spec on the screen, instead of having to get a piece of paper with it on. It’s really useful for cocktails and draught beer.”
Did they notice a difference immediately? Jacob says, “The biggest thing for me was that it allows you to be mobile. You can see what table covers we have, what’s happening in real time, and all the reports from anywhere, at any time.”
One of the biggest benefits has been replacing outdated, multiple systems with one. “From a billing perspective it’s great having one subscription for everything. And it’s much easier being able to log into one place, not having multiple passwords and logins,” says Jacob.
The results – smoother service, and cost savings revealed
With an EPOS system now offering greater functionality and reporting, Jacob and the team have found ways to improve their customer experience and cut costs.
Sales reporting enables better beer selection
“The reporting is very good, much better than what we had with Zonal. You can see product sales across different hours, different days. You can see how it changes seasonally. You can also put the primary items you want to track into a separate page (Spotlight Sales). Draught beer is a massive thing here, and it’s now much easier to see what’s selling well, what’s not. It’s really intuitive and straightforward. And it’s all downloadable.”
Kody adds, “I also think the way you can separate the reporting into categories is good. You can see what the bar and the kitchen have taken in certain hours and times. That’s good from a rota perspective.”
Staff scheduling targets busy periods to reduce labour costs
Toast also uses the staff scheduling system built into the Tabology EPOS.
Jacob says, “This is the first time we’ve done staff scheduling in conjunction with the EPOS. Before, we were just using spreadsheets. We’ve seen a reduction in staffing costs because we're now able to target the busy times. So for example, with the first England game, we could see that 2 hours before the game, that’s when we were getting the crowd in, so that’s when we need to get the staff in. We were working at roughly 26% labour costs, whereas now it’s down to 23.9% in the space of a year. It makes a massive difference annually.”
Kody noticed how the staffing system saves time and effort in comparison to using spreadsheets. “I also like that with the rotas, you just press a button and everyone gets sent an email. You’re not stuck on a computer copying and pasting into chats.”
Working with Tabology, a tech partner that listens
As well as the specific operational benefits since switching to Tabology, the Toast team have appreciated a closer relationship with us as their tech partner.
Kody says, “The Telegram support system is really good. I usually get a response within minutes. Even when you message them at half 10 at night, they’re always responding with good advice.”
Jacob says, ”Usually when you ask for an improvement, it falls on deaf ears; you call someone up, you tell them about a problem, it never really gets followed up. But with Tabology you can see it live, it’s scheduled, you know something’s going to happen.”
Could your venue see similar benefits?
Jacob recommends Tabology for operators looking to modernise. “The features are second to none. The progress through the feature request scheme is unbelievable. The service is great, it’s easy to use. Just get an iPad, download it and you’re good to go, you can start serving straight away.”
Kody says, “It’s a very good system, very ‘new and improved’ compared to a lot of the older systems. Take the leap and do it because it’s definitely going to benefit your business.”
Whether you're looking to improve reporting, reduce labour costs or simply run your venue from anywhere,
get in touch with us. We'd love to show you how Tabology could help, and help you switch with minimal disruption.
