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Integrated or non-integrated card payments: what’s best for your hospitality business?

Wed, 01 Apr 2026 15:04:22 GMT

Card and contactless payments now account for more than 9 of every 10 transactions in UK bars and restaurants*. A smooth payment process is no longer a nice-to-have. It’s fundamental to how your venue runs. As an operator, you essentially have two options: integrated or non-integrated payments. This guide breaks down what each means, where each works best, and what to consider beyond the headline costs.

What does ‘integrated payments’ mean?

Integrated payments are when your hospitality EPOS links directly to the card terminal. When a transaction is ready for payment, staff press a button on the till screen to automatically send the sale amount to the card terminal with no manual input required.

With non-integrated payments , staff need to manually input the sale amount from the till into the card terminal. A small extra step, but the method you choose has wider impacts on your business.

What are the benefits of integrated payments vs non-integrated payments?

The type of payment system your venue uses affects both front-of-house service and back-of-house management. The table below shows how factors such as speed, accuracy and customer experience could look different at your venue.

Which payment system is right for your hospitality venue?

You can run a successful, efficient hospitality business with either integrated or non-integrated payments. While non-integrated payments give you more flexibility to find cheaper rates and flexible contracts, many hospitality businesses opt for integrated payments for the speed-of-service, time-saving and security benefits.

Ali Rees, Co-Founder and Commercial Director of Tabology , has helped hundreds of hospitality businesses with their integrated payment solutions. He says:

“When payments are not properly integrated, venue owners can lose trust in the numbers. Small mismatches creep in, refunds need explaining, and hours get spent reconciling what should already be right. That admin time has a real cost, even if it never shows up as a line item on your P & L. Integrated payments close those gaps. Every sale, refund, and tip is captured automatically in one place, removing unnecessary admin.”

Customer expectations around service speed and accuracy are rising too. If slow card transactions mean they have to wait longer for their drinks, or they find they’ve been overcharged because of a keying error, they might decide a return visit is just not worth it.

There is also a bigger picture to consider…

Should you think about integration beyond payments?

The payment decision rarely sits in isolation, and operators who treat it that way can end up paying more than they expected. The question is not simply ‘which type of payment system should I use?’, but ‘how will this payment system fit within my overall tech setup?’

For example, some providers might offer you a POS and payments package at an attractive headline price. But does that package include all of the tech systems and features you’ll actually need?

If key tools such as reporting, stock management, bookings, staff scheduling, mobile ordering and loyalty are only available as paid add-ons, or you need to subscribe to additional platforms, the real cost could be much higher. And staff juggling three, four or five separate platforms brings friction into your workflows and service.

A future-proof approach is to look for the highest levels of integration – not just within integrated payments, but across your entire tech ecosystem.

Ready to find the right payment solution for your venue?

Understanding which payment setup is right for your venue is part of a bigger picture — how your EPOS, payments, and wider tech stack work together. If you'd like to explore your options, our team is happy to talk through what makes sense for your business, book a consultation .

It’s also worth getting to grips with how card processing fees actually work, as the costs aren’t always where you’d expect them. Here’s our guide to how card processing fees work .

*The Morning Advertiser, 2022, https://www.morningadvertiser.co.uk/Article/2022/09/08/9-in-10-choose-card-over-cash-at-hospitality-venues/

Tablet EPOS hardware for hospitality businesses - iPad vs. Android

frankie@tabology.com (Frankie Neale) — Thu, 26 Mar 2026 11:52:55 GMT

When you're choosing a tablet-based EPOS for a bar, pub, cafe or restaurant, the hardware question comes down to Apple vs Android. Both operating systems (OS) are mature and widely used in hospitality, but they differ in cost, lifecycle, security and day-to-day supportability.

Both can work. However, at Tabology, we’ve reached the conclusion that Apple devices provide greater long-term benefits to hospitality operators. Our hospitality EPOS runs exclusively on iOS (iPads and iPhones), with the back office accessed via any modern web browser. Here are our reasons why.

iPad vs Android for hospitality EPOS: at a glance

How long do Apple and Android tablets stay secure and supported?

iPads typically receive major OS updates for 5-7 years. Since Apple controls both hardware and software, almost all supported iPads get security patches at the same time. On Android, premium vendors like Google and Samsung have improved their update policies. However, cheaper tablets still lag – as of December 2025, 42% of Android devices were running unsupported operating systems. Any businesses using those devices are exposed to real security risk.

Top-end Samsung and Google tablets now get support for a similar length of time to iPads. But operators hoping to save on upfront costs with a budget Android POS will likely need to replace devices sooner to stay secure, so they may end up paying more overall.

Does Android or Apple offer more flexibility for hospitality EPOS?

Android has traditionally had the edge on hardware openness. NFC (near-field communication – the technology behind contactless payments), USB-C, Bluetooth and specialist peripherals have all been more accessible to developers, which is why many Android EPOS tablets integrate card readers, scanners and stands in flexible ways.

Apple has historically been more restrictive, notably locking NFC to Apple Pay only. That changed with iOS 18.1, which opened the iPhone's NFC chip and Secure Element (the chip that stores payment credentials securely) to authorised third-party developers, allowing them to build their own contactless payment solutions. Access still requires commercial agreements and is closely monitored by Apple, but it's a significant shift.

At Tabology, we pair iOS devices with supported payment terminals, handheld POS devices, printers, cash drawers and kitchen displays, offering wide configuration options on a tightly controlled hardware base.

Is an iPad or Android tablet cheaper for a hospitality EPOS?

Android tablets are typically cheaper upfront. Many budget models, however, receive only 2–3 years of OS and security updates, compared with 5+ years for iPads. For a device processing sensitive payment data all day, a longer supported lifespan often matters more than the upfront price.

When you compare like-for-like business hardware, the gap narrows further. Independent tests and buyer guides show that high-end Android tablets from Samsung and Google with 5-year support windows are only slightly cheaper than comparable iPads. Android EPOS can still win on headline price, but the iPad EPOS typically wins on how long you can run it confidently without being left on an unsupported OS.

Which tablet platform is more reliable for running a hospitality EPOS?

By focusing Tabology EPOS on iOS, we work with a small, predictable range of hardware that all receive updates on the same schedule. That means we can test more thoroughly, deliver upgrades faster, and support customers faster when something goes wrong. We even test new versions in our own pub before release – only possible because of the consistency of iOS devices across our customer base.

Android hardware has improved significantly, especially at the premium end. But reliability still depends on choosing and maintaining a vetted shortlist of devices. This adds an extra layer of complexity for operators that we believe doesn't outweigh the benefits of staying on iOS.

Tabology’s Chief Technology Officer, Ian Berry, says, " From a development perspective, Apple's tightly controlled ecosystem is a significant advantage for EPOS software. Rather than accounting for hundreds of Android device variants and a huge range of software versions, we can optimise for a predictable, stable platform. Couple that with Apple's reputation for premium, reliable hardware, and it's a much stronger fit for the demands of a busy hospitality environment."

That consistency also has a commercial impact for operators using our EPOS system. We can identify issues and turn around fixes quickly, which means less downtime at the till and fewer missed transactions. The same applies to new features: a stable platform lets us ship updates faster, so operators get hospitality tools that improve at a much quicker rate.

The verdict

Android offers flexibility and lower upfront costs. But if you’re thinking of switching your hospitality EPOS , we believe an iPad EPOS system provides a more reliable, secure and cost-effective solution over the long term for most businesses.

That’s why Tabology EPOS is built on Apple devices. It gives you a stable platform for your tills, handhelds and kitchen screens, while keeping your back office accessible from any web browser.

Want to talk through the right setup for your venue? Our experts are happy to help.

Book a no-obligation demo call , and they’ll listen to your requirements and advise you on the best solutions – including pointing you towards reputable sellers of refurbished iPads to keep upfront costs down.

How Swoon Gelato tracks stock across multiple sites with our cafe EPOS

Tue, 17 Mar 2026 21:47:37 GMT

“The reporting tools help us build a more accurate picture of how each site is using their stock. It helps us to identify issues like overportioning and wastage. ”

Swoon Gelato is a multi-site group using Tabology’s cafe EPOS to track stock, recipe costing and sales across their estates. It is, in the words of Operations Manager Josh Margarson, “the closest you can get to authentic gelato outside of Italy.” They source their pistachios from the slopes of Mount Etna, and are often named one of the best places for ice cream in the UK.

The maestros create their award-winning gelato at a central production site and send it out to their cafes in Bath, Oxford, London’s Selfridges Food Hall, and two sites in Bristol (where their flagship store celebrates its 10th anniversary this year).

“Ripe for implementing new systems”

Josh has spent his whole career in hospitality, starting as a student in Bristol in 2000, and joined Swoon in 2024. He says, “Swoon was established in the Bristol/Bath area before Covid. It kind of had the wind taken out of its sails through no fault of its own. The business was ripe for implementing new systems, and I was keen to progress my career. It was a great opportunity for me to come on board and try to change things for the better and drive a period of growth.”

Though not one of Swoon's founders, Josh has brought a founder's energy to the role – and a clear-eyed focus on the tools needed to take the business forward.

The challenge: tracking recipe costs precisely

A huge part of Josh’s role is knowing the numbers and tracking recipe costing precisely across the business (“I love a spreadsheet”).

But the cafe POS system they were using at Swoon didn’t offer what he needed. “Our previous system was not user-friendly at all. We weren’t able to utilise it effectively; we were literally just using it to press buttons on the till. The reporting was ineffective because it wouldn’t let you set the products up properly.”

Towards the end of 2024, Josh began researching a range of providers. He needed a platform that had all the facets essential to running a hospitality business – particularly in-depth stock tracking and recipe management. It also needed to be easy to understand and train staff across all the sites.

The solution: a start-to-finish stock control system, built into the cafe EPOS

In Josh’s last role as a General Manager at Roxy Ballroom, he had used Tabology’s EPOS and management suite and understood its capabilities. “The most important thing was that it had to be easy to add new products and recipes, and this needed to be easy to maintain, because once it starts to fall apart you lose track of costs and it can be a nightmare.”

Using Tabology’s multi-site EPOS tools , Josh can precisely track recipe costs at their production centre and accurately track sales and stock at each individual site, all within one platform. “The reporting tools help us build a more accurate picture of how each site is using their stock. It helps us to identify issues like overportioning and wastage due to equipment breakdown and so on.”

Tabology’s cafe POS has also enabled Josh to help make his teams’ lives easier. “I want site managers to be able to place their own orders more easily, so it really helps to have all the products on the Tabology system, rather than them having to trawl through supplier websites, which would take longer and lead to more mistakes. The system makes it easy for the managers to train their supervisors too.”

Josh is also training staff on Tabology’s stocktaking system . “It’s easy to set up the count sheets and understand the stock reports. It’s about helping to tidy things up and remove inefficiencies.”

And when questions arise during that training process? Josh says, “The Tabology support is great. The Telegram chat is very proactive. It’s easy to get hold of people and it’s a simple process to get issues sorted out.”

Beyond stock – optimising across the business

While stock control was the immediate priority, Swoon also uses several other tools built into Tabology’s cafe EPOS to manage the wider operation.

Tailored loyalty and promotions

“Another factor in choosing Tabology was that it had loyalty built in . There’s a lot of functionality around discounts and promotions. You can come up with some really bespoke offers, and we tailor them to our different segments, such as the students and the NHS workers.”

A further benefit of the multi-site loyalty tools is the ability to combine estate-wide promotions with individual site promotions. “We’ve got offices near certain sites, so we set up promotions for their staff, and we do promotions tied in with local media outlets.”

Seamless staff-scheduling

Swoon’s managers also use the staff scheduling tools. “It’s really simple for managers to do the forecasting, write their rotas and do the monthly payroll, and staff can book time off easily through the system as well.” The central staffing reports make it easy for Josh to see everything he needs at the end of the month.

Celebrating ten years, laying the foundations for ten more

It’s a big year for Swoon as they celebrate a decade in business, with a big refurb of their flagship Bristol store followed by a host of special events in April. While Tabology, along with Josh, have only been part of the story for a short while, the business is already seeing the benefits of an increased focus on stock management and cost control, and a system that makes it easier.

This will only increase in the coming years as Swoon are due to open a new site in Winchester, as well as expanding their wholesale presence, growing their reputation among retail and restaurant groups.

For Josh, it’s not just about implementing systems, but supporting a business that can thrive for the next ten years. “There’s a whole sea of different EPOS providers out there. Tabology stands out as a UK company with a great product that does everything you need. The support and the training are there as well.”

If you're managing multiple sites and need precise recipe costing, stock control and loyalty tools all in one place, we'd love to show you what Tabology can do for your business. Book a demo today or drop our team a line to find out more, and we’ll be in touch.

How our EPOS stock control system supports award-winning cocktails at Over & Above

Wed, 25 Feb 2026 15:53:47 GMT

“The Batch Maker system is fantastic. Before opening Over & Above, I hadn’t used any stock management systems. But it’s really simple to use, it’s been a real game-changer for us.”

Nestled in the heart of Harrogate, hidden behind a secret bookcase entrance, you’ll find one of the UK’s best cocktail bars. It’s been quite a year for Rich and Fran Hamer, the husband-and-wife team behind Over & Above. They opened in March 2025, not long after welcoming their first child into the world. And just 8 months after opening, the venue earned a place in the Top 50 Cocktail Bars list.

For Rich, it has been the realisation of a long-held dream. “I was getting itchy feet. I love hospitality and always wanted to open a bar of my own, and it was always going to be cocktails.” But why Harrogate? “It was when I was visiting my parents, who live here. I noticed a bit of a gap in the market – plenty of traditional pubs and bars, but no real high-end cocktail scene. We also met our business partners while visiting. They showed us the space they had available, and then it just kind of fell into place.”

“We take the drinks seriously, not ourselves”

Rich says, “We wanted to create a neighbourhood-style bar, with the sort of feeling where you're round at your best friend’s house, you’ve just finished dinner, and you’re just relaxing with drinks and listening to music. We take the drinks seriously, but never ourselves.”

And the drinks are a serious business indeed, with all manner of kit from dehydrators to sous vides in their prep room. Their much-loved Clarified Colada takes 18 hours to prepare – but as it’s their top seller, it’s clearly worth every second.

Rich’s background as the Head of Prestige and Advocacy at Sipsmith included working with world-famous venues such as The Savoy and The Connaught, giving him firsthand insight into high-end hospitality and the crucial role of effective systems.

The challenge – precise stock control for technical cocktails

With such a technical menu, tracking exactly how much stock you’re using is a challenge. But that’s why so many top cocktail bars use batching – pre-mixing certain elements of cocktails to ensure efficiency and precision.

Rich says, “It wasn’t really a thing 10-15 years ago, but all the cocktail bars I know of are doing it now. It gives you precise stock control, and there are certain drinks you can't prepare on the bar, like the fat-washed drinks. Customers benefit because it speeds up service and you get better consistency in taste, because every drink has the same amount of each ingredient and there’s less room for error.”

To fully realise the benefits of precise portion and cost control, it's essential to have a stock tracking system that supports batching. Rich spoke to other operators in Harrogate to find out who they were using for their EPOS and management tech and get some insights. Several venues in the town are Tabology customers, and after hearing good things, Rich arranged a demo.

The solution – a simple and flexible stock management system, built into the EPOS

Tabology’s stock control system instantly stood out to Rich – it’s built into the Bar EPOS system , and is available to all customers as standard. It includes a dedicated Batch Maker function. This allows you to input recipes for all your pre-prepared cocktail mixes, giving you precise cost prices and complete ingredient traceability. Every time you sell a drink using the mix, the system automatically deducts the specified amount of each ingredient from the stock.

“The Batch Maker system is fantastic. Before opening Over & Above, I hadn’t used any stock management systems – I’d never even done a stocktake. But it’s really simple to use, it’s been a real game-changer for us.”

Rich and his team have one major prep shift in their lab every week, during which they concoct their works of art and log everything into the system. “The next menu we’re planning is going to be even more technical, so we’ll be relying on the Batch Maker system more and more.”

Beyond stock – how Tabology EPOS supports smooth service

Crafting that relaxed and friendly vibe is a huge part of Over & Above, and Rich has deliberately employed staff with diverse personalities so they can engage with different types of customers. That personal touch is everything, and that requires tech that works quietly in the background, allowing staff to shine.

“One of the best things about Tabology EPOS is that it's so intuitive. We’ve barely had to train staff. It’s super fast, they just had a play for 10 minutes and they were ready to go. There’s nothing worse than clunky systems where everything takes longer than it should, so that intuitiveness was a really big factor in choosing Tabology.”

Over & Above also uses Tabology’s built-in booking system and digital gift cards, and has set up distinct booking types for one-off events such as their cocktail-making masterclass. “The booking system works really well and is easy to set up, and we sold loads of gift cards over Christmas.”

A strong first year – and just getting started

Rich says, “It’s been a wild year. It was a leap of faith for us, going from two London wages to starting a business from scratch. I also had crazy impostor syndrome, having not been behind a bar for so many years. So having a system that’s so in-depth and easy to use has been huge. We love using the Tabology system, and I’m always singing its praises when I speak to other operators.”

For Rich and Fran, opening Over & Above was always about more than cocktails – it has been a labour of love, building something of their own. One year in, with a new baby, national recognition, and a system they trust, that leap of faith looks to be paying off – but it’s only the beginning.

“We'd love to grow more of a cocktail scene here in Harrogate,' Rich says. 'We're looking to get involved in takeovers with other Top 50 bars, inviting them here so people can experience some of the country's best cocktails without leaving their hometown. And we'd love to take our concept to other cities too.”

If you're running a cocktail bar, or any venue that needs the same precise stock control, faster service, and effortless staff onboarding that Rich and the team at Over & Above rely on, we'd love to show you how Tabology can work for your business. Book a free demo with our experts or drop our team a line to find out more.

How to manage restaurant reservations with ease

Wed, 11 Feb 2026 15:41:45 GMT

If you manage a restaurant, you’ll know it can be a fine line between order and chaos. And reservation management is often a deciding factor in which way it goes. An efficient process keeps your customers happy, your staff sane, and your revenue flowing.

You really want to make the process as smooth as possible for both staff and customers. And these days, managing reservations online is a critical part of that. So we’re going to take a look at every stage of the process, and how a well-integrated booking system and restaurant EPOS help you manage your reservations with ease.

First get found, then get booked

People can only book your venue if they can find it. Research by UKHospitality shows that around half of diners now book online. Your venue needs to be visible on Google Search and Maps, so you show up in all those local searches like ‘restaurant near me’ or ‘restaurants in [location]’– of which there are millions every month. You should have a presence on social media too – The Caterer says that almost half of consumers use social media to find places to eat and drink.

You then need to ensure a smooth booking process. Your website should be clean and easy to navigate, with a prominent button or built-in form, which diners can find without having to scroll down. It’s a good idea to include a ‘Book table’ button in your nav bar, so that it’s always in front of potential customers while they browse your menus.

Once someone has found your booking form or page, your online booking management system takes over .

Most good booking systems, including ours, connect with Google , allowing your guests to make reservations directly from Google Search and Maps.

Make the booking process smooth and simple

It needs to be easy for guests to input details of their booking. Remember, many people will be using mobile devices, so it’s best not to make them type in lots of information. Booking management tools should let you add dropdown menus where guests can easily select dates, times, and the number of guests, and the system shows availability accordingly.

That said, guests need the opportunity to add specific notes or requests, such as allergies, accessibility requirements, and seating preferences. This can be a simple box to enter custom information.

You should also add a marketing opt-in (usually a tick-box) if you want to send people offers and promotions via email or SMS.

Set booking parameters to avoid a free-for-all

Maintain order in your venue by specifying rules and parameters to control the flow of customers. There are no black-and-white answers here, as the best practice depends on the size and type of your venue, the nature of your clientele, and your management preferences. But these are the things you need to consider.

Booking types: The ultimate method of organisation. Booking types organise different types of customers without staff lifting a finger; customers simply choose the booking type from a menu when they book. This helps you tailor your booking settings to the different kinds of customers you have and the experiences you offer.

Automatic approval: Do you want your booking system to automatically approve and confirm all new bookings, or do you want managers to manually approve them? You might want to set a minimum notice period, after which booking requests must be checked and approved.

Booking duration: Setting a maximum duration ensures you can turn tables efficiently, minimise the dead time between bookings, and keep revenue flowing. You might decide to have different durations for different booking types, or base the duration on the number of covers.

Turnaround time: Keeping a few minutes spare between booking time slots gives staff a chance to clear and reset tables, and allows a bit of extra time for any late guests.

Cover limits: Larger bookings can take longer to turn around and be harder to manage. You might want to consider a maximum covers limit at peak times, or require larger bookings to be manually reviewed and confirmed. On the other hand, you can also set minimum covers for certain tables. This prevents, for example, a couple booking a table of six and potentially blocking a larger, more profitable booking.

Deposits/card pre-authorisations: For certain booking types or larger bookings where the cost of a no-show would be higher, you may want the flexibility to charge a deposit or card hold for those bookings only - or for all bookings.

Pre-orders: These can help your kitchen team prepare more effectively, and are especially useful for larger bookings. Our system lets you configure pre-order requirements for different booking types, and the pre-order menu automatically syncs with your normal menu, so you don’t need to duplicate work when you add or edit products on your main menu. You can select your whole menu or just specific items to be available for pre-order.

Keep staff informed and give yourself some wiggle room

Have solid procedures in place to notify you and your team of any new requested or automatically approved bookings. Our booking system sends you an email when a new booking comes in. And because it’s built directly into the hospitality EPOS, you also get an alert that pops up on the EPOS screen so you can review any new bookings without having to go into the Back Office.

It can be helpful to avoid booking your venue to maximum capacity . Tabology customer Paul Stewart, founder of Miso Newcastle , likes to leave a couple of tables free to give them that flexibility and avoid disappointing people who visit spontaneously. The exact proportion of tables you leave free varies depending on your location, footfall, and the type of restaurant.

If you’re in a location without much passing trade, you’ll want to maximise bookings to get bums on seats. But finding the right balance gives you some wiggle room for delays such as bookings turning up late or taking a while to finish their food, without having to turn people away. Use your booking system’s reporting tools to monitor the bookings/walk-ins split in your venue, and decide how many tables you ought to keep free.

Avoid taking lots of bookings for the same time. Try to stagger them by 5-10 minutes so you can get people seated before the next group arrives. It also means your servers can space out orders and avoid overwhelming your kitchen with a torrent of tickets.

With our booking system , you can set a maximum number of covers that can arrive at the same time. If a booking would take the number of covers arriving at that time over the limit, the system makes the time slot unavailable, and guests will need to choose an earlier or later one. Alternatively, you can set these additional bookings to come through as requests.

Keep guests informed and protect your revenue

Automated emails are the ideal way to keep in touch with guests. Booking systems such as ours let you customise them so they have that personal touch, but staff don’t need to lift a finger. Set it up once, and it takes care of itself.

Confirmation emails should include an acknowledgement of all the key details, as well as any special notes they added. But you could also take the opportunity to remind them of useful info such as parking, dress codes, and your cancellation policy . You could also include links to your social accounts. Following you is a great way to help them build excitement in anticipation of their visit.

It’s also worth sending a reminder email before the visit. Some operators worry this might annoy customers, but in 2024, Dine Out reported that around 1 in 7 no-shows were down to people forgetting. Reminder emails are a good opportunity to prompt customers to get in touch if they need to change or cancel their booking, and reduce your risk of losing revenue due to a no-show.

Enhance service with guest data

Paul at Miso says, “Guests increasingly want to feel ‘known’ by their favourite venues – to feel part of it.” A booking system supports this with the data it collects. It stores guests as contacts, along with details such as their birthdays, allergies, and order history. Staff can record notes on the contact’s preferences to provide a more personalised service.

For example, you could have their favourite drink ready for them on arrival, or seat them in their favourite spot next to the window. If you know the guest has children, you can provide activity packs to keep them entertained. It’s these little touches that take service to the next level and build loyalty.

When your booking system gathers this data, it helps you to run targeted promotional campaigns via email or SMS. Shannon Bruce , a Tabology Onboarding Expert who was an award-winning GM in a city centre bar/restaurant, says, “We used to send a message just before a guest’s birthday with the offer of a glass of fizz on us. You can also filter guests who visit regularly but haven’t been in a while, and send a retargeting campaign to entice them back.”

Remember that you must have permission to send marketing emails, so make sure guests have opportunities to sign up for marketing whenever you communicate with them during the booking process.

Make the most of guest satisfaction

So you’ve wowed your guests, said goodnight, and they’re off home feeling all warm and fuzzy – now’s the time to make sure they come back. Sending a follow-up email is a great way to do this. A good booking system lets you automate this process.

A warm and personable message reminds them of the great experience they’ve had. You could also tactfully ask them to review your venue on a public forum. And you can also let them know about any loyalty schemes you might have. In 2025, London Loves Business reported that returning customers spend on average 67% more than new ones, so any effort here is likely to pay dividends.

One platform to manage every booking from start to finish

Every venue has its own approach to managing reservations. The key is having software and systems that make it easy for you to control this process in a way that works for you. There are a multitude of restaurant booking systems available, but where they can fall short is their lack of integration with your EPOS.

For truly seamless reservation management, use a booking system that’s built into your restaurant EPOS . One platform, one process, one subscription. It reduces hassle, simplifies your workflows and keeps your monthly costs down. It brings all your data together, connecting bookings with sales, staffing and loyalty, to give you real in sights into your venue.

That’s what we offer at Tabology – we help you consolidate and simplify your hospitality tech with fewer systems. And to see exactly how our system can transform reservation management at your restaurant, you can try it for free. Our experts are always on hand to help. Drop us a line and we’ll be in touch to answer any questions and arrange your free demo or trial.

How The Unicorn Inn cuts complexity with Tabology EPOS

Tue, 09 Dec 2025 10:31:47 GMT

“Tabology as a tool is much more focused on hospitality. Everything is there in one place. It does what it says on the tin." Mark Martin, Owner at The Unicorn Inn

Mark Martin, owner of The Unicorn Inn at Deddington, hates ‘double-handling’. That’s what he calls anything where you’ve got to input information more than once, log in to multiple systems to complete a task, or manually combine data from more than one place to get what you need. Before taking the leap into hospitality, his background was selling tech for business process management. So he knows a thing or two about how systems should simplify, not complicate.

The decision – the need for ‘extended capabilities’

EPOS Now, the system he used in his first venue (the Cutty Sark in Falmouth) wasn’t simplifying things the way Mark needed. “The system we had in our first place was really a retail system that they’ve tried to adapt to hospitality. The stock management system wasn’t great. I really wanted something with extended capabilities.”

So when he took on The Unicorn – a 7-room village hotel with a busy bar and restaurant – in the summer of 2024, Mark looked for a pub POS that was as simple, efficient and complete as the technology he used to sell. “Tabology as a tool is much more focused on hospitality. Everything is there in one place. The UI (User Interface) around the backend is really useful and usable. It does what it says on the tin.”

The difference – time and money saved with everything in one place

So, no more double-handling for Mark. With everything from stocktakes and sales to rotas and reports in one system, Mark and his team can keep on top of things more easily, and they always have a clear view of operations.

“It definitely saves us money in terms of having everything there in one system rather than several. It also helps us get staff up to speed really quickly. It’s so intuitive, we can get new, inexperienced team members trained up in just a couple of sessions. It's the little things like the graphics on the buttons so they know what products look like really help.”

The Unicorn also serves a popular menu of home-cooked British classics, and uses Tabology’s restaurant booking system to manage reservations. It’s built into the EPOS system, which again cuts out the need for multiple systems to manage and pay for. “We initially held off with the booking system, as the clamour for the pub to reopen was so much that we were just crazy busy in those first six months. We added it once things settled down, and it now helps us manage things the way we want. It’s really intuitive to use.”

The online booking system has enabled Mark to set up a separate booking type for their Christmas menu running throughout December, alongside their usual lunch and evening services. “We’re also planning to expand our use of the booking system to enable people to book spaces within the venue, such as our snug, as we look to host a wider variety of events.”

Mark’s tech background means he’s experienced a wide variety of tech support. What has his experience of Tabology’s been? “I can’t fault the support, it’s been exemplary. In fact, it's better than I’ve seen anywhere, not just in hospitality, but in any industry.”

The future – everything to hand when it’s time to expand

Mark is confident that Tabology can help The Unicorn Inn thrive, and is looking to make use of even more of the scalable POS features as the business grows. “We’re planning to expand our use of loyalty and promotions. It’s very reassuring to know that everything is there, already provided whenever we need it, and I don’t have to go through the hassle of researching and trying other providers.”

Like Mark at The Unicorn Inn, you could have everything you need - from stock management and bookings to rotas and reports - in one intuitive, hospitality-focused system.

Book your free, personalised demo today to see how Tabology can simplify your operations and save you money.

How to capitalise on Dry January

frankie@tabology.com (Frankie Neale) — Wed, 03 Dec 2025 13:27:00 GMT

After an intense year with many challenges, the prospect of Dry January might not fill many publicans with joy.

Participation in the annual campaign has grown since 2013, when 4,000 people first took on the challenge. In January 2025, almost 9 million Brits went alcohol-free, with a further 8 million cutting down.

However, even if your pub is a bit less boozy, it can still be busy. So what can you do to encourage people through the doors despite the planned abstinence?

Give customers a reason to visit beyond a drink

The old ‘Shall we pop out for a drink?’ is not something you can rely on in January. So it’s time to make your venue shine, and become more appealing than a night in watching Netflix with the curtains pulled.

To be honest, this approach should extend beyond January. People have less disposable income, and are becoming more discerning over where and how they spend their money. Social and leisure activities are planned for, rather than spontaneous and casual. So you’ve got to make your venue the main event.

Live music, open mics and quiz nights are tried and tested ways to get bums on seats. But there are all kinds of creative ways you can draw people in. The key is to try things out and figure out what your audience enjoys. Events like movie nights, art workshops, book clubs, and allowing local music groups to use your space on quiet nights can all boost footfall. If you do food, try some themed menu nights.

Or an easier, low-key addition could simply be a stack of board games available for use, and adding activities like dartboards, shuffleboards or foosball tables if you have the space.

Increase your range

The move towards ‘low and no’ has been growing for several years, and practically every pub now stocks at least one or two non-alcoholic options. But it’s worth looking beyond the Guinness Zero and 0% lagers.

There is now much more choice when it comes to no and low alcohol products. A number of craft breweries offer non-alcoholic options, and while non-alcoholic wines have historically been hit-and-miss, techniques have advanced in the last couple of years. There are now some thoroughly enjoyable 0-percent wines and fizzes available, with sparkling Rieslings and Chardonnays among the most popular.

Spirits have also seen a real boom, with many well-known brands offering a 0% version – gins are especially popular, with botanicals replacing the alcohol to offer the same great flavour in your G & T. And you can experiment with mocktails, still giving people a sense of occasion despite the missing ABV.

Make sure you provide recommended pairings of drinks with food items, for those who find the choice available daunting.

Help your customers stay dry

Shout about the choice of drinks you’ve got on offer. Make use of social media to showcase your range of drinks as well as any events you’ve got coming up. Most people will steer clear of anywhere temptation might get the better of them, but letting customers know you’re here to help and have some great choices on offer, might make the difference between them meeting in your venue or staying home. Make sure you position your non-alcoholic options as premium, rather than an inferior substitute to the ‘real thing’.

Support your customers’ health journeys

Around half of UK adults make a New Year’s resolution that involves getting healthier. This of course involves eating well. You can support this by championing some of your healthier menu options, or perhaps creating some specials that tap into the health kicks people are likely to be on in January. Think protein bowls and superfood salads. If you can incorporate some kind of discount, special offer or reward scheme around this, even better.

Celebrate customers who go the distance

Encourage your patrons who are attempting Dry January. Be a part of their journey, and they’re more likely to stick with you once they return to indulgence in February and beyond. You could even set up a promotion where you offer anyone buying alcoholic-free drinks in January a celebratory first pint in February. A small gesture that goes a long way and is likely to be repaid with increased loyalty all year round.

Jump on awareness days

There’s a day for everything these days. If you’re struggling for ideas for events and promotions in Dry January, you can always fall back on the awareness days. Who knows where they came from, but it doesn’t matter – it’s something you can have a bit of fun with and offer your guests something a bit different. Here are some options:

January 4: National Trivia Day – Host a quiz
January 16: International Hot & Spicy Food Day – create a special menu of zingy dishes
January 23: National Pie Day – can your chefs rustle up some hearty pies to warm guests’ hearts?
All January: Veganuary – attract people with some meat-free delights they won’t be able to find in the frozen section of their local supermarket.

Dry January brings a shift in guest behaviour, but with a positive and proactive approach, the January Blues can be kept at bay. In many ways, Dry January is just a concentrated version of long-term trends affecting pubs and bars. The adaptations we suggest here – diversifying events and revenue streams at your venue, offering a broader range of drinks, and making your venue an ‘occasion’ – are likely to benefit you throughout the year as the industry faces increasing pressures.

With the right tech in place, you can easily adapt to calendar events and seasonal customer demands. Our pub EPOS makes it quick and simple to add and update products, check your GP%, and monitor what’s selling well. Bar staff can also check ABV, mocktail instructions and allergens of unfamiliar products at the touch of a button. The inbuilt booking system lets you set up booking types for any weekly or one-off events you want to host, while our range of loyalty options encourages customers to come back for more of your great alcohol-free offerings.

If you’re interested in finding out how our Pub EPOS can work in your venue in Dry January and beyond, get in touch with our experts for a free consultation.

How The Trevor Arms thrives with an EPOS that adapts

Fri, 28 Nov 2025 14:29:33 GMT

“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 a pub & bar 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.

Demystifying card processing fees for hospitality businesses

Wed, 26 Nov 2025 09:42:04 GMT

Card processing fees can vary widely between providers, and you can end up paying thousands of pounds more than necessary every year if you don’t get the best deal.

We know from conversations with hospitality operators that many don’t fully understand the ins and outs, which means they end up paying too much.

To help you avoid that, we’re going to demystify card processing fees. If you find yourself looking at your card processing invoice and feeling bemused by all the figures, you’re in the right place.

We’ll go through it all with a fine-toothed comb: how they work; what fees you can negotiate and which you can’t; different ways your fees can be structured; factors affecting how much you’ll pay; and yes… those hidden fees that can cost you money. This knowledge will make you better prepared to get the best deal.

How do card processing companies determine your rate?

Most (but not all) payment processing companies use your card turnover and average transaction value to determine the rate, so they will request to see your previous card statements before giving you a quote. Hospitality businesses tend to have higher rates than retail and other sectors, due to the higher risk of chargebacks and card-not-present payments.

Larger companies with higher card payment volumes usually get better rates thanks to their scale. So higher-end restaurants where every transaction is a three-figure sum will generally get a better rate than cafes and pubs with lots of sub-£20 transactions.

While you have some negotiating power, it’s unlikely that companies will come down significantly from their initial offer. So shopping around the different providers is often how you get the best deal.

However, the best deal does not always equal the lowest headline rate (we’ll go into this in more detail below). It’s also worth bearing in mind that certain POS providers tie you into using their payment processing services, so you can’t shop around.

What makes up your overall card fees?

Your card fees are made up of three main components:

Card scheme fees
Interchange fees
Processor fees (or processor markup)

Card scheme fees (non-negotiable)

The card schemes (Visa, MasterCard, AMEX, etc) charge your business’s bank for using their infrastructure. You can’t avoid or reduce these fees. They can vary depending on the type of card and whether it’s a contactless or chip-and-pin payment.

Interchange fees (non-negotiable)

The customer’s bank charges your business’s bank a fee to cover the cost of processing the transaction – this is known as the interchange fee. This varies depending on the type of card used. In the UK, the payment systems regulator caps them at 0.2% for debit and 0.3% for credit cards . However, caps don’t apply to AMEX cards, non-UK transactions, or commercial cards used for business expenses.

Processor fees (negotiable)

Every business that takes card payments needs a card payment processor (such as PayPal, Dojo, Teya, Square, SumUp, etc). These companies charge a fee (sometimes called a processor markup) for handling every payment.

How are card processing fees displayed on your invoices?

Your card processing fee will be presented in one of three ways:

Blended rate

Most UK hospitality businesses (~95%) will pay a blended rate. This is where all the fees are grouped together into a single fee on your invoices, often referred to as the Merchant Service Charge (MSC). This gives smaller businesses simplicity and predictability, as you know how much you’ll pay for each transaction. The downside is that it’s harder to know where that money is actually going.

Interchange+

Businesses that turn over £10 million a year in card revenue may be offered Interchange+ as a payment model. This is where you pay the Interchange fee + a quoted rate that includes the card scheme fees and the processor fee. This makes it easier to see the markup you are paying to your processor, but you still won’t see exactly what this is for each transaction, as it is wrapped in with the card scheme fees.

Interchange++

Businesses turning over £50 million a year could be offered Interchange++ payments. This is where you pay the exact interchange fee + the card scheme fees for each transaction + a quoted rate that is purely the processor fee.. This gives the highest level of transparency, as you can see exactly how much of your card fee is taken up by the processor markup.

What your blended rate could look like

As we’ve said, your blended rate incorporates all three of the fees together. However, it can get confusing as the blended rate may be displayed in one of two ways:

a percentage of every transaction
or a percentage + authorisation fee (usually 2p-6p).

Don't confuse percentage + auth fee billing with interchange+ (or interchange++). If your pricing does not explicitly separate the interchange fee (quoted as “interchange fee” as this isn’t a fixed amount), you will be on a blended rate.

Percentage per transaction

Paying a flat percentage of every transaction can be simpler and more predictable. However, the ‘headline rates’ some providers advertise – which can be as low as 0.3% per transaction – are rarely what you end up paying, as some of the additional fees we look at below are also likely to apply.

Percentage + Pence per transaction (authorisation fee)

Some card payment processors will charge an authorisation fee – usually 2p-5p per transaction – to cover the cost of checking the validity of the card and if there are sufficient funds for the transaction.

This is where you have to be careful. A fee of 0.3% + 4p per transaction might sound better than 0.6% per transaction. But it depends on the value of the transaction:

Say you have the choice between a flat 0.6% rate, or blended rate of 0.3% + 4p.

On a £6 payment, a flat percentage would result in the lowest fees:

Flat 0.6% rate → 3.6p in fees ✅
0.3% + 4p per transaction → 5.8p in fees ❌

But on a £20 payment, a percentage + auth fee would result in the lowest fees:

Flat 0.6% rate → 12p in fees ❌
0.3% + 4p per transaction → 10p in fees ✅

So it’s vital to understand your average transaction value to make sure you’re getting the best rate for your business.

Pro Tip

A quick way to work out your overall rate is to divide your monthly card fees by your monthly takings, then multiply that by 100 to give you a percentage (make sure you include all your fees in this calculation).

For example, say your venue has taken £37,500 by card this month, and paid £225 in fees.

225 ÷ 37,500 = 0.006

0.006 x 100 = 0.6

So your card processing rate would be 0.6%

Be aware that your terminal rental fees may be charged on a separate bill to your processing fees, so always check this when given a quote. If your terminal rental is charged separately, you will need to factor this in when calculating your true rate.

Let’s say the business in the above example paid for two terminals at £20 each per month. That would take their fees to £245, and their actual blended rate to just over 0.65%

Additional fees you could pay

Below are the components of the blended rate you could pay, including some of the costs that card payment processors need to cover.

Below are some additional fees that may affect how much you pay. Some of these, such as PCI charges and same-day settlement, may be included within the blended rate you see on your invoice. But others are likely to be listed separately.

Terminal rental

This usually ranges from £10-£30 per device, per month. Some providers let you buy them upfront, which can save you money in the long run, and some offer free terminals as an incentive.

Minimum monthly fees

Some payment processors set a minimum monthly service charge, guaranteeing them a baseline. This is usually between £10 to £30 per month, but most venues don’t need to worry about this as they will clear the threshold anyway.

Premium card fees

Premium and corporate cards, such as AMEX, charge higher fees (partly because they need to fund their customer service and reward programmes).

Card-not-present (CNP) rates (negotiable)

This includes payments made during online bookings and phone reservations, and keyed-in payments. Since these transactions are more vulnerable to fraud, the fees are often significantly higher.

Payment Card Industry (PCI) compliance charges

All payment processors need to invest in staying compliant with industry standards, and they recoup these costs through merchants. Many operators will need to complete the Payment Card Industry (PCI) Data Security Standard Self-Assessment Questionnaire and Attestation of Compliance annually, to avoid PCI fees. However, some providers are inherently PCI compliant, so operators using their card processing services don’t need to worry about the self-assessment or fees.

Same-day settlement

Some providers offer this as standard. It’s where funds taken via card payments arrive in your business account on the same day, seven days a week (it’s sometimes called 7-day settlement).

However, other providers only offer it as an optional extra, in which case it incurs an additional fee. Without same-day settlement, you may have to wait until Tuesday or Wednesday to receive funds that your venue took over the weekend. So keep an eye on your cash flow, and decide whether you really need same-day settlement if your provider only offers it as a paid add-on.

The key thing with card fees is to check your bill. Make sure you understand everything on there, and if there is a fee displayed that you don’t recognise or understand, ask your payment provider to clarify it.

Ad hoc or one-off fees you might have to pay

Setup fees

Some processing firms might charge you an initial fee to set up your account.

Refund fees

Some processing companies charge a small fee (20p-50p) for refunds initiated by the merchant (you). As the merchant, the initial authorisation fee for the transaction is non-refundable, so it’s sensible to try and minimise refunds. However, they are preferable to chargebacks…

Chargeback fees

Chargebacks happen when a customer disputes a payment because they believe it shouldn’t have been taken. Customers raise these disputes directly with their card provider, who then initiates a reversal of the card payment. This means money can leave your business account without you knowing why.

It then involves significant admin to investigate and communicate with the customer, and can risk reputational damage – both with customers and with payment processors. Processing companies typically charge £15-£25 per chargeback – even if the customer’s initial dispute is not upheld – so you really want to avoid them as much as possible.

Cross-border fees

Foreign cards and payments incur a higher rate than domestic ones. This varies between providers, and is only really a concern if your venue gets a lot of custom from foreign visitors.

The cost savings that won’t show up in your invoice

When weighing up the numbers, it’s tempting to chase the lowest possible rates. But remember, your card payment processor affects how quickly and smoothly your entire venue operates, so reliability and speed often matter more than shaving a fraction off your fees.

Every second counts. If the card machine in your bar crashes or slows down on a busy Friday night, you could lose out on hundreds of pounds – not to mention the frustrated customers who might decide not to come back.

Likewise, if a terminal in a coffee shop takes just two seconds longer to process each payment. That can add up to 10 transactions lost every hour across the peak morning commute.

With that in mind, paying a slight premium could be worth it – paying 0.1% more on your card fees might cost you £100 for every £100k you process. But losing a single Friday night’s worth of trade because your payment systems went down? That could be thousands up in smoke.

Most providers have a status page where you can see how many issues and outages they’ve had in the last year. You should be able to find it with a quick Google search and get an idea of a provider’s reliability.

If speed and efficiency are a priority, you should also consider which payment processors integrate with your hospitality EPOS . Integrated payments send payment amounts directly to the card reader, removing the need to manually input them, making transactions faster.

Conclusion – no one-size-fits-all

As you’ve no doubt gathered, payment processing fees can be a bit of a minefield. But we hope you now have a clearer picture of how they work, and feel armed to compare what the different companies are really offering you.

At Tabology, we have a wealth of experience with payment solutions, and we partner with multiple payment processing providers. This means we can give you objective support in finding the best payment processing solution for your business when you choose us as your hospitality EPOS provider .

To get started with hospitality tech that truly works for your business, get in touch with our experts for a free, no-obligation consultation.

Protecting your hospitality businesses from rising inflation

frankie@tabology.com (Frankie Neale) — Tue, 25 Nov 2025 12:02:01 GMT

With the price of food products rising by 4.9% in the year to October 2025 (ONS), this figure confirms what many operators already know to be true – inflation is taking a toll on hospitality venues.

Add that to the consistent energy price rises, and the more recent body blows of minimum wage and NIC increases and reductions in business rate relief, and many venues and operators have been pushed to the brink.

Yet, with consumers feeling the pinch across all expenditures, a blanket increase of prices may risk hospitality becoming a luxury, with fewer customers through the door. So what else can we do to tackle this?

Keep a closer eye on your margins

With cost prices rising, it’s vital to ensure you are still making the margin you need on the food & drink that you sell.

Our hospitality EPOS will automatically calculate your GP based on the cost of the item, or the ingredients making it up, and the sale price. This is displayed as you add or adjust your prices, and you can produce a report showing the GP on all of your products.

As you record any increase to your supplier prices, these will automatically be reflected in the cost and GP of any menu items impacted, so you can easily pull off a report and ensure your margins are still where you need them to be. Our bulk price updates tool makes the task of responding to any supplier price changes more efficient.

If you want to track costs with even greater precision, built-in recipe management tools let you break down items and track costs by ingredient .

Review your GPs in line with your sales reports so you can prioritise ensuring your margins are in check on your big sellers. This might include some targeted price rises, but there are other options too. You can look at alternative suppliers, adapt your menu to offer products with better margins, or consider adding premium options to top up revenue.

Tighter wastage control

Rising supplier prices mean that any wastage is costing you more. If you’re not already doing so, make sure that all wastage is being recorded accurately.

Hospitality EPOS systems should allow you to record wastage and view wastage reports. Ideally, you’ll be able to see the cost of wastage both at the cost and retail price. You should have enough information to identify any patterns that correlate with high wastage, such as a particular staff member, product, or time of day.

You can also set up your own reason codes, breaking them down to be as granular as you like. This helps you identify any underlying issues so it’s easier to solve them. Adding a Kitchen Display Screen means chefs can record waste instantly, without having to write waste separately then re-enter it in the Back Office.

There will still be unreported wastage, things like spilt drinks or overpouring, and this is where your stock report comes in. Stock reports highlight variances between your projected and actual stock levels. Running them regularly allows you to keep tight control of any variances quickly, so they can be investigated. You can also run daily line checks, monitoring specific products to hone in on the cause of wastage. Embracing tech makes this more efficient – carry an iPad around and enter amounts into the system as you count, rather than writing on paper and then reentering them, and avoid a time-consuming duplication of work.

Track staff hours

With ever-increasing wages and NIC contributions, along with staff shortages, it’s more important than ever to optimise your staffing levels.

With a staff scheduling tool that’s integrated with your EPOS, you can use your sales data to build accurate rotas . You can pull sales data from comparable days or weeks, and view upcoming bookings for each day, and use this to sense-check your planned rota. This shows you where you’re over- or understaffed based on anticipated sales figures, so you can make sure your staff are working when you really need them and not adding to your costs when you don’t.

You can also view live wage/sales percentage on the EPOS, so you can see at a glance if your staffing levels need adjusting mid-shift.

Monitor your profitability

Regularly review your profit & loss (P&L) report so you understand all of your costs, and ultimately your business's bottom line. If your EPOS is linked to your accounting package and you’ve automated the submission of your supplier invoices (see our previous blog on automated bookkeeping ), you should have a pretty up-to-date P&L in your accounting platform.

However, it's possible to get an even more up-to-date and accurate P&L for shorter time periods directly from your EPOS.

Our hospitality EPOS includes a P&L report that calculates your fixed costs, such as rent, based on the time period you are viewing, which can be as little as one day. This gives you a view of your profitability more quickly, and for much smaller windows than you can realistically get from your accounts.

Diversify your offering

For many venues, particularly rural or out-of-town places, the bread and butter trade of people calling in for a couple of pints, coffee and cake, a spot of lunch – it simply isn't sustainable any more. Even with better efficiency and tigher belts, margins are too tight or footfall is too low. The answer is to give people more reasons to come to your venue.

When we speak to our customers, we're often amazed at the creative ideas they've come up with to make their venue a destination and capture a wider audience. There are the tried and tested favourites like quizzes, live music, live sport and summer festivals. But some of the more niche ideas we've seen include:

extending a country pub to add a biker cafe, that's become a major stopoff for motorcyclists as they tour the UK
a Japanese restaurant that caters to different crowds with two very distinct dining rooms (one formal, one vinyl on the shelves and live DJ sets at weekends).
a pub in an old cinema building hosting movie nights and creating a film club
cafes becoming popup studios, serving drinks to people as they enjoy a painting class with a local artist
a pub turning its disused field into a campsite (but deliberately not providing electric hookups so people would eat in the pub – smart).

The time has come to think outside the box. Events get bums on seats. And when the people those bums belong to sample your great food, drinks and atmosphere, they might just keep coming back for more, as regular customers.

Shop around

With prices rising, it’s advisable to shop around. Are there any suppliers offering introductory offers and rates you can take advantage of? Or can the same products be sourced from someone else for less? If your budgets are constantly stretched, it might be time to look beyond your tried and tested suppliers.

Our stock management system lets you register multiple suppliers for the same product. This gives you the flexibility to choose whichever supplier is offering the best prices when it’s time to order stock.

There is no silver bullet when it comes to combating inflation. It’s about constant vigilance across all your operations to see where you can plug leaks, tighten costs and increase productivity – without compromising on great service of course.

But with the right EPOS , you can monitor your business costs and revenues more effectively, arming you with all the information you need to drive your business and stay ahead of inflation. If you'd like to see how it can fit into your operations, get in touch with our experts for a free consultation and demo.

* Office of National Statistics, inflation and price indices, consumer price inflation time series. January 2022.

7 restaurant booking systems compared

matt@tabology.com (Matt Hall) — Thu, 20 Nov 2025 16:44:43 GMT

It's five minutes to five on your busiest night of the week. Tables are set, ovens are roaring, and your Early Bird regulars are already lined up at the door. It's battle stations. Or at least, that's what it feels like when the restaurant's busy.

And like any battle, your chances of victory depend on planning and preparation. That means knowing which is the best restaurant booking system for your venue.

A good one puts you in command. It gives you a clear view of your restaurant, helps you deploy your team most effectively, and prepares you for the thrills and spills the night will surely bring. But with so many booking systems out there, how do you choose the best one for your restaurant – one that makes the difference between calm and chaos, one that's streamlined and affordable?

We've gathered the intel on the most popular options, to help you make a better decision. We've scoured company websites to find out what unique features they offer. And we've looked at review sites including TrustPilot, Capterra, and G2 for insights into the user experience for each platform.

Scroll down for information each system's features, pricing, pros and cons. Here's a snapshot of their key details:

Tableo

Tableo offers discovery and booking capabilities directly through the MICHELIN Guide website and app, providing a distinct channel for attracting high-end clientele. Its ‘crowd control’ feature can also help you manage peak times more effectively.

Its 'AI Assistant' can handle reservation requests and customer queries around the clock. They also offer customer chat support in 24+ languages and a promise of 'no ticketing systems, no nonsense' with a dedicated account manager.

Tableo is generally praised for its strong usability and customer support. It offers a free plan, allowing venues to start managing reservations without an upfront cost. However, this only gives you up to 100 covers and limited features.

To get access to features such as reporting, deposits, prepayments, SMS notifications and Reserve with Google, you must upgrade to their Organise package, which is £59 per month (£59 per month is also exactly what you pay for Tabology’s Pro plan, which includes a complete booking system with unlimited bookings, plus an EPOS system and tools for staff scheduling, stock management, loyalty and more).

Tableo also takes a small percentage charge on bookings made through third-party sites such as Google, TripAdvisor or social media, and charges its own 1% transaction fee on top of Stripe’s standard fees.

How much does Tableo cost?

Free up to 100 covers per month. Reserve with Google is free for the first month, then you must upgrade to Bronze. Does not include reporting, prepayments, deposits, no shows & SMS notifications.

Monthly packages:

Organise: £59, unlimited bookings
Grow: £79, online orders and payments, gift vouchers, SMS, waitlist
Expand: £109, enhanced reports, cross-chain selling and customer engagement

Pros

Free version available (although limited to 100 covers per month)
Discovery and booking capabilities via Michelin Guide
Praised for customer support

Cons

Need to pay to get full access to features
Does not integrate with any widely used POS systems in the UK

ResDiary

ResDiary emphasises its use of 'smart rules to control the flow of customers'. This includes functions such as setting time restrictions on larger bookings to prevent staff from being overwhelmed during peak times, and its W8list feature. These are designed to improve efficiency and customer experience.

The system can help a venue attract diners with bookings made directly from its website, social media, Reserve with Google, and DesignMyNight, with 0% commission.

It also boasts extensive connectivity, integrating with over 70 software partners, including other EPOS, PMS (Property Management Systems), marketing, and staff management systems.

However, TrustPilot reviews , indicate mixed feedback around support and contracts, with some praising it but others reporting challenges. And many features, such as POS integration, online ordering and gift vouchers are only available as paid add-ons.

How much does ResDiary cost?

ResDiary do not publish pricing in the UK, but according to comparison site G2, it starts at £89 for 150 reservations per month, up to £245 for unlimited reservations per month. There is also a setup fee.

Pros

W8list helps you manage walk-ins when you're full
Integrations with over 70 software partners
No commission on bookings taken from yours or 3rd-party websites

Cons

Mixed feedback around support and contract flexibility
Several important features only available as paid add-ons, leading to higher fees

SevenRooms

SevenRooms focuses heavily on guest personalisation, marketing, and multi-venue management. It supports online reservations in fourteen different languages, catering to an international clientele. Its 'Priority Alerts' system notifies high-value guests when last-minute reservation slots open, with the option for tiered access for VIPs and regulars.

It also enables sophisticated guest segmentation through 'condition-based auto-tags,' allowing for highly targeted marketing. For top-tier guests, SevenRooms offers a 'Private Line,' a direct SMS concierge service for VIPs to book tables, events, or experiences.

These high-end features may appeal to upscale establishments seeking sophisticated CRM capabilities. However, recent TrustPilot reviews consistently report significant technical issues, including non-functional booking forms, unauthorised charges, and poor customer support response. With a 1.6/5 rating, potential users should carefully evaluate whether the advanced features justify the reported usability problems. Furthermore, its pricing likely makes it unsustainable for smaller independent restaurants.

How much does SevenRooms cost?

SevenRooms does not publish pricing, but tech comparison site Capterra states that it starts at $499 (approx £370) per month.

Pros

Extensive marketing and guest personalisation capabilities
Tiered access lets you prioritise 'VIP' guests
Online reservations in 14 languages

Cons

Reviewers report technical challenges and lack of customer support
High price point makes it unviable for many smaller establishments

Togo booking system

The Only Way Togo is worth considering for its advanced tools. Its AI-driven system adjusts your table plan in real time as bookings come in, helping you maximise space quickly and effectively. Once the system is trained on your layout and preferences, it makes smart decisions based on your business needs.

You can sell packages and ticketed & seated events directly through the platform, and its multi-activity booking system also allows users to chain together activities, dining and packages in one seamless journey. This makes it a good option for competitive socialising venues and event spaces.

The system also automates the collection of upfront deposits, and makes event management easier by simplifying pre-order, pre-payments, allergen tracking and menu choices.

Togo's inbuilt marketing tools let you collect customer data so you can send out targeted email campaigns without needing third-party software, with gift vouchers, promo cards, loyalty schemes and membership systems included in the package. During quieter periods, the ability to send one-click marketing to your database in real time is an easy way to offer fresh discounts and incentives.

How much does Togo Booking System cost?

Togo does not publish pricing, but states it charges a flat fee, with no commission.

Pros

AI systems streamline your floor management
Multi-activity booking system can chain together activities for seamless process
Inbuilt marketing tools enable quick targeted marketing

Cons

There are no customer reviews or pricing information available online

OpenTable

OpenTable is perhaps the most well-known booking platform, serving as a way for diners to find restaurants around the world. It promises access to the largest diner network of valuable guests, positioning itself as a way to ensure a regular stream of covers.

It gives restaurants visibility on their discovery platform, and its database stores and tags diners’ preferences when they book, so you can tailor and personalise your service. One-off promotions can boost your visibility during slower periods

OpenTable can minimise no-shows with deposits and card holds.

However, OpenTable's TrustPilot score of 1.4/5 bears consideration. Both diners trying to book tables and restaurant operators using the system report issues with hidden fees, lost bookings, and trouble reaching support. It also charges commission on every diner booked through its platform, on top of monthly subscription fees.

How much does OpenTable cost?

Not published, but Capterra states that it starts at $149 (£110) per month. There is also a charge for every cover booked through OpenTable (the amount is not published on their website, but is reported to be around £2 per diner booked through their platform).

Pros

Can expose your restaurant to a vast diner network
Extensive marketing capabilities
Deposits and card holds to reduce no-shows

Cons

Issues reported by both diners and restaurants using the system
Commission on top of monthly fees impacts restaurants' profitability

Dojo Bookings

Dojo Bookings is a booking system available to venues using Dojo for payments. Built-in tools such as Reserve with Google, tracked marketing campaigns and SMS reminders help to drive bookings. It gives you plenty of features, such as pre-orders and unlimited SMS guest chat, for a transparent monthly fee.

Its 'virtual queuing' system allows restaurants to add guests to a virtual queue rather than assigning a time slot, which can maximise service hours by getting people sat down as soon as there's a table ready. For busy, quick-turnaround restaurants in high-footfall areas like city centres, it can be ideal. Dojo Bookings can also enhance your visibility as you can get in front of over 500,000 diners on the Dojo: Dining Experiences app.

However, you must use Dojo for payments, which involves separate fees for card transactions, hardware, and the platform. These additional fees are tailored to your size and card payment turnover.

How much does Dojo Bookings cost?

£149 per month, plus fees for card transactions, hardware, and use of the platform.

Pros

Good range of features as standard, including marketing and virtual queuing
Seamless integration with Dojo payments
Get exposure on the Dojo: Dining Experiences

Cons

You must use Dojo for payments

Tabology

At Tabology, we've built a reservation system directly into your EPOS platform, rather than a separate standalone service. This makes the booking process smoother as it enables staff to manage every aspect without switching between different interfaces. While this does require switching your EPOS to Tabology, it's a short-term adaptation with permanent benefits to efficiency and service, which outweigh the ongoing hassle and expense of separate platforms.

Our system includes all the booking features you expect from standalone platforms – take bookings from your website and Reserve with Google, plus table management, deposits, pre-orders, email reminders and more – alongside EPOS-specific functionality.

Pre-orders automatically sync with kitchen systems and stock management. You can also make it easy for people to join your loyalty schemes and sign up for marketing when they book. Bookings also connect with the staff scheduling system – when you're building your weekly rota, the number of covers you have booked in each day displays alongside your sales forecast, so you can plan ahead more accurately.

We offer transparent monthly pricing without commission fees or long-term contracts. The platform includes a two-week free trial and offers dedicated support through a Telegram channel with response times under two minutes – a benefit highly valued by our TrustPilot reviewers .

How much does Tabology cost?

£59 per month for Pro plan (includes 1x EPOS licence and booking system, plus advanced tools for staff scheduling, loyalty, stock control, and reporting & analytics). This plan gives you unlimited covers.

Pros

True integration, contributing to more accurate stock, staffing, and kitchen management
Tailor your booking process to each different type of customer and experience you offer
Hospitality-trained support teams respond within 2 minutes, so you never have to worry about downtime in busy periods
Transparent monthly pricing – no contracts, no commission, unlimited bookings

Cons

Only available to Tabology EPOS users

Conclusion – which restaurant booking system is best?

In the heat of service, your booking system needs to give you clarity, control, and confidence. The right system can mean the difference between an organised victory and a messy retreat.

Each platform offers different strengths, whether that's network reach, advanced marketing features, or AI-powered efficiencies. However, many operators find themselves juggling multiple monthly subscriptions – one for bookings, another for EPOS, and perhaps even more for staff scheduling and inventory management.

The alternative is choosing a POS-integrated booking system where everything works together seamlessly. With integrated solutions like ours, bookings connect directly to your EPOS operations, managing reservations, pre-orders, and guest communications from a single interface. This consolidated approach eliminates platform switching during service and reduces your monthly subscription costs.

If you’d like to see how Tabology’s EPOS & booking system can work in harmony to serve your venue, get in touch with our experts to arrange a free demo.

How Humbug saves hundreds in monthly EPOS fees with a flexible subscription

Mon, 17 Nov 2025 09:29:07 GMT

“With other providers, things like reporting and stock are add-ons, but it’s great to have it all included in one system.” Mark Gilmore, Manager, Humbug Immersive

Humbug is a Christmas experience like no other. For six weeks in November and December, London revellers can party in Santa’s dive bar and attempt to revive his lost festive spirit. It’s a spectacular venue with three bars across multiple floors. They use Tabology EPOS with our flexible subscription options to suit their seasonal operations. The company also operates The Traitors Live Experience, where they also use Tabology EPOS.

Not trading? No need to pay

Being a large venue that’s constantly busy during its run, Humbug needs a significant EPOS capacity. It has five static tills and four roaming iPad POS operating. Obviously, paying the license fees for all of those devices all year round would be unsustainable when they only trade over Christmas. But unlike some EPOS providers, our subscriptions are completely fluid.

All operators using Tabology can add and remove EPOS licenses at will, and only pay for what you use each month. Some of our seasonal customers reduce their subscription down to a single EPOS device while they’re not trading to keep their costs down. However, some, including Humbug, go one better.

From January to November, they go down to our Back Office only plan . This is just £9 per month, and it stores all of the venue’s sales data, products and system settings, ready to pick up where they left off. For Humbug - this reduces their monthly fees by around £400 while they’re not trading.

Mark Gilmore, one of the Managers at Humbug, says, “It’s really easy to switch the package and unassign the EPOS devices in the back office.”

Temporary staff mean EPOS ease is a must

As a temporary attraction, they use agency hospitality staff to supplement their core team. With no time for in-depth training, it’s vital that new workers can master the EPOS quickly. Mark says, “We really like the way it’s tailored to bar operators. It’s so easy to use, and we can add staff via the EPOS very quickly. It’s also super-easy to set up supervisors with their pins.”

When it came to adding products and setting up the menu, Mark initially had support from our onboarding team, but has since got to grips with managing this himself.

“Unparalleled support”

Humbug are changing things up slightly this year, embracing mobile ordering to become even more streamlined. Again, they are enlisting our onboarding experts to help them set this up. This will involve putting QR codes on tables to reduce the number of servers needed to take orders. “We’re really looking forward to this, and we love the way you can design the mobile ordering menus.”

With such a short window to get things set up and familiarised, there are inevitably times when the Humbug team need additional support. Mark says, “Responses from the Telegram support chat come back within minutes, and they’re on the case. This is unparalleled compared to other providers I’ve worked with, when you’re just given a phone number to call, but there’s no guarantee it’ll be answered.”

Time-saving features, built in

Mark appreciates the range of hospitality-focused features that come as standard. “With other providers, things like reporting and stock are add-ons, but it’s great to have it all included in one system.”

They have found the stock management system very useful. “We really like the feature where you can set PAR Levels, so it tells us how much we need to order each week. This is really useful when we take two deliveries a week, as we don't have time to do a full weekly stock count. So we use the PAR Levels and the Low Stock Notifications to make sure we’re ordering enough. It saves us a lot of time.”

They’ve also made use of the range of discounts and promotions that operators are able to set up within the EPOS back office, to manage the packages they sell at Humbug.

“We take a lot of VIP and corporate packages, which are often prepaid. So we use a range of promotions and discounts to manage this. For example, when we take orders from a party that’s prepaid, we have a 100% promotional discount we can use when we ring it through.”

After a successful first season in 2024, Humbug are ramping up preparations for another raucous Christmas in 2025. We’re proud to support them once again with our flexible packages and range of hospitality-focused EPOS and management tools .

If you’re looking for an EPOS system that works around your seasonal hospitality business, give us a shout and we’ll explore how the system can work for you.

Miso Newcastle - relaxed vibes built on solid restaurant tech

Mon, 27 Oct 2025 16:01:14 GMT

“We’re very happy with the system overall. A lot of things have been considered that would only be considered by people who understand hospitality and know exactly what these systems need to do."

Miso’s founder, Paul Stewart, converted a former music studio into a vibrant space inspired by the izakaya bars he visited during his travels around Japan. The Ouseburn favourite serves up an ever-changing range of Japanese small plates using quality British produce. Paul chose Tabology’s Restaurant EPOS system when he opened the venue in 2022, following extensive research and a recommendation from a friend in the card payments field, Aiden Savage of Savage and Co.

“You can tell it’s been designed by people with hands-on experience in the industry. Everything’s tactile, everything’s where you need it to be.”

Let’s take a look at how some of the integrated, restaurant-specific features of Tabology’s system are helping Miso to thrive.

Flexible bookings increase footfall

Miso uses Tabology’s booking system , which is built into the EPOS system. They have different booking types set up to reflect their diverse offerings, which include restaurant dining, drinks only and dining at the bar.

“We’ve never had any issues with customers struggling to book – when we launched our Nomikai Happy Hour, we announced it on socials and people were able to book straight away on the website using the new booking type.”

With such strong demand for Miso’s formal dining, the booking form on their website helps to retain guests who might otherwise have been lost.

“If there’s not a dining table available, prompts encourage them to book ‘Food at the Counter’. This is a nice experience for them – a different sort of vibe, and a bit of theatre where they can see the cocktails being made. It’s something they maybe wouldn’t have gone for but end up really enjoying.”

Paul is also planning to make use of the data capture when customers make a booking, by sending promotions via the MailChimp integration.

Gift cards boost revenue

Gift cards are a no-brainer for restaurants, an easy way to generate additional revenue. And Miso has seen an increase in sales since they started using Tabology’s built-in, commission-free gift card facility .

“Previously, we had physical gift cards. They looked really nice but were hard to manage. They were always falling down the back of counters or getting damaged, and staff weren’t always tracking when they were sold or used. But the digital gift cards were super-easy to set up. We’ve definitely sold more since going digital, particularly in the run-up to those events like Mother’s Day and Christmas.”

Going digital also helps to manage the inevitable instances when customers forget about their gift cards until after they’ve expired.

“A really nice feature is the alert that pops up on the EPOS when a gift card has expired, and you can choose whether to honour it or not.”

New discoveries

With such a feature-rich system, users often come across tools and features they didn’t know about. Miso is no different.

“We’ve been using it for three years but we’re still finding new things. In the last couple of weeks I’ve been getting to grips with the Batch Maker for our cocktails. Sometimes, with the stocktakes, it says there should be seven bottles of tequila, but there are only four on the bar. Then you realise the rest is made up in cocktail batches. This will make it easier for us to keep track of that.

Paul is also exploring possibilities for opening a second site, and when the time comes, our multi-site management tools will no doubt be handy.

Streamlined service

Like many operators, Paul maximises revenue with diverse offerings that appeal to different types of customers. So having an EPOS system with the flexibility to support that is key. One crucial but often overlooked element is the speed of payments, which has a huge impact on how a bar operates. Paul says:

“We’ve kind of got 3 operations going on at once, with the two different dining rooms, and then on Friday and Saturday nights, when the restaurant dies down, we become more of a cocktail bar .

This is where the integration with Dojo works really well, with the ability to adjust how you work between Dojo Pay at Table and then going to instant payments at the bar. So in that transition from restaurant to cocktail bar, it’s totally seamless and saves us so much time. Since moving to them, it’s enabled us to reduce the number of bar staff we need during the weekend nights because they can serve much faster.”

Despite the diversity of what Miso offers, it’s not a huge venue that can accommodate a large number of POS devices to cater to different aspects. And because it serves mainly small plates, there’s a lot more for waiting staff to physically manage in terms of carrying more plates to tables and clearing them away. So having a truly all-in-one system that makes life easier and speeds up service is an absolute must.

“We’re very happy with the system overall. A lot of things have been considered that would only be considered by people who understand hospitality and know exactly what these systems need to do. It’s super fluid – for example, if you partially input an order, you don’t lose it all when you move between screens.”

Support as outstanding as Miso’s service

At Miso , they pride themselves on customer service, taking care of the little personal touches that make guests feel special. But how do they feel about the service they receive from Tabology?

“No matter what time it is, when we send a query to the Telegram channel, we get a response within around forty seconds. Somebody’s looking into it straight away and you really get that peace of mind.”

Peace of mind. That’s what you want as an operator, and we’re proud that we’re able to provide that for Miso, so they can focus on what they do best.

If you’d like to see how our restaurant EPOS system can bring you greater peace of mind as you run your venue, drop our experts a message and they’ll get in touch to arrange a free demo.

Guide to restaurant cancellation policies

Mon, 13 Oct 2025 13:31:55 GMT

Cancellation fees have become a necessary evil for restaurants in the UK. With the hospitality industry facing intense financial pressures, every no-show and last-minute cancellation hits hard. The need to protect revenue is forcing many venues to put measures in place to reduce their impact.

2025 research by Dojo reports that 92% of restaurants had lost revenue due to no-shows , with the average loss around £50 for a table of two . This could end up being more if you’ve bought in stock or scheduled staff especially for a booking that no-shows. The figure widely quoted across industry publications is that £17 billion a year is lost due to no-shows . So how do we stem the tide?

Deposits, card pre-authorisations and no-show fees can greatly reduce the number of no-shows and last-minute cancellations, and a clear and fair cancellation policy specifies those details and ensures customers know exactly where they stand. Done properly, cancellation fees and policies protect your business from harmful loss of profits. While the guidance here focuses on restaurants, it also applies to any hospitality business that relies on bookings, such as sports bars and competitive socialising venues.

Why do no-shows happen?

No-shows and last-minute cancellations are often completely innocent. People might genuinely forget, one of their party might get ill, or they might fall foul of transport delays. Economic issues are also a factor. People are more strapped for cash, and unexpected bills might swallow the funds they were planning to splash out on their meal or activity.

However, a minority of guests just aren’t cancelling if they change their plans. Some even engage in ‘reservation squatting’, where they book the same time slot at several restaurants, then decide where to go on the night.

It’s this minority that forces venues to implement protective measures, which unfortunately affect the majority of honest customers too.

Are cancellation fees legal?

A restaurant reservation is a contract, and like any contract customers enter with a business, restaurants are entitled to protect against loss of income due to early termination. However, you must ensure your cancellation policy falls within legal guidelines. Below is information provided to consumers by Citizen’s Advice , which you can use as a guideline:

Businesses can keep your deposit or advance payments, or ask you to pay a cancellation charge, only in certain circumstances
If you cancel the contract, the business is generally only entitled to keep or receive an amount sufficient to cover their actual losses that directly result from your cancellation (e.g. costs already incurred or loss of profit)
Businesses must take reasonable steps to reduce their losses (e.g. by re-selling the goods or services)
Non-refundable deposits should only be a small percentage of the total price
Cancellation charges must be a genuine estimate of the business’s direct loss

So it’s vital to ensure your cancellation policies are not overly punitive. Not only does this avoid alienating customers, but it also keeps you in line with regulations.

What should a restaurant cancellation policy include?

Your cancellation policy must specify a few key details to be effective:

Specify the notice period . How long in advance do guests need to cancel to avoid fees? Larger group sizes or bookings for special events may require longer notice periods, so make sure you clarify any variations.

Tell people how much they’ll be charged for no-shows and cancellations made after the notice period cutoff. Specify whether the fee is per booking or per head. You should also consider whether you will charge for partial no-shows, where one or more member of a booking does not arrive.

This is especially important as we head into Christmas, with those large office parties. If there’s a booking of 20 but only 16 show up, that’s four free seats. But since you’ve already set the table, you can’t resell them as a table of four, so you lose out on that income. However, if you expect that the group will spend plenty on drinks, you might choose to waive cancellation fees as a gesture of goodwill.

Tell guests how to cancel. Simple and easy-to-follow cancellation processes are one of the most effective ways to reduce no-shows, but you’d be amazed at how many venues don’t tell guests what to do. If you include a cancellation link in their confirmation and reminder emails, tell them. Or if you require customers to cancel by phone or email, don’t make them trawl through to your contact page – just give them the details straight away.

Restaurants often allow a grace period , giving guests 15-30 minutes after the booking time to arrive, before cancelling the booking and marking as a no-show. You should mention this in your policy too. (For competitive socialising venues, you might need to be stricter about this, as you’ll probably have shorter booking durations than a restaurant table.)

Finally, make it clear that by making a booking, customers are agreeing to your cancellation terms . This covers you if customers dispute a cancellation fee.

Best practices for restaurant cancellation policies

Make it clear and simple

Your cancellation policy may be a legal document, but it doesn’t need to read like a courtroom transcript. Clear, simple, everyday language is the way forward. Keep it brief and get straight to the point. If you’re short of time, you can always use a generative AI tool like ChatGPT. Just feed it the factual details you want to include and ask it to incorporate them into a clear and brief policy.

Make it prominent

Don’t hide your cancellation policy in some remote corner of your website, or hidden in a long list of other rules and regs. The closer to the moment of booking that customers see the cancellation policy, the more likely they are to follow it. So the best option is to put it right there on your booking form.

If you can’t or don’t want to do this, you could include it in the footer of your website, or in your FAQs section. Research suggests that almost half of people who no-show actually wanted to cancel , but couldn’t find out how to do it. So make it easy for them.

Be transparent and show empathy

Showing customers that you understand them goes a long way. You could mention how you ‘appreciate that things can change unexpectedly, but please let us know’. And don’t be afraid to be honest . Most people appreciate the financial pressures affecting restaurants. You don’t need to go into grim detail, but simply mentioning that no-shows have a big impact on your business encourages people to do the right thing.

Be flexible

Cancellation fees are not a one-size-fits-all solution. For example, your casual lunch sitting might only require a small fee. But for your evening sitting that involves much more prep, stock, and staff, you might charge more to reflect the higher costs. Likewise, if you have special events that need to be booked in advance, you could charge higher fees as seats may be harder to resell.

Something else to bear in mind is your relationship with the customer. If a regular has to cancel at the last minute, you might want to waive the cancellation fee as a gesture of goodwill, so you maintain the relationship and encourage them to keep coming back.

How to structure your cancellation policy

How much should you charge customers who no-show? This will vary for each business. Remember, UK law states that cancellation charges must reflect a genuine estimate of the cost and loss incurred. So you can’t be overly punitive. It’s a fine balance between protecting your revenue and being reasonable with guests.

Likewise, your cancellation notice period will depend upon your venue. Some restaurants let guests cancel 24 or 48 hours before, but for others, it can be a week or more. The right notice period depends on your purchasing and meal preparation schedules, your staffing requirements, and the nature of your customers . You might also extend the notice period for large bookings or special events where it can be harder to resell the seats.

Minimise no-shows with a hospitality booking system

Reducing the impact of no-shows and cancellations is one of the best ways to increase your booking revenue . And it’s much easier with tech designed to do the heavy lifting for you.

With our booking system, you can set up different booking types, and configure separate cancellation fees and notice periods for each one. It connects with PayPal and Stripe for instant, secure deposits and card pre-authorisation . And it gives you full control over how you communicate your cancellation policy and manage the process, with the ability to add your policy text, create confirmation and reminder emails, and include links so customers can cancel without creating admin work for your staff .

The booking system is built directly into the EPOS platform , which means everything is connected. Whenever a customer cancels a booking, alerts appear on the EPOS screen, so your kitchens and FOH staff are aware immediately and can adapt.

With clear policies and simple processes, streamlined by tech built exclusively for hospitality, your cancellation policy can be a shield against no-shows and their damaging impact. If you’d like to see how our booking system can support your business, get in touch with our experts , who can provide a free demo tailored to your needs.

Disclaimer: This article is provided for general information purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. While we’ve referenced reputable sources such as Citizens Advice, you should seek independent legal guidance to ensure your restaurant’s cancellation policy complies with current UK consumer law.

How to support mental health issues in your hospitality venue

frankie@tabology.com (Frankie Neale) — Tue, 30 Sep 2025 14:26:52 GMT

Anyone who’s worked in hospitality knows it gives you so much. There’s the camaraderie with co-workers, who become like your family. There’s the fulfilment that comes from putting a smile on customers’ faces. And there are the skills you gain – life skills they don’t teach you in school, that serve you in all walks of life.

But there are challenges too. And recently, these have been brought into the public eye by documentaries such as Clarkson’s Farm and The Hidden World of Hospitality with Tom Kerridge, and dramas like The Bear and Boiling Point. Progress is being made, but the mental health of hospitality workers is still not where it should be.

With World Mental Health Day on the 10th October, and venues experiencing a period of calm between the summer and Christmas rush, it’s the ideal time to make sure you’re supporting your staff as effectively as possible.

We’ve looked at the latest research from Hospitality Action to share with you some of the biggest strains on your staff’s mental health, along with some ideas on how you can help relieve them.

What are the main mental health issues in the hospitality industry (and how can you combat them)?

Work/life balance

Alongside under-staffing and high workloads, a lack of work/life balance is the most common problem impacting hospitality workers . Clearly, all of those issues are linked – fewer staff means everyone has to work a little harder and do more hours than usual (1 in 3 consistently exceed contracted hours).

Is working in hospitality stressful? It can be at times. Late nights and weekends are unavoidable. It requires ‘service with a smile’ (even when customers might not deserve one). It’s a physically demanding job. Perhaps this is why almost of half of workers think burnout is ‘just part of the job’ . Worryingly, this rises to 62% among junior workers.

But burnout does not have to be a foregone conclusion . Burnout is strongly linked to poor mental health, and makes it more likely staff will take time off work, or seek more tolerable employment elsewhere. So it’s in the interests of operators to support staff in achieving a good work/life balance. Here’s how:

Create a culture of openness – 3 in 5 hospitality workers are still concerned there would be negative consequences to speaking up about their mental health challenges. Make it clear you care and take it seriously.
Support flexible working options , to help fit around your staff’s family or caring responsibilities, as well as social and leisure activities that are vital to fulfilment and wellbeing.
Have regular catch-ups over a coffee , or more formal 1-2-1 sessions and appraisals that allow staff to voice any concerns early on.
Check in and pay attention to changes in behaviour , even if someone isn’t forthcoming in opening up about any issues.
If there are concerns when it comes to the business amidst the current climate, be honest with your team. Chances are if you’re stressed or worried, people who work for you will have picked up on it and may be thinking the worst.

Physical health challenges

New research constantly reinforces the link between physical and mental health. It’s undeniable. Yet one-third of hospitality workers report physical health challenges affecting their mental well-being.

On top of all the unhealthy temptations modern life offers all of us, hospitality workers have unique obstacles to health. Long hours on the feet can lead to musculoskeletal problems. Irregular sleeping patterns can lead to insomnia. Irregular mealtimes and a lack of time to prepare healthy meals can affect digestive health and lead to weight problems. When problems such as these build up, the consequences can be damaging and long-lasting.

As an operator or manager, you can’t eliminate these challenges completely, but you can put things in place to mitigate them:

Ensure sufficient breaks , even when busy, so staff can rest their legs, back and necks, which are all vulnerable to strain injuries
Offer staff nutritious food, ideally free or subsidised – it may be their only chance for a proper, unprocessed meal all day
Discuss flexible work patterns with staff to allow them time to get to the gym, walk to work, or take part in sports
Explore collaboration opportunities with local gyms, athletic clubs, yoga studios etc, to offer discounted options for your staff
Get involved in staff activities such as Parkruns or Walks for Wellbeing, organised by Hospitality Action.

Financial challenges

Finances are a cause of stress and worry for up to 7 in 10 hospitality workers , and the number is growing year on year. Of course, the cost-of-living crisis affects all industries, and with so many hospitality venues experiencing challenges of their own, operators cannot be expected to shield staff from financial challenges completely. But there are ways to help your staff that do not involve significant investment.

Create a supportive and safe space where staff can talk about money worries without fear or judgement
Provide financial education resources for staff to educate them about money management, and direct them to external support such as debt charities and money help sites
Ensure staff get full access to tips (an admin task that can be taken off your plate with the right software)

How to be aware of mental health challenges in your staff

Everyone experiences mental health differently, and it can be hard to tell if someone is struggling. However, mental health charity Mind identified the following behavioural signs.

Changes in someone’s behaviour, mood or how they interact with colleagues
Changes in their work output, motivation levels and focus
Struggling to make decisions, get organised and find solutions to problems
Appearing tired, anxious or withdrawn and losing interest in activities and tasks they previously enjoyed
Changes in eating habits, appetite, or increased smoking and drinking

If you notice any of these, take the time to ask if everything’s OK. Even someone who may not have felt comfortable coming to you with a problem may find it easier to open up if you start the conversation.

What mental health resources and help are available for hospitality businesses?

If your venue is part of a larger group or company that has HR procedures in place, speak to them and see what help or assistance is available. If you’re a small independent business, lean on the charities and organisations that provide advice, guidance, and practical tools and support. Here are some good options:

Hospitality Action – Employee Assistance Programme – enables employers and employees to get confidential support on a number of mental health and well-being issues
Mental health charity Mind – have a number of great resources and advice on their website to help you come up with a plan to help someone in the workplace
Now Pause – provide free podcasts and practical self-help tools. For example, a short audio to listen to before a busy service
The Burnt Chef Project – raises awareness and funds to remove the mental health stigma in hospitality, and provides free helpline support

Of course, it’s not just your team that might be experiencing mental health issues. Operators and managers are under as much, if not more pressure. Make sure you’re looking after your own mental wellbeing . If you are feeling anxious, low or experiencing any other symptoms of mental health problems, seek the support you need and deserve.

Why looking after hospitality staff's mental health benefits your business

Taking care of your staff is not only the right thing to do, but it also helps to sustain your business.

Staff who feel looked after are more productive, more engaged, and deliver better customer service. Staff who enjoy coming to work are less likely to take days off or look elsewhere. When absenteeism and turnover are low, you avoid being understaffed. So you don’t need to put more work onto your staff or ask them to work beyond their contracted hours. It’s a positive cycle.

There’s no silver bullet to improving wellbeing at your venue. But one thing that can help is technology that takes the stress out of key operations. Having bought and managed our own pub to develop our EPOS system , we understand the pressures you’re under every day – we’ve experienced them ourselves.

We care deeply about the people we work with, and know that the support we provide is just as important as the technology. If you value a true partnership with your tech provider, drop us a message and our experts will be in touch to discuss how we can support your venue.

The statistics in this article were taken from the following sources:

At Tabology we live and breathe hospitality and our dedicated to the industry and its people. We offer a range of technologies to help hospitality businesses, all centred around our hospitality EPOS system . If want to know more, get in touch , we'd love to hear from you.

How to make sure your venue is ready for Christmas

Wed, 10 Sep 2025 10:25:53 GMT

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.

Empowering your team for the festive rush

It's the personal, human touch that makes Christmas special for your guests. Make sure your staff are ready to provide it.

Get staffing levels right

Keeping staff happy in the festive season is hard, especially if they all want Christmas Eve off. Staff scheduling software makes it easier to distribute shifts and time off fairly, and respond to any leave requests well in a timely manner to minimise last-minute disruption.

It can pull sales data from previous Christmases, as well as upcoming bookings, so you can see how busy you’re likely to be at a glance, and build your rota accordingly.

Make sure there’s enough tech to support staff

With higher footfall, the last thing you need is waiting staff queuing at the EPOS to input orders or barstaff holding up customers while they wait for card readers to be free. Consider adding more POS devices to your venue. Our system can be downloaded onto any iPad, and used as a fixed or mobile POS. We also offer a handheld POS that waiting staff can use to take orders and payments at the tableside.

Our flexible pay-monthly packages mean you can add devices when things start to ramp up, and remove them when you quieten down in January, so you only ever pay for what you use, when you use it.

Keep staff motivated

Communicate regularly with staff in the lead-up and during the festive period. Keep them up to date with any operational changes such as menus, table plans and special events. And make sure to recognise their effort during this intense period to keep motivation and standards high.

Make sure you’ve got a handle on the distribution of tips across your team. Good EPOS systems should make it seamless for customers to tip, and have simple tools for fair and effective distribution.

If you’re hiring additional staff, a simple, intuitive EPOS is priceless. It cuts training time when you need everyone on your floor in full swing (our system is ‘so easy to use you could train a monkey to do it’ according to one of our pub customers).

Marketing and maximising revenue

So you’ve settled on your festive menu, got your systems in place, and prepared your staff to delight guests over Christmas. Now it’s time to tempt people in.

Think about some festive promotions and offers to stand out and encourage visitors. These can be tied in with your Christmas menu – maybe a 2-for-1 deal on your festive cocktail, or discounted Christmas lunches for kids.

Of course, many guests will experience your venue for the first time at Christmas – a perfect chance to gain more regular customers. As well as special offers, loyalty schemes and digital stamp cards are a great way to encourage people to come back in January when trade quietens down.

Gift cards are also a great way to generate revenue over Christmas. Let customers buy eGift cards on your website and send them directly to recipients via email, so they’re hassle-free for both your venue and customers. Great for those last-minute Christmas Eve purchases (some eGift card providers take commission on every one purchased – we don’t, it’s all included in the subscription).

Make sure you shout about your offers and promotions. Facebook is great for targeting local consumers, while Instagram’s visually-led platform is fantastic for showcasing your mouthwatering products and Christmassy venue all decked out. You could even go further and try some holiday-themed competitions and giveaways.

Email marketing is another good way to stay in touch with guests. Booking systems should give you the option to sign up guests to your mailing list when they book, and store their details securely so you can send them targeted offers and promotions .

Tech that helps you thrive this festive season

A successful Christmas period at your venue needs organisation and effective planning. And with so much to organise, from your festive menus and staff schedules to your offers and marketing, the right tech is crucial. If you value simplicity, efficiency and value for money, a system that brings all those operations into one integrated, streamlined system should be top of your Christmas list.

Our onboarding specialists can set you up in a matter of days, and dedicated support experts respond within minutes in your dedicated Telegram channel, helping you resolve any issues that might crop up.

Speak to our experts , try our EPOS system for free, and see how it can transform your operations in time for Christmas.

How to control stock in a restaurant or bar with stock management software

matt@tabology.com (Matt Hall) — Wed, 13 Aug 2025 14:59:01 GMT

How to control stock in a restaurant or bar with stock management software

If stock control isn't your favourite management task, you're not alone. For many operators, stock control is fragmented and frustrating. And this is a problem. UK venues create £628 million worth of food waste every year (according to Business Waste UK), while The Drinks Business estimates the hospitality industry loses over £200 million in beer waste alone . With operating costs spiralling and customers demanding more, good stock control is one of the fastest routes to better margins and fewer wasted hours

This is where the right tech comes in . Integrated stock management software gives you real-time data, and enables smarter stocktaking and ordering processes. It not only transforms how you work by slashing the hours it takes to carry out those monthly, weekly and daily tasks, but it also transforms how you feel when you look at the your books at the end of each month.

With that in mind, let’s look at why stock management is so critical to your venue's success, some best practices, and how the right tech makes it possible.

How does stock management software save time in hospitality?

Let's start with the bigger picture. The less time you (and/or your managers) spend on stock management tasks, the more time you have to oversee Front of House, support team members, interact with customers and do your job more effectively.

Feedback from our users suggests streamlining the ordering process can save up to 2 hours a week – and that’s just one element of stock control. Factor in time savings in other tasks such as stocktakes, price updates, automated ordering, and waste management, and those saved hours can really add up. When considering the labour costs saved in management hours, that can translate to hundreds of pounds saved every month.

Further time savings come when your stock control is fully integrated with your POS system , rather than separate platforms, as data flows seamlessly within the unified system.

Now let's get into the ways tech can optimise your stock management and increase your Gross Profit (GP)...

How can automated ordering reduce waste and boost cash flow?

Business Waste UK estimates that 10% of food bought by venues never reaches customers, and 6% of total sales are lost through food waste.

Most food waste stems from over-ordering – either through panic buying when items run out, incorrect weighing and measuring, or simply not understanding your customers’ buying patterns. With robust systems in place, you find out about these issues before it's too late. You know exactly where your stock is going, and reduce waste and spoilage by ordering the right amounts.

This applies to your wet stock (drinks) too. A stuffed cellar means your money is tied up in too many barrels and bottles, and can’t be used for other essential outgoings such as paying staff.

Demand forecasting helps you maintain ideal stock levels. With smart systems such as ours, you can set up 'low stock' notifications so you'll receive email alerts when a product or ingredient is running low, and only order when you really need to. Our Suggested orders function uses your sales data since your last order, your current level of stock and your preset minimum stock levels to suggest order quantities that see you through to the next order. Whichever method you choose, you get accurate orders in a single click .

How do you control food costs and maximise gross profit?

BDO's Restaurant & Bars Report 2025 states: 'Rising food costs mean restaurants will need to be even more vigilant in tracking and monitoring costs.'

Gross profit is one of the most important metrics for profitability. But without real-time data on ingredient costs, portion usage, and waste patterns, you're flying blind on a major factor. Even a small drop in costs (2-5%) can equal thousands added to your annual gross profit.

One way to reduce your food costs is to tighten up your portion sizes so you need to buy less. Environmental NGO, WRAP , estimates 15% of main courses get left uneaten, with 48% of diners reporting excessive portion sizes as their reason for leaving food. If you notice a lot of leftovers being brought to the potwash, keep track of which products or ingredients are left most often. Then you can test reducing portion sizes gradually while monitoring customer feedback.

With detailed recipe costing and batch management tools like those in our system, you can edit ingredient amounts and portion sizes precisely and see exactly how much your GP increases with slight adjustments . This data-driven approach prevents the guesswork that often leads to over-portioning and unnecessary waste. It also works really well for cocktails.

As all operators know, supplier costs can fluctuate quickly and significantly. Supplier management tools let you track costs and adapt quickly to these changes. The bulk price update function in our system lets you edit prices for any selected products in minutes, giving you automatic GP% calculations as you edit.

Tech makes it so much easier to get a crystal clear understanding of your costs, so you can reduce them and maximise profits.

How do stock and sales data help you engineer a profitable menu?

BDO's Restaurant & Bars Report 2025 notes: "A well-optimised menu is the secret ingredient to minimising food waste."

It highlights menu engineering as a key lever for cutting waste and improving profitability, identifying which dishes are both popular and margin-positive - and which are not.

The most successful venues use reporting and analytics to inform menu decisions, promotional strategies, and pricing adjustments. You want a feedback loop between what you buy, what you sell, and what drives profit. According to an article by Menu Cover Depot this ‘menu engineering’ can increase profits by as much as 10-15% (it also has a useful matrix to help you classify your menu items).

Armed with integrated data from effective stock control software, you can highlight your most profitable dishes and optimise your offerings – while avoiding overwhelming customers with too many options that don’t make you money.

How often should restaurants and bars do a stocktake?

Stocktakes are one of the most effective ways to use your hospitality EPOS to track stock . But let's be honest – no technology can completely eliminate the human work in a stocktake. It can, however, take a lot of pain out of this essential task while making your counts far more impactful.

Generally, the higher the volume of stock you buy and sell, the more often you should do stocktakes . Large, busy pubs and bars should do weekly stocktakes to ensure beer waste isn't escessive and expensive goods like premium liquors aren't being missold or pilfered. It's also essential for busy food venues with lots of fresh, perishable ingredients to do at least weekly stock checks to catch spoilage early.

If that sounds like too much work, remember this: it doesn't have to be a full stocktake every time. Flexible systems like ours let you focus on selected lines rather than running a full stocktake every time. This is particularly useful if you have high-value products or you've noticed variance issues on certain lines that need closer ongoing monitoring.

Data should work for you rather than overwhelming you with irrelevant details . Our system lets you configure which columns display in your stock report. If you only want to see the product and the amount of variance, that's fine – just hide the other columns. If you want to dig down into figures like costs and variance percentages, you can do that too. Set up the flow of information in a way that suits you.

How can you pinpoint and resolve stock variances faster?

When it comes to stock variances, two things are crucial. The first is correct setup. Products need to be assigned correct weights and volumes. When Shannon , one of our Customer Onboarding Experts, was General Manager of a large city-centre bar, she was very on the ball when it came to stock. "We discovered a £1,000 variance caused by the limes we used to garnish drinks. It hadn't been added to the system that a spirit and mixer included a wedge of lime. So we were buying them in but not registering when they were sold. So we weighed individual limes to understand how many grams each wedge weighed, and that gave us an average weight we could use to track them with every sale."

The second crucial element is time. The sooner you notice and investigate variances, the more likely it is that you’ll identify root causes and implement corrective measures.

Our system makes rapid response possible by including a Variances tab on every stock report. It extracts any lines with variances, and allows you to sort them however you like – by cost price, level of variance, percentage loss or gain. This means you can prioritise your investigation efforts where they'll have the biggest financial impact.

Communication is crucial in keeping on top of stock , particularly when multiple people are responsible for stock control tasks. Develop a consistent note-taking system for common variance patterns. These notes help you spot recurring issues quickly and stop you from re-investigating the same variance multiple times. Our stock reports include a notes section where you can easily highlight any key issues.

Standalone stock management software, or built into your EPOS?

Stock control isn't just for big chains. With the right approach and tools, every venue can reduce waste, save time, and boost profit – even with a small team.

There’s a range of inventory management tech available, varying in price, capabilities and usability. Some are standalone platforms, requiring an additional payment on top of your other crucial tech. But for many venues, complete integration with POS systems offers the simplest path – lower fees, fewer platforms to get to grips with, and faster insights – so you have more time to focus on delighting your customers.

Our system gives you all the tools and reporting & analytics capabilities you expect from a standalone stock management platform, built into a powerful, intuitive EPOS with further Back Office systems , for a flat fee starting from £39/month (including one POS license).

Ready to reclaim hours per month, boost your GP and grow your business? Our experts can show you exactly how integrated stock control can benefit your venue with a free demo tailored to your needs. Get in touch today .

The Mardale Inn - a meeting of minds

frankie@tabology.com (Frankie Neale) — Mon, 11 Aug 2025 08:00:00 GMT

"We would definitely recommend Tabology to other operators – and we have. The system is easy to use, and covers so many parts of the pub business.” Sue Goble, Management Committee

Concerned they could lose a vital community asset, the Bampton Valley Community Pub group bought the freehold of The Mardale Inn at St Patrick’s Well in 2022. Run by a combination of paid staff and local volunteers, The Mardale Inn has been using Tabology’s Pub EPOS system since it reopened in July 2022.

Bampton Valley, a linked community of small villages and hamlets in Cumbria, had seen both its local pubs close in recent years. During the lockdown, locals formed the Community Pub Group, and launched a share offer to buy the shut-down Mardale Inn. This raised more than £400,000, and more than 500 local people became shareholders in the business.

Sue Goble is on the management committee – a multi-skilled team of eleven – that oversees the pub on behalf of the community owners. “The pub had been empty for four years, but the owner still lived in the village, and was open to a sale,” says Sue. “The whole village volunteered to put the pub back on its feet, by painting and decorating and so on. We opened for drinks in July 2022, for food in November.”

In May 2024, they received an Eden grant to refurbish their rooms, which now run at 65% occupancy across the year, providing a valuable source of income to sustain the pub and restaurant, which typically run on tighter margins.

Staying in control

While none of the committee members has a professional pub background, both Sue and her partner Phil worked in software and had a good idea what The Mardale needed from an EPOS system. While on a cellar management course, Phil met a publican who was running the Tabology Pub EPOS system at a pub in Kendal, and arranged a demonstration.

“That was why we chose Tabology initially. We wanted something cloud-based rather than an on-premise system, because various people need to be able to access the back office, and we want to be able to operate it remotely. The thing I initially liked most was that we immediately had control of the stock”.

“The integrated nature of the Tabology system means that as well as being a till, the back office functionality enables us to manage stock, and also to get our pricing right . We’ve seen incredible cost increases come though the supply chain, and we can make sure we’re charging at the right level, not making a loss, which has been really important.”

Sue is able to use the stock management feature to generate a list of the pub’s key products, check supplier prices, and move ordering from one wholesaler to another according to which has the best pricing.

With the addition of food, The Mardale Inn has introduced table ordering using an iPad, with food orders automatically routed to the kitchen, and drinks to the bar. “This has significantly improved our efficiency and speed, as the chef gets the orders immediately,” says Sue. “Staff and volunteers all use the till system, which they find easy to use. We’ve done some basic till training, and Tabology has screenshots of key tasks, which is helpful.“

Looking after locals

Despite being very popular with tourists, Tabology’s Loyalty options ensure The Inn can look after its locals too. They benefit from member prices, and locals who invested in the pub can earn dividends through loyalty points. “Our volunteers are also signed up to the loyalty scheme, and we give them discounts through their membership that they can spend in the pub, based on the hours they work, which we can top up through the EPOS,” Sue says.

The Gift Card option has also proved very popular. “We communicate a lot on social media, particularly as some of the people who invested in the pub have links with the area, but aren’t based locally. We were approached by a number asking if we could do gift cards which they could buy for relatives in the Valley,” say Sue.

A meeting of minds

The Mardale Inn has become more than just a customer. Phil describes his work with Ali, our commercial Director, as a ‘meeting of minds’. Together, they were able to set up an intricate system of automations using Tabology’s APIs that make running of the Inn much smoother.

Phil says, “Our estimate is that the various automations and use of APIs save us about 7-8 hours or so of manual ‘back office’ effort per week . That sits alongside the other benefits such as data accuracy, timeliness of response and overall customer experience (on booking, in venue and post visit).

Some examples of the smart systems Phil and Ali put on place include:

Zapier automation where a room booked through Preno automatically sets up a dinner reservation in Tabology’s bookings system
Daily cash-ups automatically exported to Sage accounting software
A post-stay survey automatically sent to guests via Zapier
Integration with Brevo for targeted marketing

“ Embracing tech is about redirecting paid effort to more beneficial customer-facing activity. The human experience delivered by colleagues should be unique, with the machine doing the dull repetitive work in the background. The secondary benefits are about running a tighter ship with less opportunity for errors and revenue leakage etc - thus enabling the team to make better management decisions day to day.

Given our setup as a Community Benefit Society, we have a responsibility to our community and shareholders members to sustain The Mardale as a local hub for generations. Our profit motives are different to many operators - the adoption of tech is all about underwriting that positive future.”

A true partnership

Overall, says Sue, “the support from Tabology is brilliant. We have used it a number of times for help when we’ve started using new features such as ordering, and also if issues arise, such as when we needed help to understand the offline mode following an internet issue. Tabology has always responded incredibly quickly, even in the middle of a busy session like New Year’s Eve!

“We would definitely recommend Tabology to other operators – and we have. The system is easy to use, and covers so many parts of the pub business.”

Ready to underwrite a positive future for your venue? To find out how our Pub EPOS and hospitality expertise can help your venue thrive for years to come get in touch and arrange a demo

Why switching your hospitality EPOS is not as painful as you think

matt@tabology.com (Matt Hall) — Tue, 08 Jul 2025 13:21:16 GMT

There's an issue with hospitality tech. Less than one in five would recommend their current systems. But they’re also reluctant to change, more than nine in ten only do so when absolutely necessary.

Those figures come from a new report carried out by Tech on Toast. They indicate a situation where too many hospitality operators feel stuck with tech systems that aren’t delivering the goods. Operators are reluctant to change because the risks and drawbacks feel bigger than the benefits of staying. Maybe it’s just human nature to seek familiarity. Or have too many been burned by bad experiences with tech providers?

We don’t know for sure. But we do know that changing your hospitality software doesn’t have to be as painful as you think. Let's allay some of your fears.

“I’m worried about how long it takes to set up”

We get it – with hospitality margins so tight, any wasted days can be crippling. With some EPOS providers quoting up to six weeks lead time, operators can be put off.

While the size of venue, its range of offerings, and its staff’s current level of tech confidence can all influence the time it takes, we typically get venues set up within a week. Often, it’s within 48 hours if there are no complications around internet connection, hardware, or integrations with other platforms (our record is two hours, but that was pretty intense and thankfully doesn’t happen often!)

You won’t have any downtime , as we can run your new system alongside your old one until you’re ready to switch. And any data to migrate can be exported to us, and imported into the new system (we also use this opportunity to check and clean data, which often contains legacy data that’s no longer useful).

And if you are happy for us to get you up and running remotely, you won’t pay a penny in setup fees , regardless of how much support you need (if we need to visit your site, which is rare, there would me a small charge to cover our travel costs).

“What if I struggle to get to grips with it?”

This is usually the main concern for many operators considering a tech switch, and rightly so. Tech challenges stress staff out, cause delays and get in the way of great service. That’s why a good onboarding process and an easy-to-use system are critical.

The onboarding process should be flexible. We know that some operators are computer whizzes, but others are used to the old-school pen-and-paper approach, so we adapt. We often find a phased approach effective – we train you in the basics, give you a bit of time to get to grips with those, then take you through the more advanced features. This ensures you get up to speed as quickly as possible and means you don’t need to reach out to support too often. ‘Teach a man to fish’ as they say.

EPOS providers should have a blend of tech excellence and genuine hospitality experience – it’s the only way to deliver an EPOS that’s powerful and easy to use.

Jonathan, Director at Blackjack Brewing Co, says: “The real proof is in how happy my staff are. They find the Tabology system unbelievably easy to use, and very powerful, so they’re spending far less time on admin, and more time procuring the best stock to sell in their bars.”

Of course, you may find some of the more advanced features take a bit more time to master (or you might simply forget how to do something). If so, just drop a line in your dedicated Telegram channel (manned from 8am-midnight, 365 days a year), which is included within your monthly subscription . Support teams respond within minutes, so you don’t have to worry about downtime in busy periods.

We’re no faceless corporation – we like to treat our customers like a good landlord treats their regulars, so you’ll usually speak to the same one or two people who know you and your venue well, and can solve your problems in good time.

“I’m not sure a new EPOS is worth it”

With so much pressure on hospitality businesses, operators need to be sure any tech investment pays for itself. This decision gets harder if you’ve been stung by hidden fees, broken promises or lock-in contracts before.

EPOS providers should be honest and transparent (there are some out there, believe it or not). It should be easy for you to understand any fees, deliverables and contract details so you can make the most informed decision. It’s always worth checking external review sites to get unbiased views as well.

So, what makes an EPOS a sound investment?

The right EPOS saves you time

You can save hours every week with a slicker, seamless, more comprehensive system.

When all your tools and operations are ‘under one roof’, you spend less time navigating different apps, platforms, and (heaven forbid) spreadsheets . Bookings, stock, staffing, loyalty, and kitchen management all sit within one seamless system, simplifying the way your venue works.

You can also automate more of those boring admin tasks and reclaim more time for higher-impact activities.

Of course, in hospitality, time is money. So any hours you regain through smarter tech are going to increase your margins too…

The right EPOS saves you money

Sometimes new technology requires an upfront investment, such as for new hardware, but when it comes to choosing an EPOS provider, don’t look at the upfront fee or monthly fee in isolation. Consider whether the investment is repaid by the range of long-term savings you can make with a system that runs your venue more smoothly.

The great thing about our EPOS and management software is that it’s completely cloud-based. The EPOS runs on any iPad and can use your existing network, so you usually don’t need to spend much on hardware to get started.

Staff are by far the biggest expense for hospitality venues. With the right tech setup, managers are freed up more often and your regular front-of-house staff can get more done in their working hours – so you might be able to reduce the number of staff you need on shift .

If you’re using different apps for bookings, staffing, stock management and loyalty, the monthly fees can really add up. With a system like ours, which provides all your key operations in a single easy-to-use platform, it’s all covered in one transparent fee .

“What if my staff don’t get on board?”

Too often, decisions around tech are made from the top, by owners who are detached from the thrills and spills of the floor. But it’s managers who use the technology every day and train other staff how to use it, so it makes sense to involve them in the decision process.

Talk to them about what’s working and what’s not with your current setup. Ask them which processes are trickier than they need to be. This guides you in what to look for and gives you the chance to highlight the benefits of switching. If staff see how it’ll make their lives easier and free them up to focus on the fun parts of the job, they’ll be more open to change.

If EPOS providers (or any tech providers) are confident in what they offer, they should let you try the software for free . Use these trial periods to get feedback from staff about how they’re finding it – is it easy to use, does it speed things up, does it solve their problems?

Speaking of free trials…

At Tabology, we try to make the transition to a new EPOS as painless as possible. You get full access to all features and full tech support during the free, two-week trial . But that’s not all...

Having run hospitality venues ourselves, we know how much pressure you’re under. Tech should never add to that. Our mission is to help you run your venue more effectively. That’s why we never ask you to sign a contract. You’re free to leave if you ever feel our EPOS and management suite is no longer the best fit for your venue.

If you’re interested in exploring a pain-free tech solution, our onboarding experts are happy to show you around the system and answer any questions.

We hope this reassures you and answers some of the questions you had about switching your EPOS. But what about beyond that? How can you be sure a new EPOS will serve you for years to come? Have a look at our article on choosing an EPOS that grows with you to find out.

Make hay while the sun shines at your venue: how the right EPOS boosts your summer revenue

matt@tabology.com (Matt Hall) — Mon, 30 Jun 2025 10:23:12 GMT

With heatwaves on the horizon, your beer garden, terrace or outdoor seating area is sure to see plenty of action. While your customers soak up the sun with a cold pint or summer salad, there's no reason for you and your team to feel the heat. The right EPOS setup makes managing the summer surge a breeze.

Here's how using your EPOS to its full potential ensures you get every penny out of those glorious sunny days.

Skip the queues, boost your sales

It's 2pm on a scorching Saturday, your beer garden is packed – you don’t want a queue snaking from your bar to the door. Nobody wants to wait for their drinks when they're melting in the heat – and frankly, you don't want them to either.

Online ordering for outdoor areas is a game-changer. Let customers order from their table and have drinks delivered. They'll love the service, you'll love the higher spend per head you’re likely to achieve, and your indoor bar won't be crammed with sweaty customers trying to get served.

Pop QR codes on your outdoor tables linking straight to your menu, and watch customers order round after round without moving from their spot – while your bar staff focus on what they do best instead of fighting through crowds.

If you prefer the personal touch, arm your team with portable EPOS devices. When table six flags down your server for "five more Cruzcampos, and can we get some nachos too?", your staff can ring it through there and then. No more scribbled orders that the kitchen can't read, no more forgotten rounds, and definitely no more angry customers wondering where their food is.

Handheld devices work better than tablets out here – they fit into pockets which makes it easier for your staff collect more empties.

Menu flexibility that actually works

Summer means change. Maybe you're adding those trendy cocktails everyone's after (Hugo Spritz, anyone?), or perhaps you've got a seasonal barbecue menu that showcases local suppliers.

Whatever it is, updating menus traditionally means hours of reprinting, briefing staff, and inevitably finding mistakes three weeks later.

Our product management tools make menu changes simple, while the recipe management and batch creation tools fine-tune your stock control.

Your team can access ingredients, allergens, tasting notes and cocktail instructions right from the EPOS, so they’ll get to grips with any new additions quickly. Live stock updates means you’ll never have those awkward problems when the last portion of something gets sold to two different tables.

Running a pop-up barbecue or outdoor bar? You don't need your full menu cluttering up the system if you’re only offering a limited range. Assign specific items to your outdoor area, set up a dedicated EPOS terminal (or Mini EPOS), and your team will only see what's actually available in that area. Simple.

The beauty of our Mini EPOS is that it runs on any iPhone – perfect for seasonal operations. Download the app, pay the licence fee for the months you need it, and you're sorted. No expensive kit gathering dust in winter, no lengthy contracts and extra costs to worry about.

Take the stress out of staff scheduling

We all know the British summer is unpredictable. One minute you're quiet as a library, the next you're three deep at the bar because the sun's come out and half of town has decided they need a drink.

Our scheduling system takes the guesswork out of staffing. Weather forecast predicting 28 degrees this Saturday? Look at your sales data from that similarly scorching Saturday three weeks ago, or compare it to the same weekend last year. You'll know exactly how many hands you need on deck.

Our new holiday request feature couldn't have launched at a better time. Your team can request time off through their back office access, and you can approve or decline with a couple of clicks. You can finally wave those spreadsheets into the sunset.

The EPOS clocking system keeps track of those inevitable summer overtime hours too – you’ll know exactly how long staff stayed behind to clean up after that mad evening.

Big groups = big headaches? Not any more

Outdoor spaces are made for large groups. While they spend well, they can be tricky to manage – especially when they're spread across multiple tables and everyone wants to pay differently.

Our table plan system makes this bearable. You can see at a glance which tables belong to the same group, add items as they order throughout the afternoon, and when it comes to settling up, split the bill however they want – equally or by item – with a couple of taps on the EPOS.

Prompts for sides, mixers and extras help your team upsell naturally, and deposits and pre-orders can help you manage busy periods with even more control. Get payment upfront for those big group bookings , and you won't be chasing money when everyone's had a few and can't remember who ordered what.

Promotions that actually drive business

If the sunshine isn't enough to fill your tables, you might need to look at some promotions and rewards. Set up happy hours, two-for-one offers, or loyalty rewards in minutes through the back office, and staff can manage members, points and digital stamp cards through the EPOS. With the Mini EPOS, your staff can apply loyalty and promotions wherever customers are sitting.

Data makes every penny count

Every hospitality business is feeling the squeeze right now. Rising costs, staff shortages, customers watching their spending – every sale matters more than ever.

Real-time sales data is your secret weapon. See which cocktails are flying out the door, which areas are generating the most revenue, and where you might need an extra pair of hands. Maybe your beer garden's doing twice the business of your indoor seating – time to move more staff outside.

Track performance by area, by time of day, by staff member. You'll start spotting patterns that help you make smarter decisions about everything from staffing to stock orders to special offers.

The data doesn't lie – and in summer, when every sunny day could be your best trading day of the month, knowing your numbers can make the difference between a good season and a great one.

Don't let another profitable summer slip away...

Contact us today to see how our EPOS can help you maximise every sunny day. Our onboarding experts can demo the system and have you up and running within a couple of days, and our support teams are available 8am-midnight every day. Any issues, they’ll respond within minutes, so you won’t have to worry about downtime on those busy sunny evenings.

How pubs with rooms can attract more younger guests

matt@tabology.com (Matt Hall) — Thu, 22 May 2025 14:00:12 GMT

We Brits love to escape the hustle and bustle with a stay in a grand old pub. Well, some of us, at least. New research by CGA/NIQ and Stay in a Pub shows that two-thirds of pub accommodation guests are 55 and over, and just 5% are aged 18-34 . That means your pub with rooms could be missing out on a huge market of younger travellers with spending power and social influence. We’re going to look at some ways you can tap into this potentially lucrative audience. But first, let’s look at why the charm of staying in pub accomodation might be eluding younger people.

Why aren’t many young folks staying in pubs with rooms?

The research showed that outdated perceptions of pub accommodation could be responsible . Respondents across all age groups said issues around cleanliness, noise and room size would discourage them from booking. But online issues could be even larger obstacles when it comes to younger crowds .

Lack of discoverability, poor online reviews, low quality images and descriptions of a property are all common barriers to booking, according to the report. A complicated booking process is also a dealbreaker for ‘digital natives’ who demand seamless online experiences. A poor online presence can contribute to the perception that your facilities are outdated, and could potentially turn younger guests away.

Thankfully, all these issues are easily fixed with some minor tweaks to your marketing and the experience you provide.

Know what drives young travellers’ decisions

The key to attracting younger guests is knowing what they're really looking for. Then you can tailor your marketing towards them. They look for authentic, memorable and unique experiences – a trip is a chance to connect with the world and be part of something. So showcase any natural or historic landmarks nearby, and tell the story of your pub and its place in the community. Focus on what it feels like to stay there – the ‘vibes’, to use a young person's term – rather than just the features. Talk about 'cosy fireside dinners' rather than just ‘dining’. This isn't about making your pub an Instagram hotspot. You don't want your atmosphere spoiled by everyone taking selfies. It's just about bringing it to life online so people get a real feel for what you offer.

Younger generations are more conscious of costs, so transparent and flexible payment options are a must . They also tend to plan their trips thoroughly and book experiences in advance, to ensure they make the most of every minute and every pound. So if you can provide clear information on what they can do and how much it costs, this removes barriers to booking. Perhaps you can even partner with local experience providers who might offer exclusive packages for your guests.

Ethical and sustainable concerns are more prominent for younger generations, so highlight your green practices . This could mean partnering with local suppliers to reduce transport emissions, offering refillable water bottles instead of single-use plastic, or ensuring the miniature toiletries you provide are organic. Little things go a long way.

When it comes to younger tastes, pay attention to trends . They’re more likely than older generations to order cocktails and non-alcoholic drinks over traditional beers and wines. They’re also more likely to be veggie or vegan. So offer an appealing choice of drinks, and think beyond the token veggie burger to create a meat-free menu that could tempt even the heartiest carnivore.

Be more visible to young people

Digital marketing is the way to reach young people. Optimise your website and profiles on booking and review sites, and highlight things that appeal to both older and younger audiences.

An active social media presence also helps, and video is often the best way to grab attention . There’s a growing trend for more natural, unpolished content, so you can keep it short and simple. Show the sizzle of your signature dish being prepared, capture the atmosphere during a busy evening, or film a quick tour highlighting your original oak beams or the views from your beer garden.

Make booking easier

So you’ve wowed them and they're ready to book – they expect a frictionless process across all platforms. Minor issues can be instant dealbreakers – think mobile sites that don't load properly, having to create accounts for simple bookings, or unclear pricing with hidden fees. So make sure the basics are in place, and if you offer customisation options, make sure these are easy to select or deselect. And perhaps offer online check-ins and flexible payment options such as mobile wallets, buy-now-pay-later, and options for groups to split payments easily.

The right integrated tech setup can handle all of this seamlessly - from social media bookings to group payments - within a single system that connects to major booking platforms

Offer modern ordering options

Nothing says 'modern pub' like being able to order a drink from your room or reserve your dinner table while you're out exploring. Offering mobile ordering makes you stand out to tech-savvy audiences and helps to banish any perceptions of being outdated.

Look for systems that don't require app downloads and can accept mobile payments - this removes friction that can kill the ordering experience.

Guarantee a smooth in-stay experience

Whether they're buying drinks at the bar, ordering room service, or adding a dessert to their evening meal, everything should roll into one simple checkout when they leave. This not only keeps things simpler for your guests, but it also frees up your staff to deliver outstanding service.

The less time they have to spend messing about with systems and payments, the more they can focus on engaging with guests. That human touch is vital, because the research shows that 58% of guests are likely to leave a review after a positive interaction with staff (you can even send QR codes that take people to review sites - another awkward conversation made easier by technology) . Younger guests are also more likely to share their great experience on social media, getting your pub in front of more young people – a virtuous circle.

This kind of seamless experience is only possible with an EPOS that connects all your operations and guest data intuitively.

Your next steps

Younger travellers want authentic experiences with modern convenience . Your pub already provides the former in abundance. Improving the latter means you can capitalise on this huge opportunity. Younger guests are willing to pay for quality, and they can become a powerful marketing asset through social sharing and reviews. Start with one or two changes – perhaps upping your social media presence and clearing any sticking points from your booking process – then build from there.

Our EPOS and management system gives your pub the modern capabilities young guests expect. It helps you improve your operations without losing the charm your older regulars know and love. Tell our hospitality-trained experts about your pub with rooms, and let them show you how it can transform your operations.

How RedWillow optimised their rotas while spending less time on staffing

matt@tabology.com (Matt Hall) — Wed, 14 May 2025 16:03:32 GMT

“It’s definitely made my life easier in terms of staffing. It’s much more streamlined and easier to use than any other system I’ve worked with.”

A cracking range of traditional cask ales and modern craft beers means RedWillow Brewery’s two bars in Macclesfield and Buxton are kept busy – so getting staffing right is crucial, and they wanted an EPOS and management system that brings essential functions together.

Third time lucky…

They installed the Tabology Pub & Bar EPOS system at both venues in February 2024. Founder and Head Brewer Toby McKenzie says: “Tabology is the third till system we’ve had in place. We switched because it quite simply has more features that make our life easier.

“The fact that it’s a well-integrated platform was a big part of the appeal. It didn’t feel like we had a whole load of add-ons that had been bolted together from third party sources, and didn’t really gel together. I definitely felt that with Tabology, somebody who understood the bar trade had pulled together the various functions. It’s all geared towards enabling us to make the right decisions, with the relevant data at our fingertips, as opposed to having to go hunting for it.”

No more death by spreadsheet

Right decisions are the key when it comes to getting staffing right. It’s a delicate balance between having enough staff to cope if it gets busy, and not having too many on and losing money.

Bar Manager Dave Millard, who joined RedWillow just after they implemented Tabology's EPOS and management software in early 2024, immediately felt the benefits of a staff scheduling system that does the hard work for you.

"With previous systems I've worked with, you had to input the rota on one sheet, then work out sales forecasts and wage percentages separately. I was using three different apps. Now, it's all in one place, so I avoid messing around with spreadsheets and jumping between apps."

“Made life easier…”

This connected system not only saves RedWillow managers time – it also helps them optimise their rotas and reduces costs while freeing them up to achieve more.

"It's easier to compare wages and sales with previous years – it tells you when you're heavy or light so you can plan more accurately. You can see real-time wage/sales percentages in the iPad EPOS without having to go to the back office, and the clocking system is built in with the sales data, which saves you having to use separate systems."

“The longer you have it, the more accurate it becomes, and it gives you the ability to check back and explain why you were under or over forecast.”

Tabology’s EPOS staff scheduling tools even do the little things for you: “Staff automatically get notifications when the rotas are live. As soon as the manager is happy with it, we hit a button and the emails go out straight away.”

“It’s definitely made my life easier in terms of staffing. It’s much more streamlined and easier to use than any other system I’ve worked with,” Dave says.

A truly all-in-one EPOS for bars

While Tabology’s staff scheduling system has helped RedWillow streamline, they’re also taking advantage of a host of other features.

Part of Tabology’s initial appeal to RedWillow was its loyalty and marketing module , which has enabled their memorably named Not So Pointless Loyalty Card scheme. Customers can sign up for membership online or in the bars using a QR code, then collect and redeem points for discounts and offers in either venue, as it’s centrally managed.

Toby adds: “If we have a product that is proving particularly sticky, we can push out promotions, and as we’re gaining more information about the styles of beer that individuals are drinking, we can tailor marketing towards them. We can segment customer information 100%.”

New beers are continually in development at the brewery, and when a beer is ready to go on sale, the GP and pricing are set centrally, and sent out to the tills in both venues via the Tabology system. “We use the shift notes feature on the till to push information about new beers out to staff, including tasting notes, and how to describe it to customers. We also use Tabology’s integration with the Untappd App to upload information on our beers for consumers.”

Beyond its own products, RedWillow uses Tabology’s back office stock management system to log deliveries and generate order recommendations based on sales. “The stocktaking module in the system works perfectly. In fact, I think it works better than the staff sometimes – it’s easy to make mistakes when counting manually. I also like the way that the managers can annotate their reports at the end of the week, with commentary on why revenue is up or down, and if they have any concerns.

“One of the things I appreciate with Tabology is their openness. For example, we had an issue with trying to upload sales forecasts. We raised it, they confirmed they could see the issue and fixed it quickly. With our previous system, you’d raise an issue and it could be a couple of days before you hear anything.”

“I’d recommended Tabology to other operators without a doubt. The time and money we invested in doing that with Tabology has been very well spent.”

If you’d like to see how Tabology’s EPOS and management suite can solve your staffing headaches and improve your venue’s operations, get in touch and one of our hospitality experts will advise you.

Stonehouse Brewery, Oswestry

frankie@tabology.com (Frankie Neale) — Tue, 06 May 2025 09:00:00 GMT

“The Tabology system is tailored to the needs of our business, and when we have something that needs resolving, whatever time of day, we get a response back." Alison Parr, Managing Director

Stonehouse Brewery has grown into something larger and more diverse than Managing directors Shane and Alison Parr imagined when they set it up in 2007. The site in Oswestry, Shropshire now features a bottleshop, a bar, a kitchen serving burgers, pizzas and cookhouse platters from the BBQ, and a distillery producing craft spirits.

With trade growing strongly and the bar now selling Stonehouse’s own draught and bottled beers, cider and spirits, along with bought-in wine and soft drinks, and the restaurant’s home-cooked food increasingly popular, they needed an integrated system to keep meeting their customers' expectations. They implemented the Tabology EPOS system in April 2023.

“The Tabology system was priced very competitively, and I liked the fact that it’s simple to use, as a lot of systems look more complicated than they need to be. I started looking because our existing till system it was very laborious to do price updates or add new products.

“We also had a separate clocking in/staff rota system, and we didn’t have a booking system at all,” adds Alison. The core appeal of the Tabology bar and restaurant EPOS , was that all these functions, as well as other applications, were available in one system. “When you look at the cost of having different systems for all these things, it’s prohibitive. Having everything in one place, which everyone knows how to use, makes so much more sense.”

Having hosted a number of pop-up food providers, Stonehouse decided to take the food offer in-house, and i nstalled the kitchen just before the initial Covid lockdown. “Doing our own food, we’ve found that people treat us very much as a casual dining restaurant as well as somewhere to come for a drink, so being able to manage bookings is now very important.”

The Tabology bookings widget is embedded in the Stonehouse website, so online bookings come directly into the EPOS and back office. “We decided against having live booking. We review and confirm bookings as they come in.

“We prefer to keep that control, as the kitchen is relatively small compared to the overall size of the establishment. It would be very easy for us to be overbooked, especially as we have a lot of walk-ins. We review each booking request and confirm back, usually within a few hours.” The system is also used to automatically send email reminders to customers as their booking approaches.

“During the week, we tend to be very busy in the brewery, and we’ve noticed that we’re now having to deal with far fewer phone calls from customers making bookings, which can be time consuming, because they’re booking via the website instead.“

Food and drink menus can be easily updated on the Tabology EPOS when new products are added, and pricing can be automatically changed according to the time of day. “We have a happy hour during the week, up to 5pm, when the beer’s a bit cheaper, and that ends automatically as we move into the busier evening trade.”

Using the Tabology gift card functionality customers can top up their own or someone else’s balance, generating an email link to download the gift card to an Apple or Google wallet, which is scanned by the EPOS in the venue to redeem the value. “That’s very popular with regulars, buying both for themselves, and as gifts,” says Alison.

Back of house, Tabology’s staff scheduling system is fully integrated into the EPOS, and recently it's been paying dividends. Alison says, "We used to just use it keep track of hours, but in the last few months, we've started using it to forecast wage percentages against sales forecasts. With things like National Insurance going up recently, it's really helped us keep on top of margins and find that balance between having enough staff if it gets busy, and keeping in profit."

The ability to compare specific days - for example, to compare wage/sales percentages on Saturdays - is a new feature that's been really helpful.

With Alison and Shane often busy in the brewery, it's the managers who are mainly responsible for staffing. "They are not the most techy, by their own admission, but they've found it really user friendly. We share management reports every week so they can see how their staffing decisions are saving the company money, and where we could be doing better."

Stonehouse is also pleased with the overall levels of customer support received. “The Tabology system is tailored to the needs of our business, and when we have something that needs resolving, whatever the time of day, we get a response back,” says Alison.

Get in touch with our team of hospitality experts, and we'll take the time to understand your needs and show you where our EPOS and hospitality management suite can help. Then if you decide to take it on, we’ll help you get the most out of it.

Selecting a hospitality EPOS that will grow with you

matt@tabology.com (Matt Hall) — Fri, 02 May 2025 13:04:27 GMT

When you’re looking for a new hospitality EPOS system, it’s natural to focus on the here and now – What capabilities are you hoping to gain by switching, and which of your current features and functions can’t you live without?

But, while this knowledge is vital, the last thing you want is to get a year down the line and find your EPOS no longer serves your business. Perhaps your requirements change, or new technologies become available that you don’t have access to. You’d need to choose between muddling on with tech that’s holding you back, or going through the disruption of switching again.

There is, however, a way to avoid that choice. And that is choosing an EPOS system that can grow and evolve with your business. This consideration is easily overlooked, especially when there are plenty of short-term pressures to deal with.

But getting this right can save you a lot of pain down the line. So, how do you go about it? Below, we look at some of the questions you should ask of any hospitality EPOS provider to determine whether they can support you as your business grows.

How frequently are new features delivered?

Frequent delivery of new features ensures you're always using the most up-to-date software, providing more value sooner than if an EPOS provider updates only every few months. Because the pace of development is usually faster when there are more frequent updates, you’re also more likely to see bigger improvements over time.

Frequent releases also tend to reduce the amount of downtime as they involve small, incremental changes. They can be tested and fine-tuned more thoroughly, which means bugs and errors are more easily identified and resolved.

It also means EPOS providers can adapt more effectively to industry developments. They can incorporate the latest security features and keep your systems compliant, and respond to new trends with more agility.

How relevant will new features be?

While regular updates and a high rate of development are beneficial, you can only get the most out of your EPOS system if these changes are relevant to you. To easily assess this, check two things.

The first is whether your EPOS provider is a generalist, or specialises in the hospitality industry. Generalist suppliers may cover hospitality, but also retail, health and beauty, and more. These suppliers need to divide their focus between the needs of the various industries they serve, so it can be difficult to know when updates are relevant to your hospitality business. An EPOS provider that serves only hospitality businesses is always going to release updates that benefit you.

The second thing to consider is the extent to which customer feedback plays a role in new feature releases. The more an EPOS provider listens to and engages with their customers, the more likely it is that new features will reflect their needs and desires.

So it’s always worth asking a prospective EPOS provider how they go about this…

What is the process for feature requests?

EPOS providers that take customer feedback seriously should be able to tell you how they do this. How do they gather information? How do they acknowledge requests? How do they decide what to implement and prioritise?

If this process is transparent and accessible, you can be confident that the company takes customer feedback seriously – and it’s not just an empty gesture.

Look for things like a public forum for submitting and discussing suggestions, and a system that helps identify the most in-demand requests, such as a voting system.

If an EPOS provider has these things in place, they’re more likely to provide future updates that truly benefit your business, even as you grow and evolve.

Do recent developments reflect customer feedback?

If an EPOS provider has customer feedback systems in place and they’re using them effectively, they should have a record of what they’ve delivered. Ask them about their most recent developments and how they originated. You should be able to see whether feature requests are acted on quickly, or left languishing for years.

Providers that deliver regular updates have robust systems to announce them and educate users . These systems should be transparent and give you a good feel for how relevant new feature deliveries are to your hospitality business.

What upcoming developments are they currently working on?

As well as recent releases, providers should be able to tell you what they’re currently working on. This could include up and coming features as well as a longer-term roadmap of what’s planned. They should be able to tell you why they’re implementing these updates, what problems they’re responding to and solving, and how they’ll improve operations for hospitality businesses.

This gives you a clear picture of how well a hospitality EPOS provider is able to grow with you.

We might open a new site in the future. Will my EPOS handle it?

You may have plans to open a new branch, or you may already be a multi-site operator looking to expand further. While operators with just a few venues may use standalone EPOS systems at each site, managing multiple locations is far more efficient with a system designed for multi-site management .

These have a central dashboard where you can manage elements such as stock, staffing, pricing and loyalty across the whole group, while also giving you the flexibility to manage each site individually. Similarly, you should be able to generate and view reports for the whole group and for each site. Navigating between group and individual site level should be seamless.

If you plan to expand your hospitality business in future, be sure to ask an EPOS provider about multi-site management.

If I have any issues with my EPOS as we grow, will I be well supported?

With any significant change to your hospitality business, it’s natural to worry about the impact it can have – particularly if you’re not much of a ‘techie’. If your EPOS provider releases new updates regularly, you may worry about keeping up with the changes and learning the new features.

But EPOS providers worth their salt have robust support systems in place. They have extensive and accessible resources that explain new features and how to use them, but they also understand that some customers may still need support, and have effective communication channels available.

This not only ensures your EPOS system continues to serve your business as it grows, but also gives you and your staff the confidence to use it to its full potential as it evolves.

As a Tabology user, we make sure you always have the right EPOS system that serves you not just in the short term, but for years to come.

All of our customers have access to our Feature Request Board, where you can suggest, discuss and vote on new features – "Tabology were welcoming and flexible with custom requests, which has helped keep our business ahead of the game," said Operations Director at Roxy Ballrooms , John Crowe.

Our multi-site management facility makes remote management seamless, no matter the size of your organisation – “It was also critical that our central head office team were able to maintain the systems across the country on a remote basis. All of this was made easy with the Tabology multi-site dashboard and its integrated payments,” said Darren Atton, regional support manager with TNSCatering .

And all of our customers, particularly those who are growing and evolving, love their dedicated Telegram channel, where they can get support from a team of experts 365 days a year – “I’m not the most technically-minded person, and I picked it up really easily,” says Steven Collins, People and Development Manager at Mother Kelly’s . “Having support on hand so quickly through Telegram is great, and the team from Tabology who onboarded us have been fantastic.

Whether you’re a single venue looking to expand your offering, or a national organisation operating sites from Cornwall to Scotland, Tabology’s hospitality EPOS and management suite gives you the flexibility, ease and confidence to grow.

Get in touch to ask any questions, book a demo, or arrange a free trial, and see how it can transform your hospitality business.

Challenging your pub's business rates

frankie@tabology.com (Frankie Neale) — Tue, 29 Apr 2025 15:29:04 GMT

The pub trade has taken more than its fair share of hits recently. Spiralling supplier costs and increases to wages and NI contributions are driving expenditure up, while a reduction in footfall is squeezing margins. It’s perhaps no surprise that 300 pubs closed in the first quarter of 2025.

And the reduction in business rate relief from 75% to 40% means pubs need to find another few thousand pounds. It’s not what anyone wanted to hear, and publicans are wondering where else they can cut costs.

But there may be an option you haven’t yet explored. With business rates back in the news, we were reminded of the time back in 2017 when we successfully challenged the business rates for our own pub, The Thirsty Bear.

We thought it’d be a great time to share our experience of that process, in the hope that any pubs that are struggling to find savings might take inspiration. Please bear in mind that this is not financial advice and we’re not experts in business rates – we’re simply telling you what we did with our pub, and we advise you to seek further information from official sources. Also be aware that the information here relates specifically to pubs and may not be relevant to other types of establishment, which have their rates calculated differently.

How are pub business rates calculated?

The rateable value for your pub is calculated based on the Valuation Office’s assessment of its Fair Maintainable Trade (FMT).

FMT is the trade that a reasonably efficient operator could achieve, and involves factors such as the pub’s location, design and character, and usage. Actual trading figures also play a significant role. However, this is where FMT can be miscalculated and become grounds for challenging your rates.

Why challenge your pub's business rates?

Of course, everyone wants rates to be as low as possible, but that alone isn’t enough. You’re likely to need more than that to successfully challenge your rates. One major reason why you may challenge your rates is because you are performing better than a reasonably efficient operator, and therefore exceeding FMT.

This can happen because the Valuation Office doesn’t have the time or resources to do a detailed assessment of every venue in the country. They simply assume that your actual trading figures are your FMT. So this means that if you’re performing better than FMT at the time of this valuation (overtrading), then you can be penalised for your success and charged higher business rates.

Frustratingly, even if you have successfully challenged your business rates previously, the information previously provided can be ignored in the new assessment, and you’re defaulted back to a rateable value that assumes your actual trading figures are FMT for your venue.

Why might you not want to challenge your pub's business rates?

If you believe your business is performing on a par with FMT (or perhaps even worse than FMT) you may not want to challenge your rates. Not only could it end up being a waste of time and effort, but if you have already been given a fair or even a low rateable value, there’s a chance that challenging it could lead to an increase.

How to challenge your pub's business rates?

Challenging your rates can be a long-winded process. You first need to send a “check case” to the Valuation Office to confirm your property details are correct (or inform them of any change).

Changes at this stage are material changes affecting the property either internally (e.g. it’s been split into two different properties) or externally (something has changed in the area that has a major detrimental impact, such as extensive roadworks that lasted a long time).

If you’re making a challenge on the basis of your business exceeding FMT, the check is just a necessary step you need to take before you can make a challenge.

The challenge

Once you have a response to your check, you have a certain amount of time to make a challenge. You should be able to initiate this from the website, but if this doesn’t work (as in our case), you can request a form from the Valuation Office.

The form asks for various details, but the key questions are what your proposed rateable value is, and why you think it should be altered. You can also provide supporting evidence.

Why you think your rateable value should be altered

It makes sense to focus on why you think your rateable value should be altered before deciding what your proposed rateable value is. If you are arguing that your business is performing better than FMT then you will need to list your reasons for this.

These will be unique to your business, but could include anything that makes you stand out from and perform better than a ‘reasonably efficient operator’. So this could be a unique concept, regular events, excellent reviews, awards, a well-known or well-connected landlord/lady, a particularly loyal following, or even an expert marketing team.

Also, if you incur any additional costs due in order to run your business as well as you do, (e.g. an above average marketing spend, or expensive tech) it’s worth including these.

If you have information on the trading figures and/or rateable value of the business before you took over this can be a useful tool to evidence your position (assuming you’ve improved trade).

Finally, it’s worth checking the rateable values of similar businesses nearby. If these are lower than yours, they can be useful in supporting your argument that your business is performing better than FMT.

Proposed rateable value

Once you have established all the reasons that your business is performing better than FMT, you will need to decide what your proposed valuation is.

If you haven’t received it already, you can and should request the detailed valuation on which the proposed rateable valuation is based on. The calculation is simply trading figures multiplied by a percentage, so you could adjust the trading figures downwards to strip out the revenue you believe you achieve through your reasons given above.

If you’ve recently taken over the business you could use its previous rateable value and/or previous trading figures to propose what you think your rateable value should be (arguing that any increase since then is as a result of your particular business advantages).

If you have successfully challenged your rates before you may propose a value similar to what you achieved then.

When using any historical figures, remember to consider any changes that would have impacted FMT between then and now – most businesses could reasonably argue FMT is lower now than on the previous valuation before Covid, for example.

Don’t get to hung up coming up with a propose rateable value. The Valuation Office will come up with their own valuation based on the reasons you have provided (if they agree with them) and it’s unlikely to match or even be influenced by yours.

What happens next?

Hold tight. It’s likely to be at least a couple of months before you hear anything. You may receive some follow up questions on your challenge. We received a final response to our challenge after around five months.

If you’re not happy with the response, you can appeal. This involves an independent tribunal reviewing the case, and there are small fees involved, but thankfully we didn’t have to go through this, so we can’t share any info with you about it.

Seeking professional advice

If you have a clear idea of what makes your business perform better than FMT, you want to avoid additional costs, and are happy to spend a little time on it, it’s possible to successfully challenge your business rates yourself. That is what we did in 2017 for our own pub.

If, on the other hand, you’re unsure about any aspect of your challenge, you can always seek further help and advice .

We’ve simply shared our own experience and what worked for us, for informational purposes only. We’re not qualified to provide financial or legal advice and are not experts on business rates.

However, we are experts in the hospitality industry – especially the technology that keeps your venue running smoothly, your customers smiling and your margins healthy.

While our EPOS and management suite for pubs can’t do anything about your business rates, it makes managing all your other costs easier, faster and smarter.

And unlike the Valuation Office, we don’t keep you waiting. Get in touch with our hospitality experts and find out how Tabology can make the difference for your pub.

Reduce your costs with a Hospitality EPOS system

frankie@tabology.com (Frankie Neale) — Tue, 01 Apr 2025 11:04:47 GMT

In the current climate, like most hospitality venues, you may be struggling with how you can manage rising costs and run a profitable business.

Spending money on a new EPOS system may seem counter-intuitive to this. However, a good hospitality EPOS can be one of the most effective tools in managing costs and ensuring your business is profitable.

Managing supplier price rises

Supplier price rises are becoming so frequent for many venues, that as soon as you have responded to one price rise, another comes through. For many businesses it is almost impossible to ensure that cost price rises are being factored in, and responded to in a timely fashion. This means you may not be making the margins you need to, in order to run a profitable business.

A good EPOS system can change this, by giving you an immediate view of your gross profit as you input your increased cost prices.

An EPOS with a good stock management function should also be able to tell you which recipe items are impacted by an ingredient price increase, automatically update the cost off those recipes, and show you the new gross profit you will be making. This enables you to respond to price rises quickly and easily, whether by increasing your sale price, looking to change suppliers, or even switching out certain products or dishes completely.

Managing staff costs

One of the biggest costs in running any business is your staff. April brings with it another rise in the minimum wage & the additional increases for employers National Insurance, making it increasingly difficult to maintain staff costs at a level you need, in order to be profitable - particularly alongside other price pressures.

Most EPOS systems will enable you to analyse your sales data, determining your busiest times of day. You can then make sure your staffing is aligned accordingly.

Our Hospitality EPOS system also includes staff scheduling tools , showing you what your wage % will be at the start of the week vs. your forecasted sales. This gives you the opportunity to adjust your rota if needed. We also have real-time staff wage % features on the EPOS, so you can keep on top of staff wages in real-time, during a shift, making changes to staffing levels if necessary.

Our EPOS also includes an integrated mobile ordering app , included as standard with all pricing plans. This can save staff time taking orders and reduce the number of staff you need at certain times of day.

Minimising wastage

When input costs are so high, it is more important than ever to minimise wastage, and the associated cost to your business.

A good EPOS system is essential to this. Firstly, it will enable you to record all wastage, from beer in the drip tray, to food that has passed its expiry date. This means you can keep on top of how much wastage there is in your business, taking action if it is too high.

Secondly, if you implement an EPOS with a stock management system, you can run stock takes and view detailed reports to alert you to any wastage that has not been recorded.

Optimising opening times

It’s an unfortunate fact that some hospitality venues are having to cut back on opening times in the current climate. But how do you make sure the days or times you close will save you money and not lose you money?

Most EPOS system can help with this by making it easier to view hourly sales , helping to identify times that are less likely to be profitable.

Our EPOS system takes this a step further and shows you an accurate estimate of the net profit you make on any day, week, or month. This ensures you are fully up to date on how profitable your business is, and then enables you to drill down into each day, to identify if any days are costing you more money to open than you are making.

Monitor your profitability

Regularly review your profit & loss (P&L) report so you understand all of your costs, and ultimately your business bottom line.

If your EPOS is linked to your accounting package and you’ve automated the submission of your supplier invoices (see our previous blog on automated bookkeeping ), you should have a pretty up to date P&L in your accounting platform.

However, it's possible to get an even more up to date and accurate P&L for shorter time periods directly from your EPOS.

Knowing at all times how well your business is doing, will prevent any nasty surprises at the end of the quarter or year, and allow you to make any cost savings and changes much more quickly if things aren’t looking as good as anticipated.

Consider challenging your business rates

Whilst not related to savings you can make with your Hospitality EPOS, business rates relief has reduced from 75% to 40% for thi tax year, so many businesses will have seen their rates rise significantly from April.

This could be a good time to challenge your business rates. We have successfully challenged the business rates of our own pub, and share some information based on our own experience in another blog article . It’s worth noting that this article specifically relates to pubs.

Conclusion

So, if you are looking at how you can ensure your business is profitable in the current challenging trading conditions an investment in a good hospitality EPOS system could be a great first step.

With costs under control, you can then look to take advantage of the many other EPOS features to increase your revenues, from selling gift cards, introducing a loyalty scheme, or taking bookings from your website.

If you would like to see more on how our hospitality EPOS system can help with your business, get in touch with our team of hospitality experts.

How Technology Can Help Scale Your Hospitality Business

frankie@tabology.com (Frankie Neale) — Thu, 13 Mar 2025 14:40:49 GMT

In the hospitality industry, scaling a business is tough. Moving from a single café, pub, or restaurant to splitting your time between multiple venues brings with it a new set of challenges but, if done right, the rewards are well worth the effort. Having good managers and supervisors is critical to success, as are the right systems and processes.

In this article, we'll look at some of the systems, tools, technology trends, and processes that can give you a leg up in scaling your hospitality business.

Multi-site EPOS capabilities

One of the key systems for any hospitality business is their EPOS.

A good hospitality EPOS can help you scale your business by allowing you to efficiently manage your products and pricing across multiple venues from one central hub. When you’re growing a business, you’ll want to cut wastage everywhere you can and updating cost prices across multiple systems every time they change should be one of the first to go. In other words, a way to manage product updates centrally is critical.

Similarly, you will want the ability to view performance throughout your entire business, without needing to check multiple reports for individual sites.

Hospitality EPOS systems designed for scale will include multi-site reporting capabilities so you can be on top of your figures as you grow.

Our hospitality EPOS includes a P&L report. This is particularly beneficial, as it gives you a view of the bottom-line profit made by each site, as well as the group as a whole. This lets managers and owners address any pertinent issues quickly and prevents nasty surprises when your management accounts are drawn up.

The Tabology EPOS also connects any loyalty schemes you may have across sites, making a member of one a member of all. It provides you with a central loyalty database so members can scan their loyalty pass and access rewards at any venue.

Automate Processes

With less time to manage individual locations, you'll want to automate any processes or repetitive tasks you can.

Reporting & Admin

Email reports, for instance, can be a great way to automate daily, weekly, or monthly management reports for each site, giving you valuable insights into business performance in minutes.

This saves time logging into each site to see your key performance metrics, like week-on-week sales comparisons or your top and bottom sellers.

One key function for automation would be bookkeeping. This can save you from drowning in admin as your business scales. An EPOS with a good accounting integration can automatically record your sales in your accounts every day.

This reduces manual effort, minimises errors, and gives you a more up to date view of your financial performance. Other apps and integrations can be used to automate the rest of the bookkeeping process.

Bookings

When it comes to reservations, most good booking systems can automatically allocate bookings to tables for you and let you configure any required up-front deposits. You can also configure automated email or SMS reminders to guests, including the option to cancel if they can no longer make it.

Pre-orders can be automated too, with guests prompted to place their order after booking. With a booking system that is fully integrated with or built-in to your EPOS, adding the pre-ordered items to the guest’s tab is also automated.

With our hospitality EPOS & booking system, you can set same day bookings to appear as requests, with alerts on the EPOS notifying staff immediately This can be a great way to manage same day availability if you don’t want add bookings for all of your walk-ins. Similarly for booking cancellations, alerts can notify staff to free up the table for other guests.

Inventory Ordering & Staff Scheduling

For stock ordering , system suggested orders based on recent sales or PAR levels can save time, take away margin for error, and ensure a consistent ordering process across all sites.

A way to request and track stock transfers directly on the EPOS back office can save time and reduce errors vs manually adjusting stock at each location.

Optimise staff schedules and better control labour costs by adding your rota on a staff scheduling system with a view of recent sales and the ability to set or generate forecasts.

The staff scheduling tools built into our hospitality EPOS also give each venue manager a real-time view of their wage % for the current day vs their forecast or target.

Personalised Guest Experiences

As your business scales, it becomes more difficult to ensure your guests are getting the same level of service and personal touch that you want to offer. Good, well-trained staff are key to achieving this, but technology can also help.

Collecting guest data for a comprehensive view

Data analytics tools, like those built into our EPOS or other CRM systems , can gather valuable insights from multiple touchpoints, including online reservations, in-person orders, and loyalty program activity.

Each interaction provides key information about a guest’s preferences, such as their favourite menu items, dining times, or spending habits. By consolidating this data into a central system, businesses can build a profile of each customer to add a personal touch to the service they receive.

Tailoring marketing campaigns based on guest preferences

These insights also allow hospitality businesses to design targeted marketing campaigns that resonate with individual guest preferences. By segmenting your audience based on purchasing patterns and demographic data, you can send tailored offers or recommendations.

These personalised campaigns foster loyalty by making guests feel like your brand understands their unique needs, making them more likely to choose your business over competitors.

Conclusion

Scaling effectively means more than just adding locations — it demands the right technology to streamline operations, enhance guest experience, and maximise efficiency.

A good hospitality EPOS, along with other connected systems, assist with the challenge of managing multiple venues, centralising everything from loyalty programs to financial reporting.

By automating routine tasks, simplifying booking and ordering processes, and providing actionable data insights, you can overcome common scaling challenges and keep guest satisfaction high across every site.

Ultimately, the right technology grows with you and helps you focus on what matters most: creating memorable experiences for your guests, driving loyalty, and growing a profitable, sustainable business. With strategic tools in place, scaling your hospitality business can be both efficient and rewarding.

If you are scaling, or looking to scale, your business and need help getting the right systems and processes in place, get in touch with one of our hospitality technology experts.

Shoulder of Mutton, Mytholmroyd

frankie@tabology.com (Frankie Neale) — Tue, 11 Feb 2025 11:46:36 GMT

“The Tabology system is easier to use, and more functional, than any other I've used. You can tell that it's been developed by people who understand how pubs & bars operate.”

Mark Stanforth, Owner.

The Shoulder of Mutton is a busy local pub in Mytholmroyd, West Yorkshire, not far from Hebden Bridge. Serving a broad drinks range and fresh, home cooked food, the pub also benefits from a riverside beer garden which boosts trade significantly whenever the sun makes an appearance.

Owner Mark Stanforth took over the pub in October 2023, on a lease with Stonegate Pub Partners, and installed Tabology's Pub EPOS system on the recommendation of payments provider Zettle. “Tabology helped us from the word go, setting up all our products on the system, so we were up and running straight away,” said Mark.

The Shoulder of Mutton has also taken full advantage of Tabology’s booking functionality, which is fully integrated with the EPOS. “We’re in the process of having a new website designed,” says Mark, “but in the meantime we’ve set up a landing page which has the Tabology booking widget built into it. There are links to the bookings page from our Facebook, social media, and Google Business page.”

As well as booking tables, customers can also select a time, and order takeaways for collection, with the pub’s British home cooked pub food menu available for takeaway as well as a fish & chip shop takeaway menu.

“ Bookings come through to the EPOS system, which is much more straightforward than having a separate booking system, and I also get an email notification,” says Mark. ”We’ve set the system up so that if a booking is for less than four hours ahead, it comes through as a booking request which we have to confirm, and if it’s more than four hours it’s automatically confirmed. Equally, if a customer cancels a booking, the notification comes through to the EPOS. I made sure I fully tested the booking system myself, and it’s really quick and easy to use.”

Front of house, customers can place orders for food and drink at the bar, or order from their table via a QR code printed on the menu. “That’s very useful when we’re busy, and especially when customers are using the beer garden. They have to provide a table number when using the QR code, and so it’s easy to keep track of orders via Tabology's Table Plan which is visible on the EPOS.” Food orders are sent to a kitchen display screen “which we wanted to do to save paper, and if a group wants to split the tab, it’s really easy using Table Plan.”

We print a QR code on the bottom of till receipts, and on posters around the pub, that links through to the online bookings page - enabling customers to book their next visit on the spot.

The pub is also using Tabology’s membership and loyalty features. “We currently offer a 5% discount on drinks from Sunday to Thursday, which has proven to be very popular, and has encouraged many of our regulars to sign up. Over the next few months, we want to gradually change the offer so that members can build up points, to get better offers and discounts when they spend more.”

Mark is also making the most of the Campaigns function with the Tabology loyalty and marketing feature, which allows him to drill into the spending habits of customers, export lists to Mailchimp, and send targeted promotions to encourage them back into the pub, or promote the takeaway offer. “The system switches to Mailchimp at the touch of a button, and I send out monthly newsletters with targeted offers.”

All deliveries to the pub are logged into the Tabology’s back-office stock management systems, which is linked directly to sales through the till, giving a real time view of which products need to be reordered,“ and we also use it for stocktakes . We used to print out a physical stock list, but we figured it’s easier to just walk around with an iPad and enter stock straight onto the system.”

Overall, Mark is pleased with the level of support from Tabology, both in the initial set-up phase, and now on an ongoing basis. “It’s great that you can message via Telegram up to midnight, and get a response straight away.

“We’ve already recommended Tabology to a friend who is opening her own pub. The Tabology system is easier to use, and more functional, than any other I’ve used. You can tell that it’s been developed by people who understand how pubs and bars operate.”

To find out more about our hospitality EPOS and how it could work in your venue, get in touch with our team of hospitality experts, to arrange a demo or free trial.

7 Ways to Increase Your Bookings Revenue

frankie@tabology.com (Frankie Neale) — Wed, 08 Jan 2025 15:30:54 GMT

Boosting revenue is a key goal behind any business, and in the hospitality industry, increasing earnings for your restaurant or pub via bookings can bring a sense of security and allow for more effective planning.

Not only does it provide future visibility, allowing you to safely align staffing levels to match demand, but it also offers a direct way to connect with potential guests, encouraging repeat bookings and enhancing overall guest satisfaction.

You'll also gain useful details, like phone numbers and email addresses, which you can use for targeted marketing later down the line, should they opt in.

Take online bookings

One effective way to increase revenue is by expanding the number of bookings you receive. If your pub or restaurant doesn't already accept online bookings, this should be your first step.

Research shows that guests prefer the convenience of booking online, which can also save your staff valuable time. This is particularly true for younger guests

Integrating with services like Reserve with Google can further boost your operation's visibility, enabling direct bookings straight from Google Maps search results, ultimately increasing bookings.

Don't miss out on last minute requests

Many hospitality businesses struggle to capitalise on last-minute bookings. If you’re not recording all walk-ins in your booking system, it can lead to overbooking conflicts.

Some operators avoid this by not accepting same-day bookings online, but this can deter guests who prefer the convenience of digital reservations.

Instead, consider treating last-minute bookings as requests to be manually confirmed. This allows staff to check availability before accepting the request.

This relies on having a quick way to notify front of house staff of new bookings. Our booking system that is built into our hospitality EPOS enables alerts to be sent to the POS as soon as a request is received, and for staff to accept or reject the booking directly on the till.

Minimise no shows

No-shows can significantly affect your restaurant or pub’s revenue. To minimise this, consider taking deposits or pre-authorised card details, which allow you to charge a fee for late cancellations or no-shows.

Additionally, sending booking reminders via email or SMS can also help limit no shows, especially if you include a simple way for guests to let you know if they’re unable to attend.

Make it easy to cancel

While it might seem counterintuitive, making it easy for guests to cancel can actually help increase your revenue. Allowing guests to quickly cancel and free up a table means that space can be used by someone else, whether through a new reservation or a walk-in.

You can streamline this process by including a cancellation link in confirmation and reminder emails, or SMS messages.

Similarly to the last-minute booking requests, our built-in booking system can send an immediate alert to the POS to notify you of any cancellations. Ensuring front-of-house staff are immediately notified, making availability updates seamless for everyone involved.

Upsell pre-orders

Beyond just maximising bookings, consider ways to increase revenue per booking.

A great way to do this is to offer pre-order options - this could be a bottle of bubbles or crate of beer to be on the table when the guests arrive. Not only does this improve the guest experience, but you’re also getting money in the till before the guests have even arrived.

Many hesitate to offer pre-orders due to the complexity of managing them, mapping products between different systems, or needing to manually key pre-orders from one system to another.

With our EPOS' built-in booking system you can easily set up and manage pre-order items, letting staff view upcoming orders on the EPOS or kitchen screens. Tickets are automatically created for any pre-orders when you mark a booking as arrived.

Improved marketing through data

Online bookings provide valuable data that can be leveraged for targeted marketing.

By capturing details like guest preferences, visit frequency, and spend patterns, you can create personalised marketing campaigns to attract potential guests and encourage repeat bookings.

To collect and use this data effectively, ensure your booking system integrates seamlessly with your business’ CRM and EPOS system. This integration allows you to collect preferences, manage marketing campaigns, customer satisfaction surveys, and loyalty programs from a single platform.

Our hospitality EPOS includes a built-in booking system and CRM, so you can access and utilise this data efficiently, driving more bookings and repeat visits.

Convert booking contacts to loyalty members

Maximise your contacts database by converting previous guests into loyalty scheme members. This allows you to track purchase history every time a guest scans their digital loyalty pass, even without a prior booking.

Loyalty points , exclusive promotions, and push notifications about personalised offers can all serve to increase revenue and improve guest satisfaction.

Encourage guests to join your loyalty program by including opt-in options during the booking process. Automated follow-up emails can also help convert previous booking contacts who aren’t yet loyalty members.

Our hospitality EPOS simplifies this by allowing guests to sign up directly through the online booking form, streamlining the process for both guests and staff.

Conclusion

Our integrated hospitality EPOS system helps you increase bookings, enhance customer satisfaction, and boost your restaurant or pub’s revenue by offering a comprehensive solution that saves time and reduces the need for multiple systems.

To find out more, contact one of our team of hospitality experts.

10 Best Hospitality EPOS according to users

frankie@tabology.com (Frankie Neale) — Mon, 25 Nov 2024 16:55:11 GMT

In the fast-paced hospitality business, efficiency and seamless customer service are crucial to both your daily performance and long-term success.

A reliable Electronic Point of Sale (EPOS) system can streamline your operation, improve the guest experience, and ultimately boost revenue.

But with so many options on the market, choosing the right EPOS provider for your business can be a challenge.

To help you on your journey, we’ve compiled the 10 best EPOS systems for hospitality businesses, according to the people who know - the users.

Here, you can find the 10 best hospitality EPOS companies, as rated on respected review site, Trustpilot.

Whether you run a small café or a large pub group, finding the perfect hospitality EPOS system is crucial to staying competitive. Hopefully this list can help you identify the right EPOS system for your business.

What is the best hospitality EPOS system?

There is no single best hospitality EPOS system for every business, The best EPOS for your business will depend on a range of factors. These include (but are not limited to) the type of hospitality business you run, the size of your business, other systems you use, and your budget.

At Tabology we strive to offer honest, objective advice, to give you the information you need to evaluate our EPOS over the other options available to you. The below list should help you to narrow down the systems you want to look at more closely.

We’d then recommend booking a demo and taking a free trial of any potential EPOS before making the switch.

[1.] Tabology (4.9)

[2.] EPOS Now (4.5)

[3.] The Access Group (4.5)

[4.] YumaPOS (4.4)

[5.] Lightspeed (4.3)

[6.] Tevalis (4.2)

[7.] Square (4.0)

[8.] Clover (3.95) (Clover POS 3.2 / Clover in the uk 4.7)

[9.] ICR Touch (3.7)

[10.] Toast (2.9)

1. Tabology

At Tabology we offer a fully hospitality-focussed EPOS with a built-in range of tools to manage your whole business.

The system covers the key EPOS features you are likely to need, with table plans, promotions, real-time stock tracking and a wide range of reports.

It also includes functions that usually require integrations with other systems – a booking system, staff scheduling tools, loyalty CRM, and mobile ordering.

The main EPOS app runs on an iPad, which can be housed in a secure case and connected to a printer and cash drawer to make a full EPOS terminal. For table side ordering, the Mini EPOS runs on an iPhone, and includes built-in card reading technology to take payment directly on the device.

We offer a range of payment processors, enabling our customers to shop around for the best rates.

We don’t lock people into contracts and all our hardware is off-the-shelf, making it easy to switch (even if we don’t think you will ever need to!)

Many reviewers praise the customer service, highlighting both the onboarding and ongoing support.

People also like the speed and ease of use of the system, with one user claiming they could train a monkey to use it!

Multiple reviews mention the speed of delivery of new releases, with users pleasantly surprised by the regular updates and turnaround of new features.

Pricing

£39 per month Essentials Plan
£59 per month Pro Plan
£39 per additional main EPOS or £19 per Mini EPOS device

Pros

Consistently rated for excellent customer service
Intuitive & easy to use
Fast development of new features

Cons

Pricing may be high for businesses with very simple needs
Requires an internet connection (though offline mode can support through outages)

Trustpilot rating 4.9

2. EPOS Now

EPOS Now offer a range of EPOS systems for all types of businesses. Though not hospitality focussed, EPOS Now do now offer a range of features for hospitality businesses with table plans, stock control, and a kitchen display screen.

EPOS NOW do offer their own payments solution, but also integrate with other providers, enabling you to shop around for the best rates.

The company runs frequent offers on hardware & software, but these can come with lengthy contracts attached that are difficult to get out of if things go wrong – something many of the more negative reviews highlight.

EPOS NOW offer 24/7 support, which gets mixed reviews. Many praise the service they received, while others complain of long times on hold, and agents that lack the knowledge to fix issues.

Pricing

EPOS Now don’t publish their software pricing, but reviewers mention fees from as little as £25 per month based on being locked into an annual contract.
Hardware bundles start from £149 for an Android tablet-based system.

Pros

Competitive pricing & frequent offers
Option to shop around for best card rates

Cons

Mixed reviews on customer support
Can end up locked into a contract that doesn’t meet your needs

Trustpilot rating: 4.5

3. The Access Group

The Access Group offer a large range of software for a diverse range of functions, from accounting to waste management. One of their products is an EPOS solution tailored to the hospitality sector.

While some of Access Group’s product range will have little relevance to a hospitality business, some, such as payments, stock control, and CRM offer useful EPOS add ons.

The platform offers its own integrated payments solution, but also offers integrations with other payment processors, enabling you to shop around.

Many reviewers call out individual staff members as providing excellent service.

Those with negative experiences complain of being locked into long expensive contracts and not being able to get the support they need.

It is important to note that Access Group’s Trustpilot reviews and rating are based on the full range of their software, not just the EPOS.

Pricing

Access Group state that the pricing structure is designed to accommodate scalability, and don’t publish their full pricing, but do give a few examples:

From £307 per month for the Flightpath implementation plan, for 1 site and 2 EPOS terminals.
£14 per month kitchen display system
from £30 per month for Menu Manager

Pros

Huge range of business software
Many reports of excellent service
Flexibility with integrated and third-party payment processors

Cons

Lock in contracts that can roll over automatically if enough notice isn’t given
Some reports of difficulty getting through to support, particularly for urgent issues

Trustpilot rating: 4.6

4. YumaPOS

YumaPOS is a hospitality-focussed EPOS that includes stock management, table plans and a kitchen display system.

Customers appreciate YumaPOS for its intuitive interface and seamless integration with various payment methods, including cash, card, mobile payments, and loyalty programs.

Many users also praise the customer support. However, others complain of not receiving call backs, or issues not being dealt with effectively.

YumaPOS advertise £0 upfront payment options. This can be useful for cashflow, but make sure you check what you will ultimately be paying for any included hardware. Also, check what your options are if you encounter issues or are not happy with the system – some reviewers claim of being left out of pocket with equipment that didn’t work, or they no longer wanted.

Pricing

Although their website states transparent monthly pricing, no actual pricing is provided.

Pros

Hospitality focussed
Multiple functions (loyalty, online ordering) built in
£0 up front options

Cons

Mixed reviews on customer support
Could be left tied to paying for hardware if things don’t work out

Trustpilot rating: 4.5

5. Lightspeed

Lightspeed are one of the largest POS companies in the world so offer a huge range of products & features for all walks of business. It is likely that Lightspeed will cover off any of the main hospitality EPOS features you are looking for.

Many customers also praise the user friendliness of Lightspeed’s features.

They offer a dedicated account manager, though according to reviews service seems to vary widely depending on who your account manager is.

Lightspeed offer their own payments solution. This can be handy for simplicity of set up, though some negative reviews complain of being charged a penalty to use an alternative payment provider.

Lightspeed offer 24/7 support, though many users report waiting on hold for a long time to reach an agent.

Pricing

£109 per month Essential Plan
£338 per month Premium Plan
£33 per additional device

Pros

Large range of features
User friendly
Service can be good if you have a good account manager

Cons

A relatively expensive option
Penalties may limit ability to shop around for best rates
Mixed reviews on reliability and customer service

Trustpilot rating: 4.3 stars

6. Tevalis

Tevalis offer an on-premise hospitality EPOS system that they state can be tailored to the needs of the customer.

Features include kitchen management, digital eMenus, and self-service kiosks.

Users praise the ease of use, particular the user interface and stock management function.

Some reviewers complain that the customer service fell away once the contract was signed. Others state they were left with a large financial outlay when things didn’t work out.

Pricing

Tevalis tailor each quote to the specific requirements of each business

Pros

Completely hospitality-focussed
Praised for user-friendly interface
Range of payment processors offered

Cons

Some reports of poor customer service once the contract is signed
Can be left with high costs if things don’t work out
Lack of transparency in pricing

Trustpilot rating : 4.2

7. Square

Square are primarily a payments company, but also offer a competitively priced hospitality EPOS.

With table plans, kitchen display, and online ordering, Square covers many of the features hospitality businesses will be looking for. They also offer costed add ons for loyalty, marketing, and staff scheduling.

Being a payments company does mean you will be tied into Square payments, preventing you from shopping around, even if rates are increased in the future.

Many reviews praise the ease of set up and value for money. Others are happy with the speed at which they receive their funds.

Some negative reviews claim of difficulty in receiving support.

Others complain of their account being suspended for a review or deactivated without enough notice or an explanation of which terms had been violated.

It should be noted that any payment processor has regulations that they need to comply with, so this could be a risk with any EPOS that is tied to one payment provider. With these systems it may be a good idea to check what the process is for these terms of service reviews - how much notice you would be given, the level of explanation you would receive on any suspected violations.

Pricing

Square Restaurant offers a £0 per month plan, but this limits access to some of the features a hospitality business is likely to need, like re-opening bills, customised floor plans, and a range of reports
To include these features there is the Plus Plan at £69 per month
Both plans come with card processing rates of 1.75% for face-to-face transactions, with custom rates applicable to businesses taking over £200k per annum

Pros

Competitive pricing
Easy set up
Fast access to funds

Cons

Some users state difficulties in receiving support
Own payment solution prevents you shopping around for the best rates
Reports of inadequate notice or explanation for account suspensions

Trustpilot rating: 4 stars

8. Clover

Clover POS offers a comprehensive platform designed to cater to various types of businesses, including restaurants, retail stores, and service-based enterprises.

Clover are part of Fiserve, a payments company, and one of their strengths is their payment inclusive hardware, with devices offering built-in card reading without a separate reader being needed.

Being a payments company though, you won’t be able to shop around for the best card processing rates.

The system offers features such as inventory management, sales tracking, customisable payment solutions, and integration with a range of third-party apps.

Trustpilot reviews highlight Clover's user-friendly interface and easy-to-use tools that simplify day-to-day operations. Users appreciate the system's adaptability, allowing them to integrate multiple services to enhance efficiency.

However, feedback also notes concerns with customer service, including delayed response times and occasional issues with technical support. Some users have reported challenges with contract terms, particularly related to early termination fees.

Pricing

Clover don’t publish pricing or any pricing information on their website

Pros

Built-in card reading with no separate reader required
Highly customisable, with a range of integrations and app support

Cons

Reports of slow customer service and technical support
Some concerns with contract flexibility and early termination fees
Lack of transparent pricing

Trustpilot rating : 3.95 (average of Clover POS 3.2 and Clover in the UK 4.7)

9. ICR Touch

ICR Touch offer EPOS systems for both hospitality and retail. The hospitality offering includes a customisable interface, product image buttons, happy hour schedules and built-in loyalty.

Where ICR Touch differ to others on this list, is they operate through a network of resellers. This enables ICR Touch to focus on development, but it also puts a layer between them and their customers.

The website states that annual updates ensure the system grows with your business, though it’s worth noting that many modern cloud systems update much more frequently.

The support you will receive from ICR Touch will depend largely on the reseller, so it’s important to do some research into those in your area.

Users like the lack of dependence on the internet, and the user friendliness of the system.

The more negative reviews complain of outdated software, and a lack of support from ICR Touch in instances where their reseller was not able to help.

Pricing

ICR Touch pricing will be set by the reseller you purchase the system from

Pros

A good reseller can offer effective local support
Many users happy with the user-friendliness
Lack of internet dependency

Cons

Annual updates quite infrequent for a rapidly evolving industry
Some users find the software to be outdated
Reports of difficulty getting help from ICR Touch if resellers are unable to assist

Trustpilot rating: 3.7

10. Toast

Toast POS is an all-in-one platform designed specifically for the foodservice industry.

Toast is a multi-billion-dollar business, with over 120,000 restaurants using the system in the US. As such, the system offers a large range of hospitality features including gift cards, kitchen displays, online ordering, and rota management.

Toast provides their own payments processing, which means one less provider to deal with, but also prevents you from shopping around for the best rates (even if they increase in the future).

Trustpilot reviews for Toast POS frequently commend its user-centric design and robust feature set that caters well to restaurant-specific needs. Users have highlighted the intuitive order-taking and payment system.

However, some reviews indicate that Toast POS could improve in areas related to customer service responsiveness. A few users reported challenges in troubleshooting issues or getting through to someone who could help with their issue.

Additionally, while the system has extensive capabilities, some users report the various modules to be dis-jointed, and new users may face a steep learning curve.

Pricing

Starter Kit: starting at £80/month
Essentials Package: Includes advanced features such as online ordering and gift cards, starting at £150/month
Custom Pricing: Tailored solutions for larger establishments requiring bespoke configurations and additional hardware

Pros

All in one system with large range of features
Many users report to be user friendly, particularly for restaurants
Large range of add ons and integrations

Cons

Reports of difficulty in getting support

Steep learning curve for new users

Own payment solution prevents you shopping around for the best rates

Trustpilot Rating : 3.2

How we compiled this list

We listed the top-rated hospitality EPOS systems in the UK according to Trustpilot. We only included companies with an in-house EPOS solution so excluded card processing businesses and resellers of other EPOS systems.

We listed each company in order from highest to lowest Trustpliot rating. We then provided a summary of information about each from user reviews and information from the company’s website.

To maintain as much objectivity as possible we have not trialled the systems ourselves, or included any information from our own views or experience. All information is either factual information from each company’s website (e.g. pricing, features or support hours), or opinions from genuine user reviews.

Conclusion

Choosing the right EPOS system is crucial for the success of any hospitality business.

From cloud-based flexibility and advanced reporting tools to seamless payment integration and customer loyalty programs, these systems can enhance efficiency, boost profitability, and improve the customer experience.

By adopting an EPOS solution that aligns with your business goals, you can streamline operations and stay ahead in today's competitive hospitality landscape.

If you’d like to find out if our hospitality EPOS is the right fit for your business, contact one of our team of experts today.

* Pricing and Trustpilot review ratings correct as of November 2024

The Old George & Wheels Cafe, Sykehouse

frankie@tabology.com (Frankie Neale) — Thu, 07 Nov 2024 11:52:35 GMT

“Support is there until midnight every day, and within minutes of sending a message on Telegram, there’s somebody there. I always recommend Tabology.”

Rosie Nagaty, Owner.

The Old George Inn and Wheels Café in Sykehouse, near Goole, East Yorkshire, is more than just a pub. When Rosie and John took it on in 2022, they extended the pub to add the cafe, and turned the unused field to the rear into a campsite, complete with luxury glamping pods. Originally, the cafe was called Shambles Cafe, but they recently rebranded it as Wheels Cafe and filled it with biker memorabilia, and it now attracts bikers from across the UK.

It now appeals to a wide range of guests, and you'll find a mix of bikers, families on staycations, couples seeking a luxury getaway, and walkers and cyclists on the TransPennine trail, all mingling with locals enjoying great home cooked food and a pint.

Rosie originally installed Tabology’s Hospitality EPOS system three years ago, and is now one of Tabology beta test businesses, putting new features through their paces and providing valuable operational feedback. As a former IT project manager, Rosie knew exactly what she was looking for in an EPOS system.

She says: “I did a lot of research. Although I obviously wanted a good EPOS solution, the people that you’re going to be working with are just as important. I had demonstrations from seven or eight different companies, and Tabology stood out by a mile.

“I liked the fact that they wanted to learn from my business, and they were willing to change in response to feedback. Crucially, the system worked, it was really user friendly, and the support was clearly there, which is really important.

“All food and drink orders for the different facets of the business are managed through the Tabology EPOS. The pub offers table service, as well as ordering at the bar for those customers who prefer it, and front of house staff are trained on the iPads. We have one fixed iPad on the bar, and quite a few portable ones. Most of our customers have tabs set up on the system for their food and drink.”

Tabology’s Table Plan feature comes into its own for events and functions. “The tables are set up differently according to the occasion, so I can quickly create a new Table Plan and use that visually to make sure we’re putting orders on the right tables, It’s also very useful for new staff in the pub while they learn the table layout.”

The business has also improved booking efficiency by using the auto-confirm feature for bookings, which checks availability in real time when a customer requests a booking online and auto-confirms the booking if there is availability.

Rosie says: “We operated booking requests, which needed manual confirmation, for a while. That worked, but I felt pressure to confirm requests quickly, or the customer might try somewhere else. People want to know that their booking is secure almost straight away. Turning on live bookings means we’ve got a lot more bookings coming through that way.”

Linked to bookings, the business is also finding that taking deposits through the Tabology EPOS works well. “We ask for a deposit for tables of six or more, and for key events such as Mother’s Day, we’ll insist on a deposit for everyone.

“We don’t get a lot of no-shows, but if they’ve paid a deposit, you know they’ll turn up. We’ll probably move to the point where we’ll take a deposit for everyone booking at the weekend.”

Campsite customers have benefited from a food delivery service, ordering takeouts from the pub using Tabology’s online ordering. Rosie is also developing an online guide for campers that will enable them to book tables in the pub, using the Tabology bookings widget embedded in the website. They're also in the process of opening an outdoor kitchen to help meet the increased demand during events, as well as from the campsite customers.

The Old George has also set up a loyalty scheme enabling regular customers to build up a points balance with purchases. “Customers tend to use it more when they come in to eat, as we can put the whole tab onto their loyalty account when they pay. At the moment, they all seem to like seeing the points balance going up, so I’m waiting for them to redeem them.”

The customer data from the loyalty scheme can also be used to create targeted marketing campaigns. Rosie says: “Our first try was a drinks promotion for members with birthdays that month, and it was great to see customers come in to redeem the offer.”

Tabology’s back office manages all wet sales, with stocktaking linked to ordering. “When we initially set up the system, Tabology helped by putting all our drink products onto the system for us. Our range has changed a lot since, but it’s a relatively simple task to add new products. For a new user, it’s great that they’ll do that massive upload for you.” Tabology’s EPOS data also feeds into the Xero accounting system used by the business.

“The integration of all these functions is a massive benefit. There are probably still features I don’t use that I should be. It’s an invaluable tool when you use it in the right way.

“If there are ever any problems, Tabology are on hand to fix it. Because I work with features in the testing phase, they will spend the time working to get things right based on my feedback. The support is absolutely brilliant, and I know everyone at Tabology by name. It’s there until midnight every day, and within minutes of sending a message on Telegram, there’s somebody there. I always recommend Tabology.”

To find out more about our hospitality EPOS and how it could work in your venue, get in touch with our team of hospitality experts, to arrange a demo or free trial.

Driving customer loyalty with hospitality EPOS

frankie@tabology.com (Frankie Neale) — Mon, 14 Oct 2024 07:39:37 GMT

In hospitality, retaining customers is just as important as attracting new ones.

One of the most powerful tools for driving loyalty is a feature-rich EPOS (Electronic Point of Sale) system .

These go far beyond processing sales; they offer critical insights into customer preferences, improve the overall guest experience, and allow for the integration of a seamless and successful loyalty program.

A study by Deloitte shows that nearly half of restaurant loyalty members (47%) use their memberships several times a month, while about a third (32%) use it several times a week.

Powered by EPOS, this demonstrates the potential for the right software to keep customers coming back, while encouraging long-term loyalty and boosting revenue.

How does hospitality EPOS drive customer loyalty?

[1.] Using data to tailor customer experiences

[2.] Seamless integration with loyalty programs

[3.] Speed and convenience

[4.] Automating special promotions and offers

[5.] Customer relationship management (CRM)

1. Using data to tailor customer experiences

Tracking customer preferences with EPOS

Every time a customer interacts with your business—whether they place an order, join a loyalty program, or redeem a promotion—your EPOS system gathers valuable data.

This might include:

Favourite meals and drinks: EPOS systems can log the items a customer orders most frequently, identifying this preference for their next visit.
Dining habits: The system also tracks broader trends, like how often or what times of day a customer is most likely to visit. These patterns help businesses identify loyal customers and reward them.
Special requests and preferences: EPOS systems can also record specific details, like dietary preferences or special requests.

Using data to create personalised offers

Custom promotions: By knowing a customer’s preferred items or dining habits, you can create special offers that speak to their preferences. This approach feels more personal and relevant, making customers more likely to engage with the offer.
Tailored loyalty rewards: EPOS systems can integrate with loyalty programs. By offering rewards that align with their preferences, you provide incentives to keep them coming back.
Special occasion offers: EPOS systems can track personal details like birthdays or anniversaries, allowing you to send personalised offers on these special occasions.

Real-time adjustments

Another advantage of this data collection is the ability to adjust your offerings in real-time.

If certain promotions are more successful than others, you can tweak your marketing efforts to focus on what works best.

Building relationships through data

The more you understand your customers' preferences, the easier it becomes to provide exceptional service tailored to their needs.

This makes customers feel valued, making them more likely to return.

By leveraging customer data effectively, hospitality businesses can create meaningful connections, driving loyalty and long-term success.

2. Seamless integration with loyalty programs

Many modern hospitality EPOS systems can integrate with digital loyalty programs, streamlining the customer experience and making it easier to engage with the program.

This simplifies loyalty program management and encourages customers to participate.

How EPOS systems integrate with digital loyalty programs

Integration allows loyalty members to accumulate points, receive rewards, and redeem offers seamlessly.

Integration typically includes:

Points-based systems: Customers can earn points with every transaction made via the EPOS system. These can be tracked and stored digitally, ensuring customers always have access to their balance.
Digital loyalty cards: Some modern EPOS systems, including ours, offer digital loyalty cards that customers can easily access via apps or email. These are linked to customer profiles within the EPOS system, updating their account in real time.
Mobile and contactless rewards: EPOS systems can also integrate with mobile apps, allowing customers to earn points for mobile orders, track points, and redeem exclusive promotions straight from their smartphones.

Benefits of a unified experience

By using EPOS systems with integrated or built-in digital loyalty programs, hospitality businesses can provide customers with a unified, hassle-free experience that fosters loyalty.

Here’s how it benefits both the business and the customer:

Ease of tracking and redeeming rewards: The system automates this process, updating loyalty accounts in real-time so that customers can access their points balance, eligible rewards, and any special promotions. Customers can instantly redeem their rewards without needing to remember to bring a loyalty card or voucher.
Frictionless customer experience: With digital loyalty features, everything is managed effortlessly at the point of sale. This frictionless process reduces waiting times, creates satisfied customers, and encourages guests to actively participate in the loyalty program.
Boosted customer retention: A well-integrated, or built-in loyalty program keeps customers engaged with your brand. By offering rewards that are relevant and easy to redeem, you create a positive association with your business, motivating customers to return.

Analytics and optimisation

EPOS integration with loyalty programs also benefits businesses through detailed analytics.

You can track which rewards are redeemed most frequently, how loyalty promotions impact customer behaviour, and which customers are most engaged.

This allows you to optimise your loyalty strategy, focusing on what works best to drive repeat business.

3. Speed and convenience: enhancing customer experience

Modern consumers expect efficient service, and long wait times or complicated payment processes can be significant deterrents.

Hospitality EPOS systems are designed to streamline operations, ensuring quick and smooth transactions that improve customer satisfaction and encourage repeat business.

The faster and more convenient the experience, the more likely customers are to return.

How quick and efficient transactions improve customer experience

Efficiency at the point of sale is crucial in hospitality settings where customers expect a seamless experience from start to finish.

Slow service or bottlenecks during payments can frustrate customers, leading to negative impressions and a reduced likelihood of return visits.

Here’s how quick and efficient transactions, facilitated by an advanced EPOS system, enhance the customer experience:

Reduced wait times: EPOS systems optimise the payment process, enabling quicker transactions and reducing wait times. Whether it's processing credit cards, mobile payments, or splitting bills, a fast and reliable EPOS ensures customers spend less time at the checkout.
Error reduction: Manual calculations or outdated systems can lead to errors when processing orders or payments. EPOS systems automate calculations, reducing human errors that could slow down the service or frustrate customers.

Technologies that enhance convenience

To meet growing consumer demand for faster, more convenient service, hospitality EPOS systems offer a range of technologies aimed at streamlining the customer experience.

Here are some key examples:

Self-service kiosks: These are particularly useful in fast-casual dining environments or cafés where customers want a quick in-and-out experience. Self-service kiosks are integrated with the EPOS system, allowing customers to view their order, make modifications, and complete payment all from one terminal.
Mobile payments: Modern EPOS systems are designed to accept a variety of payment methods, including mobile wallets like Apple Pay and Google Pay. Mobile payments are fast, secure, and convenient, making them a popular option among customers. In the UK, about one in every three of all payments were made using contactless methods in 2021, showing a significant boost of 36% compared to 2020.
Contactless payments: Contactless payments improve the flow of service, allowing staff to focus on delivering excellent hospitality while reducing the time customers spend waiting for their bill.

Encouraging repeat customers through convenience

Customers are more likely to return to when their experience is easy, fast, and enjoyable.

Here’s how these factors create repeat customers:

Positive first impressions: When new customers experience fast service and easy payment processes, they are more likely to leave with a positive impression. This increases the chances of them returning and recommending your business to others.
Loyalty through consistency: Regular customers appreciate consistency in service. When they know they can rely on quick transactions and hassle-free payments, they are more inclined to make your establishment a go-to destination.
Frictionless checkout encourages spending: When paying is fast and seamless, customers may be more inclined to spend more or return frequently, knowing they won’t face any hassles during checkout.

4. Automating special promotions and offers

Automation is a game-changer for hospitality businesses looking to offer efficient special promotions and loyalty rewards programs.

With an advanced EPOS system, you can automate various offers and discounts, from loyalty rewards for frequent visitors to special birthday promotions.

This level of automation both simplifies operations and ensures a seamless experience for the customer, helping to build long-term loyalty.

Using EPOS to automate discounts and special offers

Modern hospitality EPOS systems allow businesses to set up automated promotions and offers that trigger based on specific customer behaviours or key events.

For instance:

Loyalty rewards for frequent visitors: EPOS systems can automatically reward customers who visit regularly. Automation ensures that these rewards are applied consistently without requiring manual input from staff.
Birthday and anniversary promotions: With automation, you can set up special promotions, triggered automatically around the customer’s special day. This creates a personal connection with the customer, encouraging them to take advantage of the offer.
Time-specific discounts: You can use automation to set time-sensitive promotions, such as happy hour discounts or weekday lunch deals. These offers can be configured to activate at specific times of the day or week, with the EPOS system automatically applying the discount during the relevant period.

Reducing human error through automation

In a busy hospitality environment, manually applying discounts or remembering special promotions can lead to mistakes or inconsistencies, which can frustrate customers and harm the business’s reputation.

This is how automation addresses these issues:

Consistency across all transactions: Automated promotions ensure that customers receive the same discounts or offers every time they meet the criteria. This eliminates the risk of human error. Automation ensures that every transaction is accurate and consistent.
Improved staff efficiency: When promotions are automated, staff no longer need to manually track or apply discounts. This frees up their time to engage with customers and handle other tasks, while the EPOS system manages offers in the background.
No overlooked opportunities: Without automation, busy staff may overlook a customer’s eligibility or forget to offer a birthday promotion. With EPOS-driven automation, these offers are applied automatically, meaning no missed opportunities to drive loyalty.

Maximising the impact of promotions

Automation helps hospitality businesses track the success of their promotions in real time.

EPOS systems provide detailed reports on how often offers are redeemed, which promotions drive the most customer engagement, and how much revenue they generate.

This helps businesses refine their marketing strategies, optimise their promotional campaigns, and focus on what works best for driving customer loyalty.

Automation not only smoothly executes these offers but also provides the insights needed to make data-driven decisions.

5. Customer relationship management (CRM)

Strengthening CRM with EPOS data

CRM integration provides a powerful tool for managing and improving customer relationships.

Creating detailed customer profiles: With data on purchases, spend, and visits collected through the EPOS, businesses can build detailed customer profiles. These profiles include information about dining preferences and loyalty program engagement. The more comprehensive the customer profile, the easier it becomes to provide personalised experiences that drive loyalty.

Conclusion

Building strong customer loyalty is key to long-term success.

Modern EPOS such as ours play a pivotal role in this by offering much more than basic transaction management.

From collecting customer data and automating personalised promotions to integrating loyalty programs, EPOS systems help hospitality businesses create seamless, tailored experiences that keep customers coming back.

By streamlining operations, reducing human error, and providing valuable insights into customer preferences, these systems allow businesses to foster deeper connections with their customers and respond quickly to their needs.

If you’d like to find out if our hospitality EPOS is the right fit for driving loyalty to your business, contact one of our team of experts today.

Mojo Bars, Multi-Site Operator

frankie@tabology.com (Frankie Neale) — Wed, 04 Sep 2024 11:12:15 GMT

“It's great to be able to speak to someone who understands our problems and can recommend solutions.” Martin Greenhow, CEO.

As MOJO approaches its 30 ^th anniversary, the bar group continues to live up to its mission statement – Good Times Forever! Having expanded from its original venue in Leeds and now operating six sites, the brand offers a winning combination of freshly made cocktails, ice cold beers, great music and an inclusive, welcoming ethos.

MOJO implemented Tabology’s Bar EPOS system back in 2017. At the time, CEO Martin Greenhow had struggled to find an EPOS system that met his needs - smooth efficient service front of house, with reliable controls, and rich data back of house.

Having used more than six different EPOS systems across the business, and trialled many more, Martin and his team had been unable to find one that truly met the needs of a busy bar. Tabology delivered on MOJO’s brief, as a tablet-based, cloud EPOS solution which avoided the need to install expensive hardware, and which is regularly updated with the latest features.

“It’s an absolute pleasure to deal with a company that's responsive, and has a product that does what it says on the tin,” says Martin. “It's great to be able to speak to someone who understands our problems and can recommend solutions.”

MOJO has worked closely with Tabology as its suite of features has expanded, and recently implemented both the Bookings and Loyalty functions. MOJO Area Manager PJ Williams was instrumental in the original implementation, which saw the Tabology system put through its paces at MOJO’s Liverpool site, and has worked alongside Tabology as both businesses have expanded.

PJ says: “We need a till system able to cope with the very high volume of sales and transactions we do at our busiest times, and Tabology is absolutely perfect for that. We have centralised functionality which enables us to push updates out to all bars, as well as site-by-site. So, for example, we can choose to push a new recipe out to all our bars, or to selected sites.”

Bookings are important to MOJO, enabling the business to forecast and manage demand at its busiest times, as well as to offer added value opportunities such as its popular Cocktail Masterclasses.

PJ says: “We switched our bookings from a third-party reservation system, because we’d seen a significant increase in our operating costs, and we’re trying to consolidate the business into using as few systems as possible.”

MOJO were involved in beta-testing some of the new features of the Tabology booking system, making additional feature requests which were delivered through Tabology’s fortnightly system updates.

“Working with Tabology to implement the bookings function has been fantastic,” says PJ. “We’ve seen no reduction in efficiency and had no operational headaches, even during the transitional period. Integrating bookings into our existing EPOS has worked from a cost-effectiveness point of view, while from a usability point of view, things have improved. We’ve now got a bookings system that integrates in real time with our till system, which is what we were hoping for.”

MOJO Sales and Marketing Manager Naomi Moore, who also worked with Tabology on the integration of the Bookings and Loyalty features of the Tabology EPOS, says: “Customer emails are now far more straightforward, with each site having its own dedicated bookings email.”

Simple table booking enquiries are confirmed automatically, while requests for events such as a Cocktail Masterclasses become a booking enquiry, “which we accept via the back office, so we know that the venue has the capacity and staff.

“For customers, the booking widget works very well,” adds Naomi. “When they make a booking they get a reply saying that the booking has been confirmed, or that the enquiry has been received if it’s a Cocktail Masterclass.”

MOJO is now trialling an expanded pre-ordering offer through the Tabology booking system, for example allowing customers to pre-order drinks which will be waiting for them on arrival. “Pre-ordering will be really useful for us come Christmas time. It’s all about pushing our prepaid packages, so we have the money in the till before the customer has even set foot in the door.”

Adding the Loyalty function has enabled MOJO to more accurately target different customer groups, with Naomi working with Tabology and MOJO’s own web development team to create schemes for groups such as students, business customers who tend to eat at the venues, and weekend drink-led customers. “Whenever we think of a feature that we want to add, Tabology are always right on it,” says Naomi.

”When people sign up, they get an email setting out what they get as a loyalty scheme member, which was very straightforward to build and set up. Once they’ve downloaded the QR Code that enables them to access their tailored offers and discounts, from a customer perspective, it’s very easy to use,” says Naomi.

PJ adds: ”We have quite a diverse range of customers across the business, so our aim was always to segment our audience through the loyalty scheme, both across the business and within individual sites.

"Ultimately our goal was to create our version of a Clubcard, and we’re now at the stage where we have the data to actually do that."

“We’ve worked alongside Tabology for some time to achieve this. We did look at whether we’d needed a third party integration, or to buy a bespoke package, but we couldn’t be happier with the way Tabology has delivered what we wanted through our in-house EPOS system.“

He sums up: “We’ve worked with Tabology since 2017, and it’s become as close to a bespoke package for our business as you could actually get. They understand and appreciate the challenges that we face. The huge USP for them is the amount of real-time support we get. You’ll never get that from any other service provider, let alone any other EPOS provider.”

To find out more about our pub EPOS and how it could work in your venue, get in touch with our team of hospitality experts, to arrange a demo or free trial

Mother Kelly's, London, Multi-Site

frankie@tabology.com (Frankie Neale) — Thu, 04 Jul 2024 09:26:46 GMT

“I’ve been in the industry for 25 years, and trying to find an integrated POS and stock management system that actually works has been difficult. To find one that does work has been great." Steven Collins, People and Development Manager.

Operating four busy bar and bottle shops in London, Mother Kelly’s relies on Tabology Bar EPOS system to manage an ever-changing range of craft beers, as well as the broader food and drink offer across the estate. Working with innovative craft brewers in the UK and beyond to source both draft and packaged products, and often being first to market with new beers, means the business has a complex supply chain which requires a robust stock management system .

The Tabology system was first installed at Mother Kelly’s Tottenham site when it opened in August 2023, and by the end of January 2024 had been implemented across all four venues, connected by a multi-site dashboard for central management and reporting. Steven Collins, People and Development Manager, Mother Kelly’s, explains: “Tottenham was very much a trial of Tabology for us. We found it very easy to use, and the support is great.”

The Tabology Bar EPOS replaced two separate systems; BevSpot running stock management in the back office, and a second system Lightspeed for point-of-sale. “We’ve quickly seen the benefits of having a single, integrated system,” says Steven. “It cuts out an entire step, which saves us considerable time.”

For any business, a changeover to new systems has the potential to be disruptive. “I’m not the most technically-minded person, and I picked it up really easily,” says Steven. “Having support on hand so quickly, through Telegram, is great, and the team from Tabology, who onboarded us, have been fantastic.

“Implementing Tabology has been a really pleasant experience, which is definitely something you can’t always say about tech companies. We’re really impressed not just with the software, but with the service and support around it.”

With the majority of beer products changing on a frequent basis, and a range that differs from site to site, Tabology’s core product management functionality has delivered significant benefits, says Steven. “We now have a multi-site dashboard , where we create new product listings and push them down to each site. With the previous system, although we could create products, it became really clunky to use.

“Now, we can see the range in each business individually, as well as take an overview. For me that’s been a godsend, as it’s my job to generate those reports.”

As a new product becomes available, it’s entered onto the system, priced, and added remotely to the EPOS at the appropriate venue. Just as importantly for efficient stock management in a craft beer business, products can be easily taken off the system.

“We’re able to have a view for each site of all the products we’re holding at any time, and remove them when they’re no longer in use. Some are one-offs and won’t be coming back, but some are repeat products, so we can easily hide them, and then bring them back as needed.”

With Tabology able to access information on beers from the popular Untappd app, “now that Tabology is in use at all our sites we’ve started to link more to Untappd, which is good for repeat products. We tend to be one of the first operators to get new brews, so we’re sometimes ahead of Untappd.

“We do stocktakes and generate stock reports through the Tabology back office, which has proven to be more streamlined than systems we’ve used previously. The GMs really like the fact that they can count physical stock directly onto the stock sheet, through their iPads, rather than have to manually count and then enter the total onto a spreadsheet. It cuts out an entire step, which saves time.

“I also really like the reporting function, which makes it very simple to drill down into the individual stock reports, as well as to get a view across the business. All the information is in one place. Previously using Lightspeed, we would have to have generated five separate reports and then compile them into the single report we need.”

With Tabology’s support, Mother Kelly’s is now also trialling the transfer of stock between venues, while maintaining a clear overview of stock levels. “We held a company-wide event, a sour beer festival. We had a large delivery of beer from the US which was delivered to one of our sites, and was then distributed around the business. Tabology were able to support us to make sure it all worked in terms of the stock being properly accounted for and allocated.”

Front-of-house, customers place orders at the bar, which are processed on-screen via the Tabology terminal, “which is very straightforward to use, it’s simple to navigate, and it’s easy to tailor options such as spirits and mixers, which are all on the system. Once we’ve set everything up right in terms of the options and drop-down menus, it’s very smooth.

Food orders are transmitted to a printer in the kitchen, Tabology’s functionality also enables customer to run tabs, as well as to split the tab when individuals within a group want to pay separately.

Mother Kelly’s also plans to implement further Tabology functionality. “Managers don’t always like change, so to an extent we’ve been drip-feeding functions that we know we’re going to use more, such as pre-booking tables, and the loyalty scheme function.”

Overall, says Steven, “there have been very few problems, and when something does happen, it’s very easy to rectify. The real-time support has been one of the biggest plusses of switching to Tabology. It’s never more than a few minutes until we get a response, which was very useful to me when I was setting everything up, and the managers can access support when they need it.”

He sums up: “I’ve been in the industry for 25 years, and trying to find an integrated POS and stock management system that actually works has been difficult. To find one that does work has been great.”

To find out more about our pub EPOS and how it could work in your venue, get in touch with our team of hospitality experts, to arrange a demo or free trial.

The Chequers Inn, Binham, Norfolk

frankie@tabology.com (Frankie Neale) — Mon, 17 Jun 2024 11:03:09 GMT

“I had great support from Tabology to get everything set up, and now I find them very easy to work with." Sarah Day, Co-Owner.

The Chequers Inn is a traditional 17th Century village pub situated in the North Norfolk village of Binham, near Fakenham. Serving local ales and freshly cooked classic pub food, the pub has a busy seasonal trade in an area popular with visitors, as well as year-round support from regulars.

Co-owner Sarah Day took over the freehouse pub 11 years ago, but only implemented an EPOS system in 2021, when the Chequers installed Tabology's Pub EPOS system in response to covid regulations. “With the requirements for outdoor trading and remote ordering, it made commercial sense,” says Sarah.

“Given that it was our first foray into electronic system, the Tabology EPOS was very easy to set up. For most of the year, we operate with two iPad terminals, a fixed one behind the bar, and a mobile one that is used by whichever member of staff is on table ordering.

“In the high season, when we’re taking a high volume of food orders both inside, and outside in the garden, we can add more terminals as we need them. What really appeals to us is that there’s no contract specifying the number of terminals we use, so we can add them or take them away as we need.”

Tabology’s bookings system is used to enter telephone bookings onto the system, and the pub plans to add online bookings this year. “We don’t have a paper diary any more, which horrified the team at first, but it works well. I’m lucky to have a low staff turnover and some long serving team members, but sometimes it’s a challenge to ask people to get used to something new. In fact, they’ve taken to it very well. Any of the team can set up new products of the till when they need to.”

Drink orders are routed to the bar for preparation and collection by table service staff, while food orders are printed out in the kitchen. Sarah’s next challenge is to switch the kitchen to use a kitchen screen , once the chef can be persuaded to part with paper tickets. “I’m working on it,” she says.

The Chequers Inn also offers gift cards through the Tabology system, generating a QR code that is scanned at the till to redeem the gift amount. “That works really well for us,” says Sarah. “It’s used by both regulars and visitors, and is also great when we’re asked to provide a prize for a local cause or raffle.”

The pub also uses the Tabology back office functionality “quite heavily - the reporting is great.” Sarah also runs a separate catering business, so when she’s not at the pub, “I can access the system remotely and manage things. We don’t have to pull information together manually, it’s all there.”

She adds: “I had great support from Tabology to get everything set up, and I find them very easy to work with.”

To find out more about our pub EPOS and how it could work in your venue, get in touch with our team of hospitality experts, to arrange a demo or free trial.

The Lion, Luddesdown

frankie@tabology.com (Frankie Neale) — Thu, 09 May 2024 14:17:49 GMT

“I’m in awe of the support I’ve had. I send a message on Telegram and usually the answer comes back within a minute." Nicki Tilsed, Manager.

A freehouse country pub in the Kent village of Luddesdown, the Lion offers a warm welcome and cosy open fires in winter and comes into its own in the summer when its large garden, including a play area, attracts families and groups of friends, as well as walkers seeking refreshment after enjoying the countryside.

The Lion has been using Tabology’s pub EPOS system for more than two years. Manager Nicki Tilsed, who runs the pub with her husband Graham, says: “We were looking for an easy-to-use system to replace one that was over-complicated.”

The pub offers a menu of pub food classics, along with a very popular Sunday lunch, as well as drinks including regularly changing cask ales. “We’re making changes to products all the time, as well as price changes when needed, and it’s very straightforward. We can do it remotely, and even Graham can do it without any problems - which is amazing,” says Nicki.

Customers can order at the bar, with food orders sent via the EPOS to a printer in the kitchen, or staff take orders at the tables. “Staff pick up the system very quickly, and sometimes they even show me features I didn’t know about. For example, when you accidentally enter the wrong item on an order, I’ve always cleared the whole screen, but you can just swipe away the incorrect item. I didn’t know that until yesterday.”

The pub has a busy lunchtime trade right through the week, as well as weekends, and a regular group of local tradesmen and builders who meet after work for a pint or two.

The Tabology Membership feature helps to ensure that these regulars keep their bar tabs in order. “If one of them forgets to pay their bar bill one day, we’ll be able to remind them next they’re in, They’re customers that we see all the time, so it works very well.”

The Lion also serves a broader customer base through a number of car clubs that meet regularly in the car park, hosting local groups such as the Women’s Institute, and providing respite for the many walkers who visit the area.

At busy times, especially when good weather creates demand for the garden, the pub cannot always accommodate walk-in customers, and so booking is encouraged. Bookings by telephone are input straight into Tabology system, with the table plan function showing both current and future availability.

The system’s tab splitting function proves very useful for larger groups. “Walkers, in particular, often just want to pay their part of the bill and get going,” says Nicki. “It’s the easiest system I’ve ever come across for splitting payments.”

Tabology’s overall support is second-to-none, she adds. “I’m in awe of the support I’ve had. I send a message on Telegram and usually the answer comes back within a minute.”

Specific support is also very quick. “For example, one of our chefs is a little short-sighted, and we sent a message asking about changing the font size on the kitchen printer. It was sorted in a few minutes.”

To find out more about our pub EPOS and how it could work in your venue, get in touch with our team of hospitality experts, to arrange a demo or free trial.

The Queen's Head, Canterbury

frankie@tabology.com (Frankie Neale) — Tue, 09 Apr 2024 21:29:34 GMT

“Tabology are at work when we’re at work, which is perfect. You can’t be in this industry and not have the support there when it’s needed." Claire Hammond, Licensee.

Located close to a busy road on the route through Kent, the Queen’s Head offers a welcome to locals, visitors and travellers, with freshly cooked pub food, daily specials, and a drinks offer including cask ales from Kent brewer Shepherd Neame.

Licensee Claire Hammond took on the tenancy of the 16 ^th century pub, located in the picturesque village of Boughton-under-Blean, in 2021. In autumn 2023, the existing EPOS was replaced with Tabology's Bar EPOS system . “Our old system Square just couldn’t keep up with the volume of sales,” says Claire. “It would crash, and it would constantly lose signal even though it was connected by ethernet and Wi-Fi. It would typically crash at busy times, such as a Saturday night when we had an event on.

“I was looking for an alternative, and when I read the reviews of Tabology, I thought we should give it a go.” The Tabology system now supports the busy pub well beyond just EPOS, and is used for staff scheduling , stocktaking , managing orders and deliveries, running the 'Team Queens' customer loyalty programme, as well as to manage food orders through the kitchen.

“The integration between different functions makes life so much easier, because everything is literally all in the same place,” says Claire. “I’ve also integrated our card machines from Dojo with Tabology, so all our card payments go through the system.”

In terms of customers, “we have a really supportive group of locals, and people also seek us out because of the good reviews we’ve had for our food. We also offer motor home stops for tourists on their way to and from Dover, they can park overnight and will come in for dinner.”

With a regularly updated menu, including the specials, as well as seasonal beers becoming available. “it’s very straightforward to add new products and pricing,” says Claire. All sales alter our stock levels in real-time, so the back office automatically flags up when products need to be reordered.

Customers can order at the bar, where there are two fixed iPad EPOS devices, with two more iPads used to take orders at tables in the pubs two restaurant areas, and two more screens in the kitchen, using the kitchen management system.

One of the kitchen screens is “for front-of-house staff to use, to see where the orders are going without having to ask the chef, while the other is for the chef, and even though he’s been in the business a long time and loves paper, he’s happy to read the orders on screen. All the staff find the Tabology system very straightforward to use.”

The Team Queen’s membership programme, managed through the Tabology loyalty feature , “definitely encourages customers to come back. They get a point per pound they spend, and are always asking what their points balance is. It has the most appeal to regulars, but we offer it to everybody. All they have to do is tick the box to opt in for birthday and other offers sent to their email.” Customers are sent a member pass to add to Apple or Google Wallets, so they never forget it and staff can quicly scan it when they place an order.

In terms of support, “Tabology are at work when we’re work, which is perfect. You can’t be in this industry and not have the support there when it’s needed. For example, I had an issue during a busy service, I messaged Tabology via Telegram and within minutes they message back telling me how to fix it – but because I was so busy they were able to sort it out for me remotely.

“Tabology and Dojo as an integrated service work really well together, and will support each other when needed. I’d happily recommend Tabology to anyone - in fact, I regularly do.”

To find out more about our pub EPOS and how it could work in your venue, get in touch with our team of hospitality experts, to arrange a demo or free trial.

TNS Catering, Multi-Site

frankie@tabology.com (Frankie Neale) — Thu, 14 Mar 2024 12:18:01 GMT

“It was also critical that our central head office team were able to maintain the systems across the country on a remote basis, control the purchase, setup and maintenance of hardware and software, and have a clear view of what payments being received." Darren Atton, regional support manager

National contract caterer TNS Catering Management operates catering services across the business & industry, education, and healthcare sectors from Cornwall to Scotland. Tabology hospitality EPOS is installed across a large majority of the estate, providing much-needed operational consistency in a diverse business that is growing at an exponential rate.

As TNS takes on new contracts and new sites come on-stream, the Tabology system is installed to replace the broad range of systems that are in place. “We implemented Tabology around two years ago, and now use it across nearly all of our B&I contracts” explains Darren Atton, regional support manager with TNS.

The business is chef-led, with a focus on freshly prepared meals and locally sourced produce, so TNS was looking for a system which would support the chef managers at each site, without affecting their freedom to tailor the menu to the client requirements at each site.

Darren says: “Previously, we didn’t have a single, dedicated EPOS system across the business, but instead found ourselves using a wide range of legacy products which we’d inherited as we took on new clients. It could be anything from a standalone till with a card machine running separately, to an EPOS from one of the big brands, or some other system, often requiring manual data entry.

“We wanted a system that was consistent across the business, critically that was easy to use and train staff to operate, and which could generate all the sales reporting we needed for growing client expectations in this area.” Using Tabology’s back office sales reporting function, chef managers can not only generate reports that show how the site is performing, but also demonstrate how different dishes and menu styles have performed at other sites, in order to present customers with new options.

“Our operations teams also have client meetings once a month to go through the contract and P&L,” says Darren, “and they use the Tabology system to present data and trends to clients in a clear, graphical format. That’s a very welcome function for them, where previously they would have had to create documents and graphs manually, which was far more time-consuming and open to error.” The operations team, with responsibility across a range of sites regionally, can also access site performance and daily/weekly sales figures on the move, using a tablet or laptop.

“It was also critical that our central head office team were able to maintain the systems across the country on a remote basis, control the purchase, setup and maintenance of hardware and software, and have a clear view of what payments being received into the bank account related to what location. All of this was made easy with the Tabology multi-site dashboard and its integrated payments.”

Front of house, most TNS sites operate a canteen style counter service, with cash and card payments taken at the till point, using Tabology’s tablet-style touchscreen interface. “Accessing the system via a tablet really appeals to our staff, because everyone is now used to using tablet and touchscreen devices. Making that transition from keyboard-based systems to the Tabology EPOS has definitely streamlined our business, and improved the pace of service, and the familiar iOS gestures used within the app make it intuitive to use.”

“Some locations require a pre-order and pre-payment solution , and when the operations team enquired, they were pleased to learn that this functionality is also included within the Tabology system, meaning that we can offer our clients this without the added complication or expense of an additional system.”

With staff logging into the system using their own PIN codes “it’s also useful having traceability of who’s been using the tills, from a security point of view,” says Darren.

The ease with which individual items or entire menus can be updated using the Tabology system also delivers significant benefits for TNS. “Menus are all led by our chefs locally, so are all very different.” Chefs present weekly menus to the customer and can use the Tabology system to input each product with costings to enable the system to calculate the expected GP if required.

“It’s easy to add new menu items across a few sites, or just at a single site,” says Darren. “I advise the chef managers to have their admin back office system logged on to their tablet, so they can literally edit it, changing a price adding a product, at the till. You don’t have to go into the office and get onto the computer to make menu changes. In that respect, for our style of business, it’s a very powerful tool.”

In terms of support. “I’ve spoken to the Tabology support team several times, and they are always very helpful, and quick to respond. The online support and service is excellent, and response to the support chat is usually very quick.”

Get in touch with our team of hospitality experts, and we'll take the time to understand your needs and show you where our EPOS and hospitality management suite can help. Then if you decide to take it on, we’ll help you get the most out of it.

Benefits of multi-site management

frankie@tabology.com (Frankie Neale) — Mon, 19 Feb 2024 17:12:52 GMT

Many small multi-site businesses run a standalone EPOS system in each of their venues. Whilst this can work ok with a handful of venues, as businesses expand further, a system with multi-site management capabilities is likely to become essential.

Moving to a multi-site set up also becomes more complicated as a business grows, particularly if there is no common link between products, such as a central ID or SKU.

With these things in mind it’s worth considering moving to a multi-site set up as soon as your business grows beyond the first venue.

In addition to setting your business up well for the future, this can also provide some immediate benefits. We look at some of these below.

Adding & updating products

If your venues have similar menus, or share some common stock items or ingredients, an EPOS system with a multi-site capability can dramatically reduce the time spent adding and updating products.

Instead of making changes across multiple sites, changes can be made in one place and pushed out across the group.

Particularly significant time savings can be made when suppliers change their prices, leading to cost prices needing to be updated across multiple products at the same time.

With our hospitality EPOS , updating the price of an ingredient will also update the cost price of any items using that ingredient, so a single price edit can update the cost prices of multiple products across multiple venues.

Having centrally managed products can also lead to other benefits in improved combined reporting and tracking stock transfers.

Combined reporting

One of the biggest benefits of an EPOS with multi-site capabilities is being able to report on the business as a whole, instead of just on each individual venue.

With our hospitality EPOS you can view centralised realtime reports on the back office, and set up daily, weekly, and monthly email reports with figures for all venues.

If products are also centralised, it’s possible to view itemised sales data combined across all sites.

Stock transfers

Having a multi-site set up with common products across sites leads to the ability to place stock transfers between sites directly on the back office.

On our hospitality EPOS system, one site can request a transfer from another, in a similar way to placing an order with a supplier. The other site will see the transfer reflected on their own back office. Once the stock has been transferred the stock levels at both sites are automatically updated.

A centralised loyalty scheme

If you run a loyalty scheme , a system with a central loyalty database will enable you to run one common scheme across all of your venues. You will also then have one database with all of your loyalty members for when you want to run group wide campaigns.

If you are interested in finding out how our hospitality EPOS with multi-site management can help transform your business, get in touch with our team of hospitality experts.

5 simple loyalty campaigns to drive sales

frankie@tabology.com (Frankie Neale) — Thu, 23 Nov 2023 20:37:52 GMT

The key purpose of a loyalty scheme is to drive more visits to your venue and increase sales. Whilst a loyalty points scheme can achieve this on its own to some extent, the real potential lies in the data you hold on your loyalty members purchasing and spending habits.

Unfortunately, many businesses struggle to make use of this data. This is perhaps understandable when you consider that it is often spread across multiple systems - an EPOS, loyalty CRM (customer relationship management) system, and booking system , for example. Integrating these systems together to be able to use this data effectively is often complicated, in terms of both set up and ongoing use.

Our hospitality EPOS & management suite solves this problem by incorporating all of these functions into one easy to use system.

If you already use our EPOS or have an alternative integrated set up, the next step is deciding how to use your data to run effective, targeted campaigns.

In this article we look at some of the best ways to use your loyalty data to market to your members and drive increased visits and spend.

Birthday campaign

One of the most popular campaigns in hospitality is to reach out to a customer in the weeks leading up to their birthday to offer them a free drink or other special promotion to celebrate it at the venue.

This campaign is simple to run with many systems as it only requires data on the customer, that is likely to be held all in one system. A simple filter on anyone with a birthday in the desired time range is all that is needed to produce a list of customers to reach out to. This can be used to send the members an email to invite them along to celebrate their special day.

However, an integrated system does offer some benefits. In our management suite, once the customer list is generated it can be used to allocate those members to a birthday promotion on the EPOS, automatically triggering the offer for the guest if they choose to take it up. A push notification can also be sent to members to notify them of their exclusive promotion.

Targeted preferences campaign

A targeted campaign to customers who like to buy certain products is what many businesses would like to achieve with their loyalty marketing. However, this does require a good integration between a venues EPOS and loyalty platform.

An example of a targeted preferences campaign would be to run a 241 cocktail promotion for loyalty members on an otherwise quiet night. Rather than spamming all of your members with this offer, potentially leading to people ignoring your emails or unsubscribing, you can produce a list of anyone who has purchased a cocktail in the previous 3 months. These members are likely to be happy to receive your offer, and are also more likely to take it up. Similarly to the birthday offer, with our system you can also send a push notification to your members informing them of a promotion you know they are likely to be interested in.

The drop off campaign

The drop off campaign looks for customers who generally visit your venue frequently, but for some reason have dropped off more recently. You can target these members with an offer to try to draw them back in.

This campaign requires a good integration between your EPOS and loyalty platform, and ideally even your booking system.

With data from these systems you can filter for members who have visited more than 10 times in the last 6 months but haven’t visited at all in the last month.

You can set up an offer, similarly to the above campaigns, to try to entice these members back in.

The big spender campaign

The big spender campaign looks to reward those who tend to spend a lot of money with you, and also encourage them back in. A simple offer like a free drink could be enough to draw these customers back, and based on their previous spending habits their visit is likely to more than make up for the cost of the offer.

There are two ways to run a big spender campaign. One is to look for total spend over a time period that is above a certain level. The other is to look at the average spend per visit over the time period. The latter is likely to lead to better results in terms drawing in those customers who are likely to spend enough to easily justify the free drink or other promotion you offer.

The big event

Whilst not really a targeted campaign, this is still worth a mention. For a big event, such as a New Years Party, you will want to reach out to as many customers as you can. This makes this type of campaign fairly straightforward as you don’t need data on purchases or spending habits.

However, there is still a big benefit here to having an integrated set up, as your customer data is likely to be split across different systems - for example, your loyalty system and your booking system. By having your loyalty system and booking system data all in one place you can create one campaign that can target all of the customers you have details for (as long as you have the required marketing consents).

If you already run loyalty scheme, hopefully the above can give you some ideas on how to make use of your data. These campaigns have the double benefit of driving sales whilst also making it more likely that your customers will be happy with the communications they receive. Marketing to your customers too frequently, or with offers that aren’t relevant to them can end up being counter productive.

If you want to start an effective loyalty scheme, but you don’t yet have the systems set up to achieve it, we’d love to hear from you. We can show you in a short demo how simple it can be to run the above campaigns on top of the many other benefits of using a fully integrated hospitality management system.

If you are interested in finding out how our hospitality management suite with Loyalty & CRM features can help transform your business, get in touch with our team of hospitality experts.

Benefits of an integrated booking system

frankie@tabology.com (Frankie Neale) — Tue, 07 Nov 2023 14:14:45 GMT

With over eight in ten diners preferring to book online, it's no surprise that many restaurants and pubs now use a booking system to take bookings via a form on their website. In addition to responding to guests’ preferences, a booking form saves time vs taking bookings over the phone and makes it easy to take deposits and help avoid no shows.

But even with such a high proportion of guests making bookings online, most booking systems used by pubs and restaurants aren’t integrated with their EPOS. As bookings are making up a higher proportion of trade, being able to manage them efficiently without jumping from one system to another is increasingly important.

In this article we look at the many benefits that can be obtained from having a booking system that is fully integrated with your hospitality EPOS .

View upcoming bookings directly on the POS

It's a common site in many pubs and restaurants to see a laptop open on the bar showing the current days bookings. With a fully integrated booking system the upcoming bookings can be viewed directly on the EPOS, avoiding the need for an additional device, as well as the need to learn a separate system and remember yet another password.

Duplication of set up & maintenance

A booking system needs a lot of the same information that your POS already has. It needs to know about your tables, covers, areas, and table plan. It probably also needs a lot of the same admin users. Any changes to any of this set up will need to be reflected on your booking system as well as your EPOS. When both are on the same system, everything is set up only once, and any changes also only need to be made once.

Handle deposits

With most venues taking deposits for at least some bookings, it’s important to have a smooth way to record and account for these. With a booking system that is fully integrated with your POS, a tab can be opened for a booking with the deposit applied automatically as credit. This is then accounted for correctly on the Z report at the end of the night and recorded downstream in any integrated accounting systems.

Sales data recorded against a booking

In addition to handling of deposits, opening a tab on the POS that is directly linked to the booking has another significant benefit - the data relating the visit, spend, and even specific items purchased are all recorded against the booking for future reference. This can be reported on the back office to get an understanding of your average booking spend, or the proportion of your total sales that come from bookings.

Our Hospitality EPOS also has a built-in loyalty CRM , meaning this data can also be used to filter your customers by how often they have booked with you, how much they spend, or what they purchase, in order to send targeting marketing communications.

Alerts on the POS when bookings or requests are received

Many venues don’t take bookings from their website for the same day, as they may not have a chance to check their bookings before the guests are due to arrive. When your booking system is part of your EPOS you can accommodate same day bookings by setting up alerts to notify you and your staff through the till. Alerts can be set up to notify of bookings and give the team chance to prepare the table, or a venue may choose to use booking requests that staff can then accept or decline directly on the till based on availability (including any walk ins that are currently occupying a table).

Manage bookings directly on the POS

In addition to accepting or rejecting a booking requests, staff can easily make other changes directly on the POS. If a customer calls to cancel, staff can record with this without having to go and log in to the booking system. Similarly, no shows can be recorded quickly and easily, freeing up the table and retaining that data. If a customer calls up with a particular need, it can be added to the booking as a note.

Benefits from other integrated systems

A booking system that forms part of a fully integrated hospitality suite has further benefits still. For example, guests making a booking can tick a box to automatically become a member of the venue’s loyalty scheme . Then all their visits and purchases will be tracked via the EPOS enabling more effective targeting on your marketing campaigns. Once a guest is a loyalty member you can then send exclusive offers based on their purchase history straight to their phone as a push notification to entice them in for an additional visit.

If you are interested in finding out how our full hospitality management suite with integrated bookings can help transform your business, get in touch with our team of hospitality experts.

Is the QR code dead?

frankie@tabology.com (Frankie Neale) — Fri, 13 Oct 2023 08:15:28 GMT

The QR code has been around for decades, but only during the COVID 19 pandemic did their use become so widespread. With social distancing regulations in place, food & drink ordering apps took off in pubs, bars and restaurants like never before. The quickest and easiest to use involved scanning a QR code to go straight to a menu and start placing your order. But now those times are happily being confined to history, are customers fed up of QR codes? Will the use of these fade out as quickly as it as it expanded?

We consider this question by looking at some of the main uses of QR codes today.

Mobile ordering

The most familiar use of a QR code to todays consumer is scanning a code on a table to place an order in a bar or restaurant. Following the prolific rise of ordering apps during the pandemic its only natural that their use would decrease once society opened up and regulations were relaxed in more normal times. This can only be a good thing.

We’ve long held the view that ordering via QR code should be presented as an option to guests to use if it can benefit their experience . Though some businesses mandated the use of QR codes even as regulations were relaxed, causing customers to be become frustrated - trying to place an order for a large family meal with various allergies to cater for does not lend itself well to ordering via an app.

Similarly, many venues that would never usually have considered having their customers order via an app introduced this during the pandemic for very good reasons. These venues, where face to face ordering is expected and valued, have quite rightly dropped, or very much limited, their use of ordering apps.

On the other hand, many venues have found ordering via an app, triggered by scanning a QR code, offers their customers an option that many want to use. Sitting at a table in a busy bar, being able to place an order via an app can be a really great benefit, as long as doing so is quick and easy.

Sitting in a beer garden with two kids and a dog, a QR code on the table can be a life saver (as I can personally testify to).

So, yes the use of QR codes to place orders has reduced from its peak. But as a method of ordering that is now very familiar to most people and can be very convenient in the right situation, I don’t see it dying out any time soon.

Loyalty

An expanding use of QR codes today is on loyalty passes. Most large coffee shop chains and a QR code in their app that you can scan to earn your benefits. Our own loyalty schemes are based around a digital QR code pass that sits in your Apple or Google wallet. As a method of a customer identifying themselves a member of your hospitality loyalty scheme, QR codes are still high up the list. If anything, the use of QR codes here is probably still increasing, and can remove the need for customers to download multiple specific loyalty apps.

Tipping

Another increasing use of QR codes today is as an easy way for customers to leave tips . With so many customers not carrying cash, and many venues having gone cashless , being able to take tips by new methods has become increasingly popular. One of the simplest ways of using a QR code to take a tip is to print one on a customers receipt, that links to a service such as Tipjar. Similarly, these can place around the venue or on the bar.

How many customers leave tips via this method? Against a tipping option on a card machine, or an optional service charge, the value of tips gained from a QR code is probably not going to stand up. But some businesses prefer a softer approach, and with the cash left on the bar or table now a dwindling option, the QR code can have its place.

Reviews

Similar to tipping, a QR code on a receipt can be an easy way to encourage customers to leave you a review. Whilst for tipping, many businesses might prefer the more up front methods stated above, leaving a review is always going to be done after the experience, so a QR code on a receipt can be enough to trigger the thought, particularly if a customer has received very good (or bad...) service.

Paying

For traditional pubs or restaurants, where face to face ordering is a valued part of the experience, QR codes can still be used a convenient method for those who don’t like having to hang around to pay their bill. A QR code on the table, can open up a diner’s bill and provide the option for them to pay on their phone. There will still be venues where even this use of the technology is too much, but many others that find QR codes just for payment to be a nice balance.

Conclusion

So to sum up, we don’t think QR codes can be written off just yet. As some use cases drop off, others are increasing. There may even be other uses that are yet to be developed as technology moves forward and becomes more commonplace in hospitality to make guests lives easier.

If you are interested in finding out more about our hospitality EPOS system, get in touch with our team of hospitality experts.

Do I need a hospitality EPOS?

frankie@tabology.com (Frankie Neale) — Thu, 21 Sep 2023 17:14:46 GMT

Hospitality businesses around the country use a huge range of till systems, from basic mechanical tills to fully fledged hospitality EPOS systems.

As the technological capability and feature set increases, so usually does the cost. So how do you know what type of system you need for your business? If you can get by using a mechanical till, or basic POS system, why pay the extra for a state-of-the-art hospitality POS with features you may not need?

We pride ourselves on giving honest advice, including being upfront if any of our products wouldn’t be the right fit for a particular business. This article looks at when a hospitality EPOS may be a good fit that justifies the costs, and when a cheaper option may be better suited.

We’ll look at the general types of systems available, alongside the sorts of businesses that each may suit.

Basic till

We define a basic till as a single device with a numeric keypad for directly inputting the prices and quantities of what you sell, alongside some functional buttons such as recording payment types and printing receipts.

The cost of a basic till will usually be an up-front cost of anything up to a few hundred pounds. The technology is so basic that there wouldn’t be any need to pay for a software subscription or support plan.

If all you need to record for your business is the monetary value of your sales, a basic till is the cheapest way to do this.

If you want to record what you have sold, a basic till isn’t going to do the job. You won’t be able to report on best or worst sellers or check that your stock isn’t going missing. The only report you are likely to get is a printout of the days sales and payments that you can use to reconcile against your cards reports and cash in your cash drawer.

This option may still suit some small business, with low sales volumes, but in general basic tills are being phased out. Part of the reason for this is the availability of very cheap or “free” EPOS systems.

General EPOS (Electronic Point of Sale) systems

Most hospitality businesses will benefit from being able to track and report on what they have sold, rather than just the value of their sales. This requires an upgrade from a basic till to a general POS system.

A general POS system is one that doesn’t target a specific sector, like hospitality, and instead tries to meet the basic needs of a wide range of business types.

Due to the variety of businesses a general EPOS needs to cater for, it is likely to cover many basic features, but fall short on more specific features needed by a specific sector, such as hospitality.

A general EPOS will enable you to track and report on what you have sold. Many will also enable you to track the cost of your sales and therefore your gross profit, which is a key metric for any business.

With a general EPOS you are likely to have to calculate and key in your cost prices for different measures of the same product, such as wine, or for products with recipes, like food or cocktails, rather than these being calculated for you.

Stock tracking is also likely to be limited to basic items, as tracking recipes is more specific to hospitality.

General POS systems can be fairly cheap, or even free from your card processor (though you will effectively be paying for it through your card fees). As such, they can be a good option for simple businesses that don’t need to track complex stock items, add items to tabs or tables, or other more hospitality specific functions.

Hospitality EPOS

A hospitality EPOS is an EPOS built purely for hospitality businesses. This means it should have many of the functions a hospitality business needs and, importantly, should be focussed solely on hospitality for future developments.

A hospitality EPOS is likely to include features such as:

Adding orders to tabs & tables including a graphical table plan
Detailed stock tracking, including measures & recipes
Various tipping methods
A wide range of hospitality focussed reports

Businesses looking for these types of features are likely to benefit from a hospitality focussed POS system, over a generic EPOS.

Technical support can be another reason for opting for a hospitality focussed EPOS system. These systems are likely to include support on evenings and weekends when you are likely to need it (though do check, as not all do). They are also likely to have more hospitality knowledge and expertise within the team, which can help in being able to explain your problem to the support agent.

Finally, if you tend to have your own ideas for features you want for your business, a hospitality EPOS company is more likely to be able to fully understand these as well as be able to prioritise them, due to their hospitality focus.

While most hospitality EPOS systems should cover the majority of the above points, our own EPOS includes many more unique functions, such as a built-in booking system , staff scheduling tools, digital wallet-based loyalty , and mobile ordering . If you would like to find out more about our hospitality EPOS or arrange a demo, get in touch .

How to get the most out of your Restaurant EPOS

frankie@tabology.com (Frankie Neale) — Mon, 04 Sep 2023 15:59:39 GMT

Many restaurant owners quite rightly spend hours of their limited time selecting the right EPOS for their restaurant. Then the time comes to switch over, staff are getting up to speed, the restaurant gets busy, and getting the basics in place becomes the priority. Understandably, getting the most out of all those features that were the reason for selecting the EPOS in the first place fall onto the back burner.

If this sounds familiar, this article is for you. We know you are busy, and we know that getting to grips with all of the features of a restaurant EPOS system can be daunting. So below we run through the key steps that you can take to unlock the full value of your restaurant EPOS .

Set up your stock sizes and recipes

A large number of prospective customers we speak to day in, day out are looking for a system to help them monitor their gross profit, and track their stock. Faced with time pressures, many then get the basics in place - names and sale prices - with a view to coming back to the rest later. Once any new system is in place and working, the extra bits have a tendency drop down the list.

If you don’t have cost prices, stock sizes, ingredients and recipes entered in your EPOS, the value you are getting from it is limited in so many ways. So, if there is one piece of admin you can fit into your schedule, make it this.

Just adding cost prices will show you the gross profit you should be making on your sales.

Adding stock sizes and recipes will enable you to get a stock tracking procedure in place and see the actual gross profit you are making after any unexplained losses.

Given how important your gross profit is to running a profitable business this should be most businesses number 1 priority.

Enter your allergens

Allergens are big news these days, and rightly so. Any errors can have catastrophic consequences, for your business and your customers.

If your POS system enables you to enter allergens against your products (and any good restaurant POS should) this should be high up on your priority list.

On our restaurant POS a long press on a product button will quickly show staff any allergens in the dish, along with a description, photo, instructions, or any other detail you find useful.

Try out a kitchen screen

Most restaurants still operate using printed orders, routed to the kitchen, or appropriate section. This may be the system that works best for your kitchen, but if you haven’t considered it, it is worth looking at, or trying out a kitchen screen.

If your chef is happy to adapt, a kitchen screen can provide many benefits. Tickets can’t get lost, or fail to print if your printer errors or runs out of paper, messages inform front of house staff when food is ready, chefs can easily process wastage, and your food service times are tracked in detail.

Integrate your accounts package

The days of sending paper records off to your bookkeeper and seeing how your business is doing many months (and a lot fees) later are gone. Any good hospitality EPOS system will enable you to integrate with a range of accounts packages so that sales, payments and petty cash purchases are posted to your accounts automatically.

With a few other processes you can automate the rest of your accounts and have a much more real-time view of how your business is performing.

With our restaurant EPOS you can enter your operating costs directly on the back office and get an even more immediate view of your bottom line using our P&L report .

Integrate other functions

It is likely that your chosen EPOS integrates with many other systems that perform different functions.

Most restaurants rely heavily on bookings and it’s a common sight to see a laptop open with the days bookings calendar on display. Integrating with your booking system can provide everything you need on one device, smoothly handling deposits, and give you data on your customers purchasing habits.

Integrating a staff scheduling system can give you a good forecast of your wage percentage based on your planned rota, and let you see what you achieved once the week is over.

With our restaurant epos system, these functions are built in, providing a completely seamless integration between these different aspects of your operation.

If you’ve recently (or even not so recently) switched to your new EPOS, but you haven’t yet found the time to do more than the basics, hopefully the above will help. There may also be other steps that are even more important for your business and the EPOS you’ve selected. Either way, if you’ve spent the time & effort selecting the perfect EPOS for your restaurant, make sure you find the time to get the most out of it.

If you haven’t yet found the right EPOS for your restaurant, get in touch with our team of hospitality experts. We’ll take the time to understand your needs and show you where our EPOS can help. Then if you decide to take it on, we’ll help you get the most out of it.

The Green Room, Leeds

frankie@tabology.com (Frankie Neale) — Thu, 24 Aug 2023 09:25:22 GMT

“It's such a simple system to use. Compared to other EPOS systems, it feels very much like Tabology absolutely nailed down the user experience before they did anything else." Matt Carson, General Manager

With a chameleon trading model that sees it transform from a café and workspace format during the day into a lively evening bar serving cocktail and craft beer, and then a late night music and dancing venue, Green Room in Leeds needs an EPOS system that not only works hard right across the business, but also has effective support on hand when it’s needed.

Matt Carson, general manager had used the Tabology Bar EPOS system at his previous venue, and ensured that it was implemented when Green Room opened for business.

He says: “I’d run bars where there was a very basic EPOS system in place when we started, with limited reporting. Other systems we looked at were either very expensive, with additional costs every time you want to add functionality, or just outdated and not up to what we needed.

“When we came across Tabology, it did everything we wanted. It’s an all-in-one system. Just as importantly, from the moment we enquired, the Tabology customer service team were always on hand. No question was too small, or too much trouble.”

At Green Room, Tabology's Bar EPOS is running on multiple POS terminals across the venue, which has four different trading areas including the largest rooftop terrace in Leeds. It also runs on roaming iPads that allow staff take table orders.

Back-of-house, the system is used for stock management, linked to ordering. All recipes, such as cocktails and specialty coffees, are loaded onto the system, so when a product is sold, it automatically updates stock levels of all the ingredients, so orders can be placed as needed.

“We can also use the reports to easily see what’s selling well, or what ingredients and flavours are popular, and what might need to be updated,” says Matt.

“Bar staff can also access the recipes through the till when they need them, if they want to check how to make a cocktail. It’s such a simple system to use, and saves so much time when it comes to ordering. Compared to other EPOS systems, it feels very much like Tabology absolutely nailed down the user experience before they did anything else.”

Customer orders are sent to printers at the bar and to a digital order display in the kitchen – which allows us to update and track the status of an order. Green Room is also planning to add customer ordering by QR code functionality – “we’re just having to work on some issues with the network in the building, which is our issue rather than Tabology’s.”

All customer bookings, such as for tables and workspaces, are made through the Tabology Bar EPOS system, and Green Room also uses the Table Plan functionality to assign tabs and bookings to tables. There is also a useful check-back feature, to ensure staff regularly check that that customers are happy, “and other staff know that someone’s done a check back.”

Matt also plans to use Tabology’s staff scheduling functionality once an existing contract runs its course. “With the Tabology system, staff scheduling is linked to the EPOS system, so you can see how the business has done on the day, how that relates to staffing costs, as well as how individual staff have performed.”

Overall, “it’s such an easy system to integrate into a new venue, when you really don’t have the time to sit down and learn every detail, It’s intuitive, so people pick it up quickly. The support over Telegram feels 24/7, they’re certainly there whenever we need them. If something happens at 2am, there’s someone on the chat who will try and sort it out there and then. They’re always very happy to help.”

Get in touch with our team of hospitality experts, and we'll take the time to understand your needs and show you where our Bar EPOS can help. Then if you decide to take it on, we’ll help you get the most out of it.

6 Key features of a Cafe EPOS

frankie@tabology.com (Frankie Neale) — Thu, 10 Aug 2023 19:54:13 GMT

You’ll be hard pushed to find a high street in the UK without at least one café or coffee shop, offering everything from a coffee to grab on the go, to a range of changing menus to suite the time of day. In 2022 the market size (measured by revenue) of cafes & coffee shops in the UK increased by 41.6% to a value of £5.8bn*. So, despite the current trading challenges and forecasts of the coffee shop market reaching saturation, the sector is still growing strongly.

But as with all hospitality businesses, you will need to really cater to what the consumers want and be savvy about how you run your business to combat the increasing costs and beat the competition. Having a great EPOS (electronic point of sale) at the heart of your business will certainly help ensure you can offer the consumers what they need, maintain quick & efficient service and keep a close eye on margins to protect a healthy bottom line.

We consider 6 key features of a Café EPOS we believe will help you run a successful business.

1. Options

For a number of reasons (health, sustainability, taste, animal welfare) people are moving away from dairy, and picking plant based milk options in their drinks and food. You will need to ensure you’re offering consumers the option to switch, but will also need a quick and convenient way to record this choice, communicate that to your baristas & reflect the changes to your stock, without slowing down service.

A good café EPOS system should enable you to add different options to your products. Our café EPOS allows you to build a pre-determined list of options - in this case milks, but it can be sandwich fillings, pizza toppings, side orders - and link these to any product. The user is prompted for options on the EPOS when a product is sold, and the selected options are included on any printed tickets or order screens your baristas or chefs are using.

2. Click & Collect / Grab & Go

Most cafes and coffee shops will offer a take away option for coffees and most likely food to cater for those on the go. However, you can make this process even quicker for time poor commuters by allowing them to place their orders with you ahead of time, to simply pop in and grab on their way to the station or the office.

Included as standard in our Essentials package is the option to have mobile ordering for your venue. This is a web-based feature, so doesn’t rely on anyone needing to download a specific app for your venue, and allows you to take fast, secure payments.

You can choose to offer your full menu for click and collect, or just specific products. You can also decide what hours you want to allow this option, making them different to your usual opening hours - perhaps just during those peak early mornings.

3. Take out pricing and tax rates

You may want to offer products at different pricing depending on if they are being enjoyed in or out of your venue. Some products, such as cold food, will also have a different tax rate if sold for takeout vs sit in.

Setting up different products for eat in and take out can slow down service, make it harder to make menu changes, and lead to errors. Our café EPOS has a toggle so you can easily switch between ‘sit in’ and ‘take out’, reflecting the correct pricing across the entire order.

4. Timed availability

To maximise the potential of their venue, a number of operators are opting for a chameleon trading model, and switching up what is on offer based on the time of day. Perhaps a more café style venue, offers cocktails and simple suppers in the evening.

If this is something you are looking to do, you should look for a system that enables you to set availability times against products. This simplifies the number of products shown as available, and ensures customers can’t order breakfast past your serving time.

5. Printer & order screen routing

Whether you’re using printers or order screens for baristas and chefs, most good EPOS systems will give you the ability to direct relevant items of an order to the correct person to be made, but systems range by the flexibility they offer.

When reviewing EPOS systems for your business, always ensure the system offer the flexibility for exactly how you route your orders.

6. Loyalty

There is the expectation from many customers now for a loyalty scheme associated with buying coffees and these can be great for bringing customers back to your coffee shop instead of the one down the road.

Included in our Essentials package, we offer a loyalty points system linked to a membership pass customers can download to their Apple or Google Wallet. You can set up a loyalty points system to suit your business, offering points for money spent, and allowing customers to redeem those points against future purchases. You can even send push notifications of offers and promotions directly to their Apple Wallet if you want to entice them back in with a deal.

If you're starting a new cafe business venture, or looking to change the cafe EPOS system you have in your venue, get in touch with our team.

* Ibisworld.com | UK Market Size Cafes & Coffee Shops

Radlett Cricket Club

frankie@tabology.com (Frankie Neale) — Wed, 26 Jul 2023 09:00:00 GMT

“The helpdesk is absolutely brilliant. They're always very quick to respond, even if it's nine o'clock at night, or a very busy time and you just can't remember how to do something, they're on the case straight away." Colin Warne, Club Secretary

A thriving cricket club running multiple teams across men’s, women’s and junior leagues, Radlett Cricket Club also operates a busy pavilion, serving drinks, bar snacks, and meals. The pavilion is popular with members and visitors at weekends and is available to hire through the week.

As an outground for Middlesex County Cricket Club, Radlett also hosts training sessions and occasional first class matches such as T20 and 50-over fixtures, which can see up to 1500 people in the ground and seeking refreshment.

With his voluntary role as Club Secretary conferring a wide range of responsibilities, Colin Warne selected Tabology’s Pub EPOS system for the club based on its ease-of-use, intuitiveness, and also the fact that it represented good value for money.

“We initially needed to introduce a new EPOS system during Covid restrictions, when remote ordering was a requirement,” says Colin. Having looked at more than 100 potential systems – “not all in detail, but I looked at their functionality” – the club selected Tabology based on three key benefits - software, hardware, and the quality of technical support.

A vital element of the system for Radlett CC is the membership functionality . Members top-up their accounts and then automatically receive a 15% discount on drinks and snacks. Staff scan a QR code on a membership card customers can save in their Apple or Google Wallet for ease.

With the club needing to be run on a commercial basis, Radlett CC has recently outsourced the day-to-day running of the pavilion to a company, which also runs the local theatre who have decided to retain the Tabology EPOS system. “They really like the system, and so they’ve kept it,” says Colin. “I’m very happy that we chose Tabology.”

Taking the software first, “the system is very user-friendly, certainly at the point of sale for the bar staff, but also behind the scenes. We’ve had till systems that were very hard to work out how to use, and if anything needed to be changed, you had to pay the supplier to come in.

“The Tabology back office is very clever, and very easy to use, we often need to make changes to the food menu in particular, and adding products and changing individual prices is very simple. Even on a busy day you can quickly make an alteration or add something to the till.”

With hardware, “we’re just using iPads. They’re very simple to set up, and we haven’t had to buy expensive till systems.” Orders are taken at the bar on the iPads, with food orders printed from the till for the kitchen.

In terms of support, “the helpdesk is absolutely brilliant. They’re always very quick to respond, Even if it’s nine o’clock at night, or a very busy time and you just can’t remember how to do something, they’re on the case straight away.”

Overall, says Colin, as well as being efficient, “the Tabology system is very competitive on price, which is a very important consideration for a club like ourselves.”

To find out more about our Pub EPOS System, and how it could work in your venue get in touch to arrange a demo.

Driving trade with Craft Beer

frankie@tabology.com (Frankie Neale) — Wed, 19 Jul 2023 11:56:07 GMT

Driving trade with craft beer

Craft beer has exploded in popularity in recent years and continues to grow as a category. Appealing to this growing market can be a great way to draw more customers to your venue and give your guests the premium experience many are now looking for.

So, there is much to benefit from offering a good range of craft beers, but for many publicans, particularly those who aren’t avid craft beer fans themselves, it can be difficult to know where to start.

Below we’ve outlined a few ideas to help introduce craft beer to your venue.

A sensible range of options

If you are introducing craft beer into your venue, it makes sense to have various levels of craft to appeal to different drinkers’ tastes. If you have previously offered only mainstream brands from the big breweries, you may want to keep the most popular options so as not to alienate your existing customer base.

Then you will want some entry level, easy to drink, craft beers that are likely to appeal to some of your existing customers as well as the growing population of ‘mainstream craft’ drinkers (mainstream craft is really an oxymoron with craft beer being defined as beer by small independent breweries, but it seems a good way to define the very popular beers from breweries such as Brewdog and Beavertown).

Finally, if you want to appeal to the real craft enthusiasts you may want some stronger NEIPAs (New England IPA), Double IPAs, or sours from the smaller craft brewers. One rotating line dedicated to these is probably enough to begin with.

Staff training & beer information

To successfully sell craft beers, staff need to be trained to be able to describe them to customers and help them choose something they may like. This training can help your staff be enthusiastic about your beer range, which is key to making your shift into craft a success. Brands such as Beavertown will offer training to your staff on their beers and it is a good idea to take them up on the option.

Users of our bar EPOS system can also pull information on their beer range automatically from beer rating website Untappd, and make this information available to staff at the touch of a button.

If you are offering a wide range of craft beer, a digital display board can be a good option. These will display your range on a TV screen near the bar, letting customers know what is on each tap, with a description and information on the brewery, style and abv. The digital display board that comes with our pub EPOS system, automatically updates when you change the beers, helping manage a frequently rotating beer range. Brew York share how having one joined up system has helped them manage their changing beer range in venue.

Marketing

So, you’ve got a great and varied beer range, backed up by key information, and knowledgeable, enthusiastic, and well-trained staff. Now it’s time to let your potential new customers know you are there.

Updating your website with a prominent “What’s on tap?” section can be a good start. Then sharing this on the social media channels you and your customers use.

You could also look at listing your venue on Untappd - the social networking app for beer fans. On the Untappd app, users can rate the beers they’ve tried, share these with friends, and toast each other’s choices.

A paid listing will display your venue as a verified venue and show users the beers you have on offer.

Even without a paid listing users can rate beers and tag the venue they tried them in, which instantly shares your venue with their craft beer fan network. Breweries themselves also frequently toast fan’s ratings of their beers, which can help spread the message further.

The breweries you’ve selected for your beer range can also help with your marketing efforts. The larger breweries will have brand activation teams that will offer a range of marketing, POS materials, and activation activities to run in your venue.

You could also offer beer tasting evenings, which will help you get your venue on the craft beer map.

Track & improve

Once you’ve launched your new craft range, you will want to carefully track what is selling well and what isn’t. You should be able to do this for individual beers on your bar’s POS system.

Our pub EPOS system includes a specific beer sales report, which enables further in-depth analysis, such as which breweries and styles are selling well. You can use this information when rotating your beers or deciding what to replace any poor sellers with.

If you’re looking to introduce craft beer to your venue, hopefully some of the above pointers will help.

If you are interested in seeing how our bar EPOS system can help with this as well as other areas of your business, get in touch with our team.

What is a Hospitality EPOS system?

frankie@tabology.com (Frankie Neale) — Wed, 28 Jun 2023 19:15:26 GMT

What is a Hospitality EPOS system?

A hospitality EPOS system is a Point-of-Sale system designed specifically for hospitality businesses. Whilst a generic POS system will enable you to record sales and take payments, a hospitality POS system will enable you to perform all the additional functions you need for your business, such as adding items to tabs and tables, routing orders, splitting bills, taking orders at the table, and making key info, such as allergens, easily accessible to staff.

A good hospitality EPOS should also prioritise the things that matter to hospitality businesses, like speed of service and ease of use.

Any good EPOS system should offer a back office with a range of real-time reports, but a hospitality EPOS system should offer reports that are specific and relevant to the industry, We wrote an article recently on the Top 5 Hospitality EPOS reports .

Hospitality businesses offer a very different range of products to other sectors, such as wines by the glass, draught beers, and food items or cocktails with recipes. A good hospitality POS system should make it easy to add these products to the till, and to accurately track stock for them. You can read more on that in our guide to using your hospitality EPOS to track stock .

Systems for different business types

Some hospitality EPOS systems will cater for specific business types, while others will accommodate all hospitality businesses. Each business type will have their own needs.

A cafe EPOS system should be able to cater for different tax rates and pricing of products depending on whether they are sit-in or take-out orders. It may need also need to offer the ability for customers to order via a click & collect app.

A restaurant EPOS should include a table plan and a good kitchen management system, including a kitchen screen and flexible order routing. We wrote about the key features of a kitchen management system in a recent blog.

A pub EPOS system should be designed with speed of service at the forefront, helping bar staff serve more customers at peak times. Good pub & bar EPOS systems should also make it easy for staff to view cocktail making instructions, or information about the beers on offer.

Other systems

A hospitality EPOS system is at the heart of a business, holding an immense amount of data on your sales trends, margins, stock levels, and customer spending habits.

It’s also the system staff are most familiar with and are interacting with most of the time.

For these reasons a hospitality EPOS should be the at the centre of a business’s IT systems.

Feeding data to other integrated systems can enable better reporting and accounting, reduce manual workload, and minimise errors.

Similarly, feeding data from other systems into a hospitality POS system can put key information right in front of staff exactly when they need it.

Whether a hospitality EPOS system is integrated with other third-party systems, or directly incorporates other functions of the business into it, integration with other technology is an important aspect of an EPOS that shouldn’t be overlooked.

The team behind the system

A hospitality EPOS system needs a team behind it that have a strong expertise and passion for hospitality. They need to understand the industries changing needs and be able to turn the many great ideas of their customers into practical, easy to use features.

A knowledgeable team can also help customers get the most out of their system and provide timely support for any issues they face.

Our hospitality EPOS system can cater for every type of hospitality business and incorporates a booking system, mobile ordering app and staff scheduling tools.

Our team come from a range of hospitality backgrounds, and we even run our own systems in our own pub. Get in touch to find out more.

Seven Bro7hers Beerhouses, Multi-Site

frankie@tabology.com (Frankie Neale) — Wed, 21 Jun 2023 16:48:36 GMT

“We monitor all sales via the Sales Graph function. We can see how our new beers are performing, or which guest cans are selling well, which might mean we'll order them again, or introduce them in our other bars." Jordan Coop, Area Manager

With a mission to make craft beer both accessible and fun, Seven Bro7hers Brewery operates bars in its home city of Manchester, as well as further afield in the North West. Seven Bro7hers uses Tabology’s Bar EPOS system at five beerhouses, serving both its own and selected guest beers, with freshly cooked food also available at four sites.

The broad range of beer styles brewed by Seven Bro7hers at its Salford brewery are very much at the heart of the beerhouses’ offer. “We have 16 to 20 taps at most sites, with at least 12 serving our own beer,“ says Area Manager Jordan Coop. “We also sell our own and guest beers in cans. The aim is to make a range of beer styles available and accessible in our beerhouses, and we brew our beers for everyone to enjoy.”

The Tabology Bar EPOS was initially introduced during Covid restrictions in order to put mobile ordering in place. “We had an existing EPOS system that we didn’t like, and we much preferred Tabology’s way of handling mobile ordering, which was essential during Covid and worked well for us.”

Once restrictions were lifted, “we made the decision to go back to ordering at the bar, as we like the interaction with customers, and the personal experience. That’s not to say we won’t offer mobile ordering again, and we’re actively considering reintroducing it at a couple of our larger sites.”

Customers order their choice of beer, as well as food where available, at the bar, beers are freshly poured at the bar, and food orders are sent directly to a kitchen printer. “The system is very simple for staff to use; it’s quick and easy to pick up,” says Jason.

Founded in 2014, the popularity of Seven Bro7hers gateway approach to craft beer led to a crowdfunding campaign, with the investors who helped fund the growth of the business rewarded with a discount scheme.

The central membership functionality offered by Tabology’s Bar EPOS is now being used to deliver these investor benefits. Members can store their unique QR code in their Apple or Google wallet, which is then scanned at the bar in order to claim their discount, as well as to redeem prepaid credit. “Anyone can sign up for membership in order to buy credit, which can be redeemed at any of the beerhouses,” says Jordan.

Tabology’s back office functionality is also used by Seven Bro7hers for stock management and sales reports . “I can tell you how many cans of our IPA are in stock at any of our sites, for example, just by logging into the back office remotely. All the managers use it, and we know the value of the stock in each bar,” says Jordan.

“We monitor all sales via the Sales Graph function. We can see how our new beers are performing, or which guest cans are selling well, which might mean we’ll order them again, or introduce the product in our other bars.”

In terms of Tabology’s support, “the speed of communication is something we really appreciate, we use Telegram, and we have a separate group for each beerhouse, so the Tabology support team know which venue is asking for help. The speed at which any issue can be resolved is very good. Tabology have been very supportive right from the start. I know I can get in touch with them at any time, and the team are always happy to help.”

To find out more about our Bar EPOS System, and how it could work in your venue get in touch to arrange a demo.

8 Key features of a Pub EPOS

frankie@tabology.com (Frankie Neale) — Wed, 14 Jun 2023 11:58:40 GMT

A pub is a truly unique venue with a special place in British culture, offering individuality, character, and a friendly atmosphere. Whether the cornerstone of a local community or an after-work city hang out, pubs are primarily a place to meet & mingle.

To serve this purpose pubs often need to encompass many aspects of other hospitality businesses. Like a restaurant, pubs will frequently serve good substantial meals. Like a café, many pubs will serve coffee and light lunches. Like a bar, many pubs will be lively in the evening and may offer a range of cocktails.

Moreover, pubs have their own offerings – hand-pulled real ale, pork scratchings, beer gardens in the summer, and a cosy seat by the fire in the winter.

Technology is rarely a publican’s primary focus, but most now recognise its place in helping to run what is ultimately a people business. At the centre of a pubs technology needs is its EPOS system, but it can be hard to find an EPOS that will cater for such a diverse business.

There are many generalist EPOS systems catering for every business type, but these are unlikely to cater for the unique operational scenarios involved in running a pub. On the other end of the scale are POS systems focussed on a specific business type, such as a restaurant. These may have a great range of features focussed on food & table service but are likely to be lacking in other features necessary for a pub.

1. Intuitive interface

With high staff turnover and the need to serve customers quickly and efficiently, an intuitive front of house EPOS interface is essential for a good pub EPOS system . Bar staff need to be able to use the system from day one and need a quick way to perform their common tasks.

Having an integrated card processor also helps with ease of use and avoiding errors – both in taking payments and in cashing up at the end of the evening.

2. Access to product information

A pub is a social environment. Customers will ask about the real ales, wines, or craft beers on offer and staff should be able to give them the information they need. A good pub EPOS system should provide this information quickly and easily from the POS. This information will also need to be entered when setting up the products - our own pub EPOS populates descriptions, brewery, style and ABV automatically for beers by drawing information down from Untappd, at the click of a button.

Product information should also include allergens, which every business needs to be on top of.

3. Product options & modifiers

With the range of food and drinks pubs offer, having a flexible way to set up options & modifiers on products is key. Spirits should automatically pull up a range of mixers, burgers may have a choice of toppings, steak orders should prompt for how it should be cooked.

4. Stock tracking

The variety pubs offer means they deal with a wide range of stock. Without a good stock tracking regime, stock losses can quickly become damaging to the profitability of the business.

Many pub EPOS systems will have stock tracking integrated into the POS system, but make sure this includes all the features you will need.

Make sure your EPOS is designed to deal with the stock sizes and measures you sell – kegs & pints, bottles & glasses – without adding erroneous effort when setting up your products. Our pub EPOS uses product templates to set these details automatically when a product is added.

Recipe management is likely to be needed to track food stock, or if you offer cocktails. If you prepare dishes or mixes in advance you may need to a batch management feature to keep track of these.

If you offer food, you may want an EPOS with a quick stock feature – the ability to quickly set a countdown on a product for how many you have available that day so staff can’t sell more than you have.

If you would like to start tracking stock , but aren’t sure how to get started, have a look at our recent guide on this.

5. Table Plan

If you offer food or table service for drinks, a table plan is usually the easiest way of tracking orders and tabs, particularly for new members of staff.

Make sure you can change the table plan yourself easily when you change your layout.

As pubs will often not have staff assigned to specific sections, a useful feature for a pub EPOS is having a way to record a checkback - just a simple button on a tab or table, that shows other staff members the table has been checked.

6. Relevant Reporting

An essential aspect of a pub EPOS system is its reporting capabilities. It should be very easy to view sales and gross profit for any product or category for a given time window. You should also easily be able to view your overall sales and how they compare with previous periods.

For time poor publicans (and who isn’t) email reports can be extremely useful. These can give a quick overview of how your pub is performing that day/week/month, how sales compare to previous periods, top & bottom sellers etc.

Also very useful, particularly with current cost pressures, is a P&L report, to show a good estimate for the bottom-line profit for a given period after all costs are accounted for.

We wrote more about the reports to look for in a previous article – Top 5 Hospitality EPOS Reports .

7. Rota system

With day & evening trade, a mix of food & drink sales, and standing space as well as tables, managing the rota for a pub can be challenging.

There are many staff scheduling systems that can help manage rotas and ensure that your staff costs are in line with your targets. Our own pub EPOS has staff scheduling tools built in so you can manage this all-in-one place, pulling through indicative sales from a previous week or period, allowing you to ensure you’re planning the right number of shifts.

8. Booking system

Most pubs now offer the facility for guests to book in advance. Whilst there are many booking systems that can help with this, having one built into your pub EPOS means you can manage everything on one system. You can also view upcoming bookings directly on the till and automatically apply deposits to tabs as credit.

If you are evaluating EPOS systems for your pub, making sure they have some, or all, of the above features can be a good start. If you would like to know more about our own pub EPOS system, contact one of our hospitality experts.

Hukd Golf, Bury

frankie@tabology.com (Frankie Neale) — Tue, 06 Jun 2023 16:43:33 GMT

“Being able to buy something off-the-shelf with the flexibility that the Tabology Hospitality EPOS has is great. It's a really good system that will grow with our business” Jon Picken, Operations Manager

Offering Virtual Golf on state-of-the-art simulators, Hukd opened its first venue, in Bury in Greater Manchester, in October 2022. With its great choice of food and drink an essential part of the customer experience, Hukd is using Tabology's Hospitality EPOS System to take customer orders, as well as using back office functions from the system’s Pro package, including staff scheduling.

Customers booking a session at Hukd Golf can use the simulators to play a round on some of the world’s greatest golf courses, such as St Andrews, Pebble Beach and Spyglass Hill. At the same time, a menu choice that includes freshly made pizzas, sliders, small plates and sides, as well as drinks including craft beer, wine and spirits, and hot drinks, makes Hukd a great social outing.

With many issues to deal with in a start-up business, Operations Manager Jon Picken was looking for an EPOS system that was intuitive for serving staff to use, as well as quick and simple to update.

Having initially looked at another system, “I had some reservations, because anything that you use when you’re building a business from scratch needs to be simple for admins and employees. We have a skeleton, experienced team who we can’t afford to have tied down in system maintenance and admin We also have to be able to quickly upskill people on new tech.”

Jon and Hukd owner Will Evans saw a hospitality EPOS system that seemed to fit the bill in use at another venue, and after speaking to the operators they established that they were using the Tabology's EPOS system.

“We wanted the flexibility of being able to take food and drink orders on iPads at the bays and tables throughout the venue, and we also use the iPads to book guests in as they arrive. The Tabology system has a really good interface and seemed to do most of the things we needed.”

As a result, Hukd opened with Tabology in place, operating on a terminal at the main entrance. Staff use iPads throughout the venue, with food and drink orders printed in the bar or kitchen.

“Will and I had a couple of training sessions with Tabology, and have been setting staff up on the system as they come on board. It’s very intuitive, doing the core things we wanted such as taking orders and adding products, It’s also straightforward to change things as the business expands. I can go into the back office on my phone and make any changes needed.”

As part of its Pro package, Hukd uses the built-in staff scheduling software , building weekly rotas in the back office and with team members clocking on and off using the iPads.

Hukd Golf also use the Gift Card functionality, Jon was very interested in this while it was in the development stage and switched them on as soon as they became available.

“We’re loving the gift cards feature, as an experience business we had a lot of customers wanting to buy a voucher to gift to someone else. The staff find them simple to sell, customers are happy with the QR code they can add to their phone wallet, and it’s great that we can check the balance of a card from both the iPad EPOS and the back office.”

Tabology’s Telegram chat function has proved invaluable. “Someone gets back to you very quickly with support to tell you want you need to do, or which bit of the system you need to look at.”

As one example, the menu offers dishes such as buttermilk chicken strips with a range of sauces as an option, “but we couldn’t work out how to change the price, but as soon as we asked for support, we were shown how to do it.”

Jon sums up. “Being able to buy something off-the-shelf with the flexibility that the Tabology Hospitality EPOS has, is great. It’s a really good system that will grow with our business.”

To find out more about our Hospitality EPOS, and how it could work in your venue get in touch to arrange a demo.

Rivington Brewery Co. Tap Room, Lancashire

frankie@tabology.com (Frankie Neale) — Tue, 23 May 2023 11:36:56 GMT

“I can also use Tabology’s beer sales report to track sales by style and ABV, so I can forecast what we’re going to need for the next few weeks. So, if we’ve sold a lot of 4.5% ABV pale ale, for example, we can change the brewing schedule to ensure we have more on the way.” Phill Clarke, Tap Room Manager

Located between two villages, and in a rural area popular with walkers and anglers, Rivington Brewing Co opened its Tap Room four years ago. Offering a diverse and ever-changing choice of craft beers alongside a broad range of ciders, wines, spirits, cocktails and soft drinks, the Rivington Brewery Tap Room uses Tabology’s Bar EPOS system to manage its drinks range and ensure both regulars and occasional customers enjoy a great experience.

“People travel to the area for walks and days out,” says Tap Room Manager Phill Clarke, “and we’re close to two villages, Adlington and Horwich, which both bring in local customers – and because we’re a brewery, people also visit to try the beers.”

The Brewery opened in 2014, and built on the success of regular one-off events by adding the larger Tap Room with a bar and indoor seating in 2019. There is also plenty of outdoor space which offers additional seating when the weather allows.

Two specialist food traders. Dough n Co and Bun Chicken Bun, also operate on the site, allowing customers to order food to be enjoyed accompanied by drinks from the Tap Room.

The Tabology Bar EPOS system was introduced in 2021, replacing the previous Zettle system. “We had just grown beyond it in terms of what we needed our EPOS to do,” says Phill. “We spoke to a lot of people who recommended Tabology, and I also looked carefully at the stock management side of it to be sure it was what we needed. We were also able to keep our Zettle readers for payments, and it all integrated smoothly.”

The Tabology system’s ability to cope easily with product changes was an important part of the decision to implement it. “We were spending a lot of time updating our beer menus on chalkboards, and Tabology linked everything so we could display our menu on screens,” says Phill.

While most of the beer sold in the Tap Room comes fresh from the adjacent brewery, “we don’t have the capacity to brew the quantity of lager we sell, so we buy from brewers including Thornbridge and Lost & Grounded. We also have an annual beer festival where we bring in around 50 beers, and we regularly brew collaboration beers with other brewers.”

Tabology’s Bar EPOS system pulls in information on each beer, such as style, ABV and tasting notes, from the widely-used Untappd beer app. This information is available to Tap Room staff through the EPOS screen as well as to customers on the on-screen menus.

It also means Phil has real-time information about beer sales. “It’s great for stock management , because every time we sell a pint I know exactly where we are. When a new beer is being brewed, I can load it into the system ready, and when the beer is delivered, I use the bar EPOS to calculate the GP, enter the price and go live. I previously had to change the menu myself whenever we changed beers, which can be two or three times a shift.

“I can also use Tabology’s beer sales report to track sales by style and ABV, so I can forecast what we’re going to need for the next few weeks. So, if we’ve sold a lot of 4.5% ABV pale ale, for example, we can change the brewing schedule to ensure we have more on the way. For external suppliers, I use my Bar EPOS to do my ordering once a week, I can see exactly what stock we’ve got, and order what’s needed from our suppliers. In the same way, I use Tabology for our annual stock take, and see exactly what we should have in stock.”

Front-of-house, customers order at the bar, “and we can set up tabs for our regulars using the Table Plan function.” With a broad choice of drinks on offer, as well as customisable options such as choice of mixer or an upsize option on spirits, it’s important that bar staff can navigate the EPOS quickly.

“It’s easy to divide products into different categories – such as red and white wine, or draught beer, our own cans and guest cans. With gin, there’s the choice of tonic or lemonade, and for whisky we’ve added an option to upgrade the measure for 75p extra. All these product options can be put into the system, so they present themselves on screen to staff, who can make the offer to the customer."

“Staff pick up the EPOS system quickly. Our previous system needed a lot more training, but once they’ve used the Tabology system for a shift, they’ve got it.”

The Tap Room is also adding more functionality, including using the loyalty & promotions features of Tabology’s Bar EPOS system to launch Friends of the Tap loyalty programme . Targeting regular customers, the programme offers a year-round 5% discount on all products for an annual membership, as well as additional benefits such as a free birthday beer and access to brewery tours and other event.

Membership cards and vouchers are emailed to members, with discounts and other offers redeemable using a QR Code on the membership card, which can be stored in their Apple or Google wallets. More than 60 members signed up to be Friends of the Tap in its first month. “It’s been a real success; the members really like it, and we love it.”

The Tap Room has also worked with Tabology to make its beer menu available online. “We wanted an online menu that people can browse to see what beers we’ve got on, but we don’t want them to be able to place orders online, so we needed Tabology’s help to customise the options.”

Overall, Phill is delighted with Tabology’s support. “I know I can pick up the phone when I need support. I just ring someone at Tabology or message them on our support channel. They’re always very quick to respond, and very helpful.”

To find out more about our Bar EPOS , and how it could work in your venue get in touch to arrange a demo.

A guide to using your Hospitality EPOS to track your stock

frankie@tabology.com (Frankie Neale) — Wed, 17 May 2023 14:09:49 GMT

Close tracking of stock is essential to any hospitality business in protecting and maximising gross profit, but many businesses struggle to get an effective stock tracking system in place.

In this article we outline the steps to getting started with tracking stock using your EPOS. Using your POS system to track stock is ideal as it has all of the information you need.

To follow this guide you will likely need a hospitality focussed POS system, rather than a generic EPOS. You can read more about the difference in our recent article What is a Hospitality EPOS?

This article is written from the perspective of using our own hospitality EPOS , but if you use a different system, the overall steps should still be similar.

1. Ensure the stock set up on your products is correct

Before you begin tracking stock using your hospitality EPOS, you will need to ensure the products that you sell are set up correctly in terms of the quantities that you buy and sell the stock in. Your system will need to know that when you buy a bottle of wine your stock has increased by 750ml and when you sell a large glass it has decreased by 250ml. Our hospitality EPOS takes care of this for you with predefined templates, so all you need to think about when adding your products is the name and the price.

Similarly, any food or cocktails with recipes will need to be set up with the correct quantities of ingredients linked, so your system knows what to deduct your stock levels by when you sell them.

If you prepare any ingredients in advance, such as sauces, or cocktail syrups, set these up as batch products so you can record when you have made them, and track your stock of these individually.

2. Set your opening stock levels

When you are happy with your set up and are ready to begin tracking your stock, you will need to ensure your opening stock levels are set to what you have on hand. To do this you need to run a stocktake - count all of your stock and enter it into your system. You don't need to worry about the report generated from this stocktake, as it is simply to let your system know what your current stock levels are.

3. Ensure all orders/deliveries are entered into your system

Once you have set your opening stock you need to ensure that anything that will impact your stock levels is recorded in the system. For deliveries, we always recommend these are entered at the time of order. That way, your historic sales, or par levels can be used to help with what you need to order, and the order can be emailed to your supplier, with a full record on the system of what was ordered. Then when the delivery arrives, any discrepancies can be accounted for and the order marked as delivered.

If you have deliveries arriving that you didn't order using the system, you can enter these directly as deliveries, but in the longer run entering orders into the system makes for a much more efficient and audited process.

4. Run a stocktake

With all of your orders & deliveries entered in the system, and all of your sales adjusting stock correctly due to your stock set up, you can now run a stock take with an accurate view of your expected stock (your opening stock, minus any stock used, plus any deliveries). As you enter your actual stock levels from your count, you will see if there is any variance between what you should have and what you actually have.

We recommend running your first stocktake no longer than a week after setting your opening stock. This way, any variances can be more easily investigated, and any changes due to incorrect set up fixed before moving to longer gaps between stocktakes,

5. Review your stock report

Once you have run a stock take it's time to review the resultant stock report. This will show you where any stock variances are and allow you to drill down into the individual products causing them so you can identify and resolve any issues.

Your stock report should show you for each product what your opening stock was, what you sold, what was delivered and what your expected stock was. This enables you to see how the expected stock was calculated and verify each of the figures used to calculate it. For example, you might look into a variance and notice that the stock delivered figure is too high for the deliveries you had that week. You can then check the deliveries to see if one has been entered in error.

Your stock report will also show you your actual GP, after any variances, and how this compares to your potential GP - what you could have achieved without any losses.

6. Run line checks

If on reviewing your stock report you have variances on any products that you haven't been able to get to the bottom of, you may want to run daily line checks. With our hospitality EPOS system, you can run line checks on the system for selected products to view detailed reports just for those lines. From this you can establish exactly when any stock discrepancies are arising, which may help to determine the cause of them.

Following the above steps will get you set up with an effective stock tracking process, enabling you to stamp out any stock issues early, and ensure you are achieving the gross profit that you should be.

Stock management software makes this much easier. It means you can also take advantage of additional features such as suggested orders, low stock notifications, or setting products to go out of stock on your EPOS when you run out.

If you're interested in finding out more about our stock management and hospitality EPOS system, and how it could work in your business get in touch with our team.

Riddling Rack, Newton Le Willows

frankie@tabology.com (Frankie Neale) — Tue, 09 May 2023 13:13:43 GMT

"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.

Common issues with Hospitality EPOS systems

frankie@tabology.com (Frankie Neale) — Wed, 03 May 2023 15:52:13 GMT

A hospitality EPOS system is one of the most business critical systems you rely on in your venue. Any outages or issues can cause disruption to service and lead to unhappy customers.

Many providers are quick to point out the great features and the support they offer, but are less forthcoming on the issues their customers face.

In this article we address this gap and look at some of the common issues with hospitality EPOS systems and how you can minimise or mitigate them.

Network

A poor or unreliable network can cause issues for any cloud-based EPOS system. If you run a small venue, a standard internet router with Wifi may be adequate.

If you have a large venue, particularly one that gets busy, investing in a good network of wireless access points will be one of the best investments you can make.

If you have a really poor network and are not able to address it, it might be worth considering standalone EPOS terminals with servers built in. These tend to be older systems that might be lacking in modern features and rarely upgraded, but if you really need something that will work reliably on a very poor network this could still be an option to consider.

There are functions a cloud EPOS can have to help with network outages, such as an offline mode. Even with the best network, outages are possible so it’s always worth checking there is an offline mode and any limitations.

A good offline mode is great for coping with unforeseeable outages, but we wouldn’t recommend relying on offline mode for day-to-day trade as a way of coping with an inadequate network. It is better to invest in your network or look for a standalone EPOS terminal.

Hardware

The main item of hardware most bars with deal with is a printer and there is always a possibility for any hardware to go wrong. Whether it’s a manufacturer fault, a drink spilled over it, or just bad luck (a paper jam) issues do happen and can impact service when they do.

To minimise hardware issues, ask your provider about the printers (and any other hardware) they recommend with their system. If you can purchase the hardware from them, check any warranty period offered.

Ensure your printers are set up correctly, including being allocated static IP addresses (this should be done on your router – refer to the manual for your model). Doing so avoids having to reconnect your POS to a printer in the event of a power failure, or it being rebooted.

Ask if there are alternatives to printing – emailing of receipts, order screens for order tickets, which can be used in the event of issue, or even as part of your default operation. Order screens and kitchen screens have many other advantages, including tracking of service times, order status messaging, and even helping your carbon footprint.

Training or usability issues

Many support requests raised to our team come down to questions on how to perform certain functions, or issues as a result of not realising the best way to do something or set something up.

Every feature of our hospitality EPOS system is designed with usability in mind, and front of house staff can usually get up and running very quickly with minimal training. However, with any feature rich system there will be areas that benefit from some up-front training, reading of the knowledge base, or just asking questions.

Take advantage of any training offered by your provider. We often find an initial demo is useful for evaluating a system, but booking in a training session after you have had a chance to use the system is invaluable. At this point you have tried out the actions you need to perform for your role in the business and can come armed with any questions you have, or issues you have come across.

If you don’t have time to book a training session, or you just have a few questions, check the knowledge base, or ask the support team you have available. It is much better to ask a question before you start doing something than try to unravel it later from doing something wrong. Once you start doing something one way, you may never ask about it and never know there is a much better way to do it.

Check with any provider how accessible their support team is. If you need to send an email, wait on a phone line or fill in a form, the chances are your staff will stumble through doing things the way they have worked out instead of asking about the best way.

We provide an instant messaging channel for every venue where staff can ask questions and get responses in minutes, without having to wait on the line. These channels are monitored by our team 8am – midnight seven days a week.

Software bugs

Many providers will perhaps understandably shy away from talking about software bugs, but even with the most reliable software, some bugs will creep in. A good provider recognises this and takes action to minimise bugs as well as make it as easy as possible for customers to raise them so they can be fixed.

Ask your potential provider about their testing of new releases and see how they are able to answer this and how much detail they can provide. Ask about any recent issues and what has been done to stop them from happening again.

A good process of continuous improvement in detecting issues, identifying the cause, and preventing re-occurrences is the core foundation to minimising software bugs. If a supplier can give you a good answer on how they do this, it should fill you with some confidence.

If you're interested in finding out more about our hospitality EPOS system, and how it could work in your business get in touch with our team.

Honeycomb & Co. Edinburgh

frankie@tabology.com (Frankie Neale) — Tue, 25 Apr 2023 08:00:00 GMT

"Tabology are always contactable, and they’re prompt to respond. I’d recommend the Tabology Cafe EPOS system to anybody ,” Matthew Kelly, Manager

Honeycomb & Co is a popular modern eatery in Edinburgh’s buzzy Bruntsfield neighbourhood, open daily from 9am – 5pm, serving breakfast, lunch & brunch, coffee & cake and much more. Everything is made in house by their team, using fresh ingredients from great local suppliers.

Customers can choose to eat-in, with seating inside plus a popular outside terrace. There is also an online shop which enables customers to order freshly-baked cakes and savouries, as well as wine, tea and coffee and a range of gifts.

Honeycomb & Co uses Tabology’s Cafe EPOS system to manage these three strands of its business – eat-in, takeaway and online ordering – to give it a single, real-time and accurate overview of product availability.

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.”

To find out more about our Cafe EPOS , and how it could work in your venue get in touch to arrange a demo.

Taking your pub free of tie, how to trigger MRO

frankie@tabology.com (Frankie Neale) — Wed, 19 Apr 2023 16:05:33 GMT

If you run a pub under a tied agreement with your brewer or pub company, you have the option at certain points during your lease to request a free of tie rent proposal under the Market Rent Only (MRO) option.

This can be a great option if you want to offer a wider range of beers than you can offer under your tied agreement. It can also offer you a better deal financially if you are able to negotiate a good free of tie rent.

Even if you end up staying on a tied agreement, negotiating this in parallel with a free of tie option can be a good way to achieve a good deal on your tied rent.

The process of requesting an MRO rent proposal has improved dramatically over the years since it was introduced. It is now possible to go through the process yourself without incurring any legal fees until the point you decide to accept a free of tie offer.

In this article we look at how & when to request a free of tie rent offer, what to expect from the process, and some of the pros and cons of going free of tie.

We are not qualified to give legal or financial advice and this article is intended for informational purposes only based on our own experiences.

How & when to request a free of tie rent offer

There are 4 events that trigger the option for you to request a free of tie rent proposal under the MRO option. These are:

You receive a rent assessment proposal (RAP) – this is a document you receive at the start of a rent review process. Many pubs will go through this process every 5 years
A renewal of your pub arrangement / tenancy
Significant price increases – when you receive an invoice indicating a significant price increase of the products you buy from your pub company. (There is a specific calculation that determines a significant price increase, which needs to be a level above inflation)
You notify your pub company of an event that has occurred that will have a significant impact on trade

You can see more detail on the above trigger points here

The most likely tigger point for most business will be a rent review. This is also usually a good opportunity to exercise your MRO option as even if you don’t ultimately go free of tie, it will likely help you in negotiating a fair tied rent.

There is a strict time limit of 21 days after any of the above events for you to notify your pub company that you want it to offer you the MRO option. There is also certain information you need to include - a template is available here

Once you have sent your MRO notice, your pub company should acknowledge it as soon as possible, and will then have 28 days to provide a full response.

What to expect from the MRO process?

If your MRO notice met the required criteria (e.g. a relevant trigger event had taken place within 21 days) your pub company’s full response will include a proposed free of tie rent. This begins a 3-month resolution period, in which you can negotiate with your pub company.

If your MRO notice was triggered by a rent review you can continue to negotiate your tied rent in parallel to your free of tie rent. This is highly recommended as it ensures you understand both options available to you and go with the one that makes the most sense for your business.

Rent proposals are based on assumptions of a level of trade (referred to as Fair Maintainable Trade or FMT) and all costs, excluding rent. This provides a profit before rent figure, which is then split 50:50 between you and the pub company.

If a tied and a free of tie rent proposal are based on the same trade assumptions, the free of tie proposal will be more beneficial to you financially than a tied rent proposal. Essentially, the additional margin your pub company makes on the tied arrangement, falls into the profit before rent figure, which is then split between you and the pub company.

This means your initial free of tie proposal under MRO is likely to be a better option financially than your initial tied rent proposal that enabled you to trigger the MRO process (assuming both have followed the same or similar trade and cost assumptions).

However, your pub company is likely to negotiate on the tied rent proposal, making it more attractive and making it less of a clear-cut decision. Given you always have the option of accepting the tied proposal, this is one reason that triggering the MRO process can be a good idea, even if you don’t have any great desire to go free of tie.

You are then left to negotiate with the pub company on both your free of tie and tied rent proposal until you feel you are happy to accept one or the other. If you don’t reach a point where you are happy with either proposal you can request a free of tie rent proposal from an Independent Assessor.

Weighing up a tied vs a free of tie rent offer

Weighing up a tied vs a free of tie rent offer takes some time and careful analysis. You need to come up with an estimate of the savings you will make through being able to buy your tied products on the open market, so you can establish if you will save more or less than any increase in rent.

Whilst you may well change your product range if you go free of tie, comparing whether you would be better or worse off with your current product range provides a good way of assessing whether a free of tie offer is worth considering.

One approach to this is:

Obtain the volume of tied products you currently sell over a year
Obtain open market free of tie prices for your current product range
Multiply the savings you will make on each product by the amount of the product you sell in a year
Total up the savings to get an approximation of the savings you will make by going free of tie

Pros & cons of going free of tie

If you are negotiating a tied rent and free of tied rent in parallel, the financial differences between the two based on the trade assumptions used is likely to be small. The free of tie option is likely to come with a higher rent, but with a corresponding saving from the improved margins. How much this equates to depends on the level of trade you achieve.

If you feel you can improve your trading figures over the remainder of your agreement then the free of tie deal could start to look more attractive.

Another benefit of going free of tie is the option to improve your product range, as you can source any product you would like to sell.

A potential disadvantage of going free of tie, could be a risk of being financially worse off if you haven’t negotiated well, or haven’t calculated the savings carefully against the additional rent you will be paying.

Similarly, if your trade drops after agreeing a free of tie rent, your higher fixed rent could outweigh the savings you are making from being free of tie.

There are also one-off costs of going free of tie, which are likely to include legal costs to move to a new lease, and potentially stamp duty costs. You need to make sure these are factored in when calculating any savings.

Finally, you are likely to receive less support from your pub company under a free of tie agreement. Many of the pub companies offering rent free periods to their tenants during COVID lock downs did not do so for those under free of tie agreements.

In summary, for most businesses triggering the MRO process when you receive a rent assessment proposal is likely to be a good idea. This doesn’t have to cost you anything and will ensure you are aware of all of the options available to you.

Whether you end up choosing to go free of tie is likely to be a more a difficult decision and one that depends on your individual business, but going through the process is likely to encourage your pub company to negotiate on your tied rent and so leave you better off in either scenario.

Tabology are an innovative technology company with a passion for, and expertise in hospitality. We provide an integrated suite of technology centred around our pub EPOS system . If you would like to know more about us or any of our products please get in touch with our team.

Key features of a Kitchen Management System

frankie@tabology.com (Frankie Neale) — Mon, 03 Apr 2023 15:42:49 GMT

What is a kitchen management system?

A good kitchen management system will improve speed of service, minimise wastage and reduce errors. It will also allow you to track and manage stock within your venue.

In this is article we look at the key features you should look for in a kitchen management system.

Kitchen screen

An interactive kitchen screen, or Kitchen Display Screen (KDS) will display new orders instantly, keep track of the status of each order, and which course is being prepared. This can improve speed of service and reduce errors when compared to handling printed order tickets. Using a kitchen screen instead of printed tickets will not only reduce your print paper usage but avoids errors of tickets not printing when paper runs out or gets jammed.

When orders are processed using a kitchen screen, the full benefits of a kitchen management system can be realised as food service times are fully tracked, and messages can be sent to front of house teams when orders are ready.

Messaging between kitchen and front of house

In addition to notifying front of house when an order is ready, a good kitchen management system should offer a range of messaging between kitchen and front of house.

Mains away messages can alert the kitchen that the starters are finished, and the final preparation can be done on the main course.

Cancellation messages can inform the kitchen of cancelled orders as soon as possible and prevent wastage from dishes being made unnecessarily.

Custom messages can also be sent between kitchen and front of house to inform around anything from service times to low stock.

Flexible order routing

Whether you use a kitchen screen or printed tickets, it’s important you can route the right orders to the right places. At its most basic this may be drinks being routed to a bar and food to the kitchen. If you have multiple sections in your kitchen for preparing different dishes you will want more flexibility than this, for example cold starters to one section and hot starters to another. Whatever your specific requirements are, it's important to ensure your EPOS & kitchen management system can accommodate them.

Recording wastage

The kitchen should have the ability to record kitchen wastage so that it feeds into the same wastage reports as any voids put through the EPOS. In this way total wastage can be monitored effectively, pinpointing any issues and enabling these to be addressed.

Setting quick stock limits

Chefs should have a quick way of notifying front of house if any dishes on the menu are running low. This could be achieved through a message, but even better is being able to set the remaining number of dishes available so that this feeds through to the front of house EPOS and prevents any more dishes being sold. This is a great way to save time on staff checking orders with the kitchen or processing refunds, as well as avoiding disgruntled customers. It's one of the benefits of integrated stock management software .

Monitoring & improving service times

If you use a kitchen screen a big benefit is being able to monitor service times from an order being received, acknowledged, prepared, and delivered to the table. Doing so can identify any issues with particular areas and allow these to be addressed, improving service times and customer satisfaction.

Takeout & delivery

A number of venues now offer in venue, click & collect or delivery of food either via their own systems or integrating with popular delivery apps. A good kitchen management system will allow you to manage all of your orders within a single platform, ideally your EPOS which will then feed into your sales and stock. Our Hospitality EPOS allows you to offer click & collect or delivery via our mobile ordering app, feeding back updates on the status of an order as it moves through the kitchen. We also integrate with popular delivery apps , bringing those orders into the system as well.

If you are interested in finding out more about our kitchen management system , and how it works with our easy to use, EPOS system get in touch with our team of hospitality experts.

5 Key things to consider when looking for a Bar EPOS

frankie@tabology.com (Frankie Neale) — Mon, 27 Mar 2023 09:01:49 GMT

As the hospitality industry continues to evolve, bar owners and operators are realising the benefits that technology can bring to their businesses more than ever before.

Venues are looking to incorporate apps and systems to help with a huge range of tasks from scheduling staff to taking bookings and running a loyalty scheme.

At the centre of all of these systems lies your bar EPOS system. The system that holds the data that all these other systems either rely on or feed into.

Some bar EPOS systems can perform a range of these functions natively. Others can integrate with these systems to share data back and forth.

Whichever option you go for, it’s important to select a bar EPOS system that is right for your venue, including working well with the range of systems & apps you rely on.

In this article we look at some of the top things to consider when selecting an EPOS system for your bar.

Range of features

One of the most important aspects to consider when selecting a bar EPOS system is the range of features it covers, and how these match your business needs. You’ll want to ensure that the EPOS you select at least ticks off the key features you rely on, to run your business.

Once you’ve determined that, you will want to see the additional features it can offer to provide further benefit to your business, either straight away or as options for the future.

Pace of development

Once you’ve determined the features any proposed bar EPOS system covers, look at how quickly the provider is bringing out new features. Technology changes rapidly and you want any provider you switch to, to be moving with the times.

Switching an EPOS system can be a disruptive process, so you want to make sure any system you take on will work for you for the long term, giving you the ability grow your business over time and take advantage of new technologies as they become available.

Integrations

If you have existing systems that you don’t want to change, you will want to ensure any new EPOS system can integrate with them . If you don’t mind changing other systems, you will just need to ensure there is an alternative that is at least as good a fit for your business, ideally better.

Some EPOS systems, including our own Bar EPOS , provide multiple functions all in one system. These can include a booking system , stock management , staff scheduling tools , mobile ordering and a loyalty database. Review these capabilities to see where you could replace multiple systems with one or expand the range of areas your technology can help with.

You may not want to try to incorporate multiple new functions at once – we often advise a phased approach – but it can be good to know there are additional capabilities you could make use of as when it makes sense for your business.

Support & Industry knowledge

Selecting a new EPOS is not just about the system itself, but the team behind it.

Good technical support coverage and responsiveness is key. Even with the most reliable systems, issues can happen, and when they do you need someone knowledgeable on hand to help you immediately, especially if it’s in the middle of a busy service.

Similarly important, is having a team available that understand your business and what you are trying to achieve. We receive requests from customers daily and understanding the problem a customer is trying to solve, is always the first step to being able to provide the best possible solution. This is true if it’s a new feature development, or just some advice on what is possible with the current system.

Cost

Finally, you will need to consider the cost of your new EPOS system. Make sure you consider all costs related to the system – monthly licence fees, any additional support fees, any add on costs, and card processing fees.

Some systems have very low, or even no monthly fees, but these tend to earn their money through higher card fees. This can be fine if you do your sums and the overall cost works out better for you but can be costly if you do high volumes, or you don’t factor in the card fees appropriately when reviewing your options.

With many systems, including our own bar EPOS system, you will have multiple card processing options allowing you to take advantage of a competitive marketplace.

When looking at cost you also need to look at any savings your EPOS may be able to help you make, that a cheaper option may not help with. This could be through intuitive reporting that helps you identify and manage costs, or through incorporating additional functions that you currently pay a separate provider for.

Going for the cheapest can often be a false economy in the long run, but make sure you know what all the costs (and any savings) are and factor them into your decision.

If you are interested in finding out more about our bar EPOS system , get in touch with our team of hospitality experts.

The Mayflower & The Old Oak, High Wycombe

frankie@tabology.com (Frankie Neale) — Mon, 20 Mar 2023 12:52:12 GMT

"The teams at both pubs adapted very quickly to the Tabology system, they love it, and it’s very easy to use.” Sam Patel, Multi-Site Owner

The Mayflower and The Old Oak are suburban community pubs in the historic town of High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire. Offering a range of beers including cask ale, as well as a wide choice of wine, spirits, and soft drinks, along with a menu built around classic pub food dishes, both pubs have a strong appeal to their local community.

Owner Sam Patel recently replaced the existing EPOS system at both pubs with Tabology’s Pub EPOS system. “I was looking for something far more user-friendly and accessible,” he says. “It was the simplicity of the Tabology system that appealed to me. The set-up, and the help we had initially, as well as the ongoing support, have all been great.”

“As I’m continually moving between the two pubs, it’s important that I can access the back office on-the-go, which I can now do simply, using a laptop,” Real-time, relevant EPOS reports on key areas of the business such as sales, refunds and discounts are available to Sam at all times.

Front-of-house, the Pub EPOS is built around a single iPad in the bar, with waiting staff taking food and drink orders on additional portable POS units, and food orders printing in the kitchen. The teams at both pubs adapted very quickly to the Tabology system, says Sam. “They love it, and it’s very easy to use.”

Both the menu and drinks range are fairly constant, reflecting their popularity with customers. “We had all the support we needed to put our products onto the EPOS system, and when we do want to add a new cask ale, or a menu special, it’s very easy to do.”

The pubs also use the EPOS Table Plan function. Both pubs have outside seating, with the Mayflower’s garden particularly popular with families during good weather. “We can have a separate Table Plan for the inside and outside trading areas, as well as for the bar area if we need to, and we know exactly where we are.”

Sam praises both the quality and speed of Tabology’s support. “With the previous EPOS, I could have been waiting on the phone for anything from 25 to 45 minutes, and that’s just to log a problem. With the Telegram Chanel, I don’t think I’ve ever had to wait for more than a few minutes for a response, and that was at the weekend.”

As one example of prompt support, “we had an issue at a busy time, so it needed to be sorted quickly, Tabology was able to send me links to the right information, and then use a live video link to see the screen and show me what we hadn’t done – rather than take remote control, they showed me how to fix it.”

“Overall, says Sam. “Tabology is a very friendly, easy-going company to work with, and any problems are solved more-or-less instantly.”

To find out more about our Pub EPOS , and how it could work in your venue get in touch to arrange a demo.

Reduce your costs with a Bar EPOS system

frankie@tabology.com (Frankie Neale) — Mon, 13 Mar 2023 17:59:41 GMT

In the current climate, like most pubs & bars, you may be struggling with how you can manage rising costs and run a profitable business.

Spending money on a new bar EPOS system may seem counter-intuitive to this. However, a good bar EPOS can be one of the most effective tools in managing costs and ensuring your business is profitable.

Managing supplier price rises

Supplier price rises are becoming so frequent for many pubs and bars, that as soon as you have responded to one price rise, another comes through. For many businesses it is almost impossible to ensure that cost price rises are being factored in, and responded to in a timely fashion. This means you may not be making the margins you need to, in order to run a profitable business.

A good bar EPOS system can change this, by giving you an immediate view of your gross profit as you input your increased cost prices.

Managing staff costs

One of the biggest costs in running a pub or bar is your staff. With the minimum wage due to increase again in April, it is increasingly difficult to maintain staff costs at a level you need, in order to be profitable - particularly alongside other price pressures.

Most bar EPOS systems will enable you to analyse your sales data, determining your busiest times of day. You can then make sure your staffing is aligned accordingly.

Our bar EPOS system also includes staff scheduling tools , showing your what your wage % will be at the start of the week vs. your forecasted sales. This gives you the opportunity to adjust your rota if needed.

Our bar EPOS also includes an integrated mobile ordering app . This can save staff time taking orders and reduce the number of staff you need at certain times of day.

Minimising wastage

When input costs are so high, it is more important than ever to minimise wastage, and the associated cost to your business.

A good bar EPOS system is essential to this. Firstly, it will enable you to record all wastage, from beer in the drip tray, to food that has passed its expiry date. This means you can keep on top of how much wastage there is in your business, taking action if it is too high.

Secondly, if you implement a bar EPOS with a stock management system, you can run stock takes and view detailed reports to alert you to any wastage that has not been recorded.

Optimising opening times

It’s an unfortunate fact that many pubs & bars are having to cut back on opening times in the current climate. But how do you make sure the days or times you close will save you money and not lose you money?

Most bar EPOS system can help with this by making it easier to view hourly sales , helping to identify times that are less likely to be profitable.

Our bar EPOS system takes this a step further and shows you an accurate estimate of the net profit you make on any day, week, or month. This ensures you are fully up to date on how profitable your business is, and then enables you to drill down into each day, to identify if any days are costing you more money to open than you are making. (When you are making a loss that exceeds your fixed costs attributable to that day)

So, if you are looking at how you can ensure your business is profitable in the current challenging trading conditions an investment in a good bar EPOS system could be a great first step. With costs under control, you can then look to take advantage of the many other bar EPOS features, from selling gift cards, introducing a loyalty scheme, or taking bookings from your website.

If you would like to see more on how our bar epos system can help with your business, get in touch with our team of hospitality experts.

Naked Deli, Multi-Site Operator

frankie@tabology.com (Frankie Neale) — Tue, 07 Mar 2023 15:14:02 GMT

“Tabology has gone above and beyond in terms of support, as far as we're concerned. They're committed to being on hand whenever we need them.” Joe Emmerson, Director

Offering fresh, healthy, daytime food choices from locations in Newcastle and York, Naked Deli has built its reputation on a strong appeal to health-conscious, clean-eating consumers looking to enjoy food on the go, or to relax and eat in.

Naked Deli has rolled out Tabology’s Café EPOS system across multiple sites, where orders can be placed in advance online, as well as in person.

Customers can fill a bowl to eat in, or a box to take out. A choice of a protein, such as grilled chicken breast, a salmon fillet or vegan ‘meat’ balls, can be combined with a customised selection of fresh salad and vegetable dishes. The menu also includes freshly made wraps and protein pancakes.

Director Joe Emmerson says: “Our concept is food that has as little added to it as possible. We serve produce from the land and sea, such as organic meat, fish and loads of veggies. ‘Clean, healthy and nutritious’ is our tagline, while also giving people, quick and tasty options.”

Tabology's Café EPOS system was rolled out across the Naked Deli sites in the spring and summer of 2022, at the same time as the business adopted the Zettle payment system. “The two work together seamlessly,” says Joe, “so it’s effectively only been one system for us to learn.”

The switch from the previous EPOS system was driven by a desire “to better manage all our products, to get a better insight into what’s selling well, and what our customers love.” For an expanding business buying fresh food and needing to minimise waste, that essential oversight wasn’t easily available through the previous EPOS system.

“Tabology has enabled us to do what we wanted really well. It gives us a brilliant breakdown of what’s sold well that day, or that week. The reporting options are very clear and make it easy to compare sales across the sites.” Although the menu is the same at each site, this insight given by using Tabology’s multi-site dashboard enables Naked Deli to manage stock levels across the business. The clear picture of the busiest times for each site is also crucial in managing staffing levels.

Tabology's Café EPOS also ensures efficiency front-of-house. Customers work their way along the food counter, with staff keeping a running total of the order on iPads linked to the EPOS, and they’re able to take payment when the order is complete.

“Many of our customers have a short lunch break and want to be served quickly, so the iPads are very efficient. It was important to have a till system that all our managers and staff found easy to use, and which can push orders through quickly,” says Joe.

For those with more time who want to eat in, we can set up a tab on the EPOS and take further orders, and split the bill where needed. “Using the Table Plan function makes it easy for the staff to keep the tab running, and the split payment system is great for those who want to go halves, or even split four or more ways.

Naked Deli also uses the options sets function within the EPOS to allow customer to tailor products, such as adding their choice of milk to a hot drink. “That works really well for us,” says Joe. “There’s an expectation that we’ll cater for different diets, so we offer a choice of oat, almond or coconut milk, and it’s mapped out on the till and printed on the check, which makes it easy for whoever is serving to get it right first time.”

Joe sums up: “I can only speak highly of the support we’ve had from Tabology, both in the run up to the installation, and afterwards. I don’t know whether we use the Telegraph support function more than other users, but I feel we’ve relied on it a lot. Somebody’s always on hand to provide the answers.

“Tabology has gone above and beyond in terms of support, as far as we’re concerned. Compared to other systems we’ve used, which involve long phone calls, and call backs. Tabology’s group chat function is continually live. They’re committed to being on hand whenever we need them.”

To find out more about our Cafe EPOS , and how it could work in your venue get in touch to arrange a demo.

Sandford Park Alehouse, Cheltenham

frankie@tabology.com (Frankie Neale) — Thu, 23 Feb 2023 16:05:07 GMT

“Because the EPOS has been designed by former pub operators the back-office system in particular is very simple to navigate, compared to other systems I've used.” Richard Shakeshaft, Area Manager

A popular community pub in the centre of Cheltenham, the Sandford Park Alehouse features a drinks list which includes imported bottle beers, cask ales, and craft beer and cider, as well as freshly cooked pub food.

Its large outdoor area which makes the pub one of the town’s best locations to enjoy food and drink in warm weather, with the pub itself having a year-round appeal both to locals and visitors to Cheltenham.

Since reopening post-lockdown, the pub has been operating Tabology's Pub EPOS system . Area manager Richard Shakeshaft explains: “We took on the pub in 2019, but I was never happy with the existing EPOS. It was bit old fashioned, and didn’t have all the functionality we wanted.

“When we had to close due to the pandemic, I took the opportunity to research new systems. We were particularly interested in being able to take orders at tables, as that was one of the requirements for reopening.”

Having looked at a number of EPOS providers online, Richard decided Tabology's Pub EPOS fit the bill. “The biggest appeal initially was that it had a stock count facility as part of the back office functionality. Because it’s been designed by former pub operators the back office system in particular is very simple to navigate, compared to other systems I’ve used,”

He explains: “We do a monthly stock count, and with the Tabology system, it’s just a matter of entering all your invoices as they come in. It gives us a printout of what we should have in stock, so we can generate a variance report, the GP achieved, and other reports we need. It’s the first EPOS system I’ve come across that has a stock count facility.”

With its extensive beer range a strong part of the pub’s appeal, the ease with which the EPOS enables new products to be added to the till is another key benefit of the system. “We change our beers frequently. All we have to do is enter the barrel size and price we’ve paid the brewer, put in the price you want to sell a pint, and the system tells you what GP you’re making there and then.”

The Sandford Park Alehouse also took advantage of the Tabology system’s compatibility with the Untappd beer website when only table service was allowed, allowing customers to access beer style and tasting notes before placing an order through the app. “We don’t link to Untappd currently because we’re back to ordering food and drink at the bar, and so staff can talk about the beers,” says Richard, “but it’s a useful function that we may use again.”

This flexibility for operators to opt in and out of functionality as needed means that the pub has been able to add the ability to take deposits on Christmas bookings, “which is very useful.” The pub also runs popular events through the year, including BBQs, Oktoberfest events, and an annual Cheese & Cider festival, for which bookings and deposits can be activated as needed.

The business is now planning to replace the EPOS at its second site, a restaurant, with Tabology’s Restaurant EPOS, enabling Richard to have a remote overview of both businesses while on the move. “At the moment, anything they can see on screen at the pub, I can see on my laptop wherever I am. That’s very useful.”

Comparing Tabology’s remote support via Telegram to the support for the restaurant’s current EPOS, he says: “always on support was one of the key factors in selecting the Tabology system. At the restaurant you have to email, and you might get a reply, you might not. The reply is from somebody in America asking you what the issue is when you’ve already emailed them.

“With Tabology, there's always somebody at the end of the phone, it's fantastic."

To find out more about our Pub EPOS , and how it could work in your venue get in touch to arrange a demo.

The Eagle & Dew Drop Inn, Multi-Site Operator

frankie@tabology.com (Frankie Neale) — Tue, 06 Dec 2022 19:55:01 GMT

“What attracted me to Tabology is that they’re flexible, they listen, and they’re striving to do the best for you and adapt their system to your needs.” Shoes Simes, Multi-Site Operator

The Eagle and Dew Drop Inn are two popular wet-led Eastbourne pubs, combining a year-round regulars trade with a strong appeal to visitors to the East Sussex resort during the holiday season. In the run-up to the 2022 season, owner Shoes Simes implemented Tabology’s Pub EPOS system across both pubs, as well as her other venue in the town, the more food-led Rainbow.

While both the Eagle and Dew Drop Inn offer food, the drinks side is the driver of sales at each pub. “As I operate multiple businesses, I try to keep the drinks range very consistent,” says Shoes. While changing products on the Tabology system is straightforward, Shoes has adapted it to keep changes to a minimum by pricing cask ales by ABV on the EPOS. When a new beer comes on tap, it fits into the existing price structure.

“Where the ABV of the beer lands, that’s what gets charged on the till, so I don’t have to change the till programming very often. When we do need to make a change, even without training it’s very simple.

“It’s very straightforward to use the tills and terminals, and easy for new staff to pick up. You really can’t go wrong, and even if you do it’s very easy to correct. For more complicated issues, anything you ask, Tabology has a training video for, as well as live support.”

Shoes switched to Tabology from her previous EPOS system based on personal recommendations from other Tabology users. She finds the multi-site dashboard function valuable, giving her an overview of all three businesses as well as being able to drill down into individual performance via a single browser. “Previously, I had to have three browsers open and move between them.”

She also praises Tabology’s willingness to adapt the system to specific customer needs. “For example, I’m very security conscious. There was a function that allowed staff to authorise discounts, which I didn’t want, but which was linked to some other useful functions of the till that staff did need to access. You’d have to take away other privileges to be able to stop staff using the discount button.

“When I raised it, the tech team at Tabology asked us to leave it with them for a couple of days. They separated the functions so we could use them individually. Tabology reprogrammed the system to meet my needs.”

As a Tabology Pro package user, Shoes also has access to additional functions such as, staff scheduling and rotas, which she plans to implement when time allows.

“Initially, I needed something that was intuitive to use, and what attracted me to Tabology is that they’re a British business, they’re flexible, they listen, and they’re striving to do the best for you and adapt their system to your needs.”

To find out more about our Pub EPOS , and how it could work in your venue get in touch to arrange a demo.

Jigger & Jar, Garforth

frankie@tabology.com (Frankie Neale) — Tue, 01 Nov 2022 15:47:38 GMT

“Tabology has totally hit the spot. It’s made our lives a lot easier.” Dan Gore, Co-Owner

Located in the affluent Leeds suburb of Garforth, Jigger & Jar is a busy, premium destination cocktail bar. Alongside a bespoke cocktail list created by owners Dan Gore and Claire Macklam, J&J also includes a great selection of beers and wine, as well as coffee and cakes, and a sharing board food menu.

Having previously run a mobile cocktail bar from a VW Beetle, Dan and Claire opened Jigger & Jar in 2019. “There’s nothing else quite like us in the area that can match the product we can produce,” says Dan. The business switched to the Tabology Bar EPOS system when their previous system was withdrawn.

“The Tabology system was recommended to us,” says Dan, “and I already knew Mark from Tabology. He gave us a crash course, and we could see that it was similar to the old system, which we liked, but that the back office in particular was much better. It’s easy to monitor live sales, and to configure the product reports to the way we want them,”

Jigger & Jar offers table service, as “our core customers are couples, and groups of friends, and there’s a more relaxed atmosphere when people are sitting at tables rather than queuing at the bar” says Dan, “We wanted to show that you can offer restaurant-quality service in a cocktail bar setting, and because our drinks are freshly made to order, it means we can control the flow of service.”

Orders are taken on iPads by waiting staff at the table, and are sent to the team at the bar. ”We were able to keep the existing iPads and terminals, which was very helpful, and we were able to tweak the product pages, so they display the way we want them, rather than have to conform to a template”, says Dan.

With Tabology’s help, all products and cocktail recipes have been uploaded into the Tabology Bar EPOS, so “although our bar staff are well trained and know what they’re doing, the recipes and other information is there if they need to check anything. Our focus on cocktails means that there was a lot of detailed product information about the brands we use that need to be loaded, and in the right place for staff to access. We were very pleased with how smoothly that went.”

The business also uses the Tabology Bar EPOS Table Plan function. ”There’s a really useful summary page where we can see all the open tabs, which is another thing that wasn’t available to us previously. Many of our customers go out as groups of friends, so being able to split the bill easily is very important – it’s another cool function that we’re pleased with.”

Dan adds: “We really like the instant back office function, so we can see live sales. The previous system had something similar, but it wasn’t as in-depth as the Tabology system. It’s also great that we can access it from anywhere, as it formats really well on an iPad. I can also check on stock levels.”

"Tabology’s live support via the Telegram app means any issues can be resolved quickly." Overall, sums up Dan, “for what we need it to do, Tabology has totally hit the spot. It’s made our lives a lot easier.”

To find out more about our Bar EPOS , and how it could work in your venue, get in touch.

Room 305, Whitley Bay

frankie@tabology.com (Frankie Neale) — Wed, 21 Sep 2022 14:29:43 GMT

“When, I first spoke to them, I could tell they were hospitality specialists. They understood what I needed, and tailored the system to our business.” Gill Hacioglu, Co-Owner - Room 305.

Located in the busy town centre of Whitley Bay on the Northumberland coast, Room 305 is popular restaurant and bar, serving freshly cooked Greek and Turkish dishes, as well a broad range of drinks including cocktails.

Having initially traded as a coffee shop when it opened five years ago, Room 305 upgraded its kitchen during the covid lockdown, enabling it to add a much more extensive menu, as well as expanding its popular cocktail offer.

When its existing EPOS system failed to cope with the needs of the expanded business, Room 305 switched to Tabology’s Restaurant EPOS system , making the choice based on a recommendation from an existing Tabology customer.

Co-owner Gill Hacioglu says: “We need something that would integrate with the Xero accounting system, as well as with our card provider. We also wanted a system that worked on iPads, which we already used. Tabology just fit the bill, it’s everything in one system. When, I first spoke to them, I could tell they were hospitality specialists. They understood what I needed, and tailored the system to our business.

“They took our menus and input them onto the system, so everything was just ready to go on the day we went live.”

The venue is open during the daytime from Monday to Thursday, with evening opening and more of a lively atmosphere on Friday and Saturday. “People will book for a meal, but they’ll stay and have a drink, and we also get some walk-in trade later in the evening.” Whitley Bay is a popular holiday destination, and Room 305’s town centre location means it appeals to both local customers and tourists. Summer 2022 saw a significant increase in seasonal trade, says Gill.

Front of house at Room 305, the EPOS system is used to take customer orders, run tabs and manage payments. Using the Table Plan ensures that orders are taken, drinks prepared, food orders printed to the kitchen, and delivered to the correct table. It can also be used to split bills and record tips.

“We also use the back office functions for stock management, and to calculate GP,” says Gill. “With food prices changing so frequently at the moment, it’s so useful to be able to enter your cost price, and use the GP calculator to see what the menu price needs to be.”

Gill also finds the staff sign-in very useful. “If there’s ever a query on a bill, I can see who handled it, who took the payment, whether it was a split bill, and so on. I can open the back office from wherever I am, and check what’s happened, and speak to the staff member involved. We also do some customer and staff discounts, and it’s useful to be able to check who’s putting those through.

“I don’t have to be on site to check something, I can keep an eye on the business in real time, as well as historically, from anywhere. That’s really useful.”

She adds: “Tabology’s customer service is far and away the best I’ve come across from any supplier. If you have a query, you can use the Telegram chat and they reply instantly.”

To find out more about our Restaurant EPOS , and how it could work in your venue, get in touch.

Using your Cafe EPOS to offer multiple ordering & delivery options

frankie@tabology.com (Frankie Neale) — Thu, 08 Sep 2022 13:49:52 GMT

As the hospitality industry has well and truly kicked back into life, and the initial flurry of excitement of eating and drinking in venue dies down, we believe that the innovative ways of selling developed during the pandemic are here to stay. Consumers have come to expect more choice and flexibility, the more open & available your business can be for your customers, the better. Here we consider how Café’s and Coffee Shops can use their EPOS system to continue offering customers more ways to purchase.

Pre Covid, the high street and demands of consumers were already changing. The convenience of online shopping vs. in store was apparent within retail, and businesses were needing to adapt their strategies to provide multiple ways to buy. This was already beginning to filter down into the hospitality industry with the likes of Greggs exploring delivery and wholesale channels, Café Nero & Starbucks apps allowing you to pre-order your drinks for collection, and Deliveroo and Uber Eats giving customers the chance to get restaurant food at home.

Covid not only accelerated any plans or pilot schemes big businesses had in the pipeline, but also meant smaller independent venues needed to adapt quickly in order to keep revenues coming in.

In Venue

We have previously looked at the continued use of ordering apps in venue, now restrictions have been lifted. Whilst there are reports of QR Code fatigue, and many customers are keen to order from waiting staff or at the bar now they can, as long as you’re not forcing customers to use mobile ordering apps, it’s a great idea to keep them running as an option. A percentage of your customer base continuing to use ordering apps, will reduce queues at the counter, and makes your venue more accessible for those who may not be able to stand in a queue, or parents with small children. It also makes ordering that impromptu piece of cake for dessert so easy!

Our food & drink app is included as standard with the Essentials package of Tabology’s EPOS system, and being web based, means customers don’t need to download any specific apps.

Click & Collect

As workers return to the office, coffee shops are set to welcome back their flock of morning commuters. Having the ability to order a coffee from their phone ahead of time, for it to be waiting for them to simply pick up as they pass your venue could be the deciding factor on where this time poor bunch go for their morning caffeine fix.

Why not tap into them again on their way home? When the pandemic struck, and Pret began offering delivery for customers, they were surprised to find orders come in later in the day than their shops typically catered for. Having cook at home food options for your customers to collect as they pass on their way home could see a whole new revenue stream for your business.

Tabology’s integrated food & drink ordering app can be accessed via a link on your website or social platforms for customers to order via, their orders are handled by your EPOS with all the same functionality as a manually keyed order, i.e. hot drinks orders delivered to a barista & food orders delivered to the kitchen. If you’re collecting email addresses, you could even notify customers of any food left at the end of the day available at reduced prices, reducing food wastage.

Delivery

We’ve all read about the huge increase in spend across the delivery sector, with many hospitality venues using this as their main source of trade during lockdowns and periods of restriction. With the phrase ‘hospitality at home’ being coined, covering everything from subscription meal boxes, cook or finish at home meals, home cocktail kits and the familiar ready to eat food delivery options. Consumers are loving having a variety of their favourite food & drink options available at home and this trend doesn’t seem to be slowing now venues have opened their doors again.

Unless your venue demand is huge, you’re unlikely to want to manage your own delivery drivers, so will want to use a service like Deliveroo, Uber Eats, Just Eat etc. to manage everything for you. The downside here, is you can end up with multiple screens and systems to manage receiving orders from each platform, manually keying orders back into your EPOS. Our Café EPOS system integrates with all these delivery platforms for you, pulling all the orders directly into your main EPOS to be handled in the same way as an in-venue order.

The hospitality industry has shown it’s agile, fast paced and able to adapt quickly to ongoing changes over the past 18 months, offering consumers a wealth of different ways to enjoy food and drink both in venue and at home. We believe the key to being able to continue to offer all of these extras alongside your day-to-day operation is having everything integrated into one system. Having the ability to receive any orders placed in one place will ensure a smooth service for customer and venue.

If you are considering switching EPOS and would like to know more on how we can help manage the transition for you, get in touch.

How to reduce the energy bills in your hospitality venue

frankie@tabology.com (Frankie Neale) — Tue, 06 Sep 2022 14:43:23 GMT

Every hospitality business is struggling with the astronomic rise in gas and electric bills. Reports are that businesses are being quoted over 400% of their previous costs, and prices are still rising.

For many businesses these increases are sadly unsustainable and as a result good, otherwise very viable, pubs and restaurants are already being forced to close.

For those that can manage to battle through this period (maybe with some long-awaited support from the government), or those on fixed term contracts that have a bit of time to prepare, we’ve looked at some practical ways you can reduce your bills.

Start with your kitchen

A commercial kitchen can account for up to 75% of a hospitality businesses gas and electric costs, so when looking to make savings this is a good place to start.

Refrigeration

Refrigeration alone can be responsible for over a third of a commercial kitchen’s energy costs.

Good maintenance of fridges and freezers can have a surprisingly high impact on the energy they use – incorrect temperature displays for example are a common fault that can long go undetected. Having your fridges and freezers serviced (either regularly, or even just a one off) to ensure they are working optimally could result in very rapid pay back and ongoing saving with current electricity costs.

If your fridges are quite old, it could be worth switching to a more energy efficient model. An A rated appliance uses around half the electricity of a D rated appliance (note for fridge freezers the old scale of A+++ to E has been replaced by the new A to D scale, where D is the equivalent of the old A+++).

With some businesses being quoted nearly £1 per kWh buying an A rated fridge instead of a D rated could save around £400 a year, resulting in a pay back of around 3 years. Given a D rated fridge was already A+++ on the old scale, if your fridges are very old the savings could be even higher.

Kitchen layout

The cost of new appliances may of course be more than many businesses can afford right now, but some could see benefits by simply moving the ones they have. Many commercial kitchens are laid out in a manner that suits the chef’s workflow, with little regard given to energy efficiency. However, a fridge that is next to a heat source, could end up costing up to 30% more than one placed in a separate area.

Re-configuring a kitchen isn’t always easy, but with these costs in mind it may be worth looking at.

Switching down or off

Ensuring a disciplined approach to switching appliances (such as grills, or heat lamps) down or off when not in use could result in savings of over 50% of the cost of the appliance. Attention needs to be paid to warm up times, but if your appliances are currently set too high for a whole shift, there could well be opportunities for big savings.

Adjust your food service hours

Adjusting your service hours could not only save on your energy bills, but also reduce the hours you need to staff the kitchen. Given the issues many businesses have recruiting for chefs and kitchen staff this could be a big help with two of the big challenges of the moment.

Look at your food sales for the current service times and check the revenue the kitchen is bringing in vs the cost of keeping it running. What may have been a justified level of sales a year ago might not be in the current environment.

EPOS hardware

Hardware should never be the main concern when looking for a hospitality EPOS system . However, in respect to reducing your energy bills its worth a note that replacing a PC based till system with an iPad-based cloud EPOS system could result in savings of over £200 per year per terminal.

Hang tight

While many forecasts indicate prices rising exponentially way into the future, bear in mind that negative forecasts make good headlines – these won’t necessarily come to fruition.

With current prices being so unsustainable for so many businesses it also seems very likely there will be some government support, and rumours of this are already starting to emerge. How much of an impact this will have and how inclusive it will be to all types and size of business remains to be seen, but there is hope that it could provide a much-needed lifeline to many.

So if you’re fortunate enough to still be in a fixed contract, or you have a business that can sustain the current levels for a little longer, hang tight and there will be better times ahead.

To find out more about our hospitality EPOS system , and how it could work in your venue, get in touch .

Thai time, Sussex

frankie@tabology.com (Frankie Neale) — Wed, 17 Aug 2022 14:47:33 GMT

“Tabology's support is amazing. They have the same small company ethos as us, and you get the personal service that you wouldn't from a larger company” Mark Williams, Co-Owner - Thai time.

Promising its customers no compromise and no substitutions, just 100% honest, authentic Thai cuisine, made using fresh local produce, Thai time operates two popular restaurants, in Arundel, West Sussex, and Forest Row, East Sussex. The business is now using Tabology’s Restaurant EPOS to manage both the eat-in and takeaway sides of its business.

Mark Williams, co-owner of Thai time, explains that ensuring that all its customers enjoy their meal at its optimum in terms of food freshness and quality has been one of the key benefits of switching to Tabology's Restaurant EPOS system, by allowing the business to manage demand.

“We have a strong takeaway trade alongside our restaurant business, and customers need to book early to get a collection slot, especially at busy times. We initially introduced the slot system during lockdown to manage social distancing, and it works well for us.

“When you’re cooking and serving fresh food to a high standard you can’t have orders coming in willy-nilly, because everyone would want the most popular time slots, which are likely to be the times when the restaurant is also busy, and the kitchen just doesn’t have the capacity. Tabology’s EPOS manages the process. We take a telephone order, so the collection slot we give the customer is recorded, and the kitchen knows when the food needs to be ready. That’s all managed through the till.”

Thai time implemented Tabology’s EPOS after looking to replace a previous system, “which served a purpose, but it was clunky. It was an adaptation of a system that had been developed for pop-up food businesses and market traders.”

After speaking to several recommended providers, Mark felt he developed a rapport with Tabology, and was impressed by both its willingness to adapt, and the speed at which changes could be implemented.

“While some of the software wasn’t exactly what we needed at first, as soon as we started suggesting features we’d like, they’d put them in the development pipeline. While with some companies, that pipeline would be very long, with Tabology what we’d asked for came through very quickly.”

An early win was the introduction of a ‘Mains Away’ button on the till. “Once we’ve cleared the starters, we need to let the kitchen know that we want the main meals. It’s much easier to press a button than to run in and tell them, and that was implemented quickly.”

Tabology’s Table Plan function on its Restaurant EPOS enables Thai time staff to see a graphical layout of the restaurant rather than simply a list of table numbers. “It means staff can find the tables easily, which is helpful when they’re new or if you’ve had to reconfigure tables, such as turn two fours into an eight. That often happens at Arundel in particular, when tables in the garden are moved or reconfigured, and we can make the change on the till very easily.”

Thai time staff have no issues with picking up the nuts and bolts of the EPOS, such as the printer routing function, which ensures that food orders print in the kitchen and drink orders go to the bar.

In addition, ”the payment side is very easy,” says Mark. “At Forest Row in particular, there are a lot of youngsters who want to split the bill, not equally but in terms of just paying for what they’ve had. Using our old system it was complicated – we would have to void certain items, ring others up to take the payment, and then bring back the voided items – which would print an order in the kitchen, so you’d have to go and tell them it’s not a new order! With Tabology, we can very easily select just the items we want to take payment for, and if someone needs to leave early, the tab continues for the others in the party.”

Overall, says Mark, “Tabology’s support is amazing. They have the same small company ethos as us, and you get the personal service that you wouldn’t from a larger company.

“All our key members of staff are part of the WhatsApp support group. They can ask a question at any time, and there’s always someone on hand. If it’s a more complicated problem, they ring us. Things do go wrong in a busy restaurant. For example, if the wi-fi goes down and you need help to restore the system when trading is busy, those are the times when you really need the support.”

To find out more about our Restaurant EPOS , and how it could work in your venue, get in touch.

How to capitalise on a winter World Cup

frankie@tabology.com (Frankie Neale) — Tue, 02 Aug 2022 15:11:44 GMT

After the historic Lionesses Euro win, this could be the turning point for women’s football, with a lasting legacy to come from it. A record 87,000 watched the final in the stadium and another 17.5 million on TV, so there is clearly a huge appetite of support there. In fact, Chelsea, Tottenham & Liverpool are all bringing key women’s matches into the main home stadiums, to accommodate larger audiences, and the BBC have scheduled to show Chelsea’s first match of the season. With the women’s World Cup just next year, in July & August we will all want to make sure we’re supporting the Lionesses from the start, and capitalising on the support in our venues.

We will cover this in another article closer to the time, but first we turn our attention to the next big event in international football, Qatar 2022 – no pressure lads!

Qatar World Cup 2022

This tournament is falling in winter for the first time, bringing its own set of challenges with it. This means that an already busy time of festive drinks and parties is going to clash with matches – and hopefully if England men’s do as well and the Lionesses, you can expect packed out pubs for matches all the way up until the 18th December. How can you look to make sure you’re making the most of both the Christmas trade and the World Cup?

Block out big matches

If you’re expecting to be full for the big matches, plan ahead and block them out in your venue now, this means that you won’t accidentally take any big Christmas bookings that will clash. Our in-built booking system allows you to block book out your whole venue, or sections of it with one click, ensuring customers won’t be able to book online when you can’t accommodate them. Any good bookings system will also allow you to do this.

Take deposits

With space at a premium this December, make sure you’re taking deposits from all bookings, whether they’re Christmas or footie bookings. Be clear with your cancellation policy, and when you will be keeping those deposits if parties reduce numbers or cancel last minute, ensuring that you won’t lose out or have empty tables.

Our in-built booking system allows you to easily email payment links to customers, making the whole process of taking a deposit super simple for you and them, as the money is allocated directly to the booking. Then when guests arrive you can pull up the booking on your pub EPOS system , and either refund the deposit, or switch it to a credit on a tab to be spent.

Also consider minimum spends across both footie bookings and parties – we’ve all had guests who might only have 1 pint across a whole midweek or afternoon match. When you could book out your tables 10 times over, you want to make sure you’re making the most from them.

Encourage early Christmas parties

The opening ceremony and first matches fall on the 21st November, so why not look to incentivise companies bringing their Christmas ahead of this date, perhaps offering a discount, or round of drinks to any parties held before the World Cup kicks off.

We’re obviously all keeping fingers & toes crossed that there isn’t going to be a winter resurgence of the dreaded C word again this year, but having Christmas parties spilling into November could mitigate against the sort of losses our industry felt over the past two years, when December parties were cancelled last minute.

Consider your menu

Most venues switch to a Christmas menu for the whole festive period – but on match days you might want a reduced menu, food that is quick and easy to make and deliver, but also easy to eat as it’s likely that not everyone will have a table if you’re busy. Plan ahead, and if you are going to be switching menus, make it clear what food is available on what days, the last thing you want is a booking turning up on a match night expecting Turkey and all the trimmings.

Having a reduced menu that is still Christmas themed (turkey and cranberry burgers, pigs in blankets on sharers etc.) will mean you’re using the same stock and not risking loads of wastage.

Utilise all your space

Don’t be afraid to make use of outside spaces to increase capacity. One of the things that the pandemic taught us, was that people are willing to meet outside, if you provide the right environment. If you’ve got shelter or heaters outside, and can set up a screen, you can increase your capacity and find a way to accommodate both your footie and festive customers.

Reduce queue times at the bar

Technology that has become common place in pubs and bars are apps allowing you to order and pay at your table. These will be popular during football matches, as customers don’t need to miss a minute of the action to place their orders. There was a huge influx of these during the pandemic, but the ones that have survived are those that are integrated with your EPOS system, meaning orders can’t get missed and stock and sales can be effectively tracked, as everything sits in one system and end of day report.

Check match timings

Due to the heat, match times will be later in Qatar, which is good news the for the UK, as even accounting for time differences, matches are still on at much more reasonable times. FIFA have confirmed matches will kick off at 10am, 1pm, 4pm & 7pm UK time. Check if you need any additional licences for 10am kick offs and apply in good time. The final rounds matches will kick off at 3pm & 7pm UK time, with a 3pm kick off for the final on Sunday 18th December.

With some careful consideration & planning, this could be a well-deserved bumper November and December for the pub & bar industry, with both the festive season and World Cup to capitalise on. Let’s just hope those Lions do as well as the Lionesses!

At Tabology we live and breathe hospitality - we even run our own pub! To find out more about our pub EPOS system , and how it could work in your venue, get in touch , we'd love to hear from you.

The Rainbow, Eastbourne

frankie@tabology.com (Frankie Neale) — Wed, 20 Jul 2022 15:07:54 GMT

"The thing that has impressed me the most about Tabology is the support. There's always someone on hand, and it's clear that they really want to help." Shoes Simes, Owner

The Rainbow is a busy, food-led pub in the popular East Sussex holiday resort of Eastbourne. With a large garden and two kitchens operating at busy times, owner Shoes Simes uses Tabology’s restaurant EPOS system to manage food and drink orders at the Rainbow, as well as her two other venues in the town.

The appeal of being able to have a single back office function offering oversight of all three businesses was a strong part of the appeal of Tabology when Shoes switched over from her previous EPOS system prior to the start of the busy summer 2022 holiday season.

She says: “With the previous system, I had to keep three browsers open, so I could skip between the till systems at each in order to see how things were going. With Tabology, I just go to the multi-site dashboard and click on whichever of the pubs I need to check on, which has made keeping an oversight of all three businesses much simpler.”

In terms of other benefits, Shoes was keen to gain the advantages of Tabology’s restaurant EPOS while still retaining features of the previous system she found useful, including ease of integrated card payments and, in particular, iPad compatibility.

“We’d already got iPads in the business, and any system that wouldn’t work with iPads wouldn’t be suitable. It also needed to be flexible, as while my two wet-led pubs, The Eagle and Dew Drop Inn offer service at the bar, the Rainbow is table service. We needed something that worked with both.”

The large garden at The Rainbow means that on sunny days and at the height of the tourist season, the pub can have up to 300 customers. Using portable iPads as EPOS terminals, means staff can take orders anywhere in the pub or garden.

“Taking orders at the table is really easy, there’s a button for every food and drink department, and all the information is to hand. That helps a new member of staff, who doesn’t have to remember everything straight away. If a customer asks about the product range, it’s there at the touch of a button.”

The Rainbow has an a la carte kitchen serving a full menu, as well as a garden kitchen operating during the summer season, as well as evenings and weekends, offering a simpler pizza and burger menu. “We’ve set up the Tabology Kitchen Management system so that whichever menu the customer chooses from, the order prints to the right kitchen.”

Shoes also uses Tabology’s Table Plan function, which gives an overview of which tables are occupied, and enables staff to run a customer tab. “Table Plan is most useful at the Rainbow; it means that we can be sure that food and drink is going out to the right tables, and that we can make sure customers are paying before they go.”

Overall, says Shoes, “the thing that’s by far impressed me the most about Tabology is the support. There’s always someone on hand, and it’s clear that they really want to help. Nothing’s too much trouble. Tabology are happy to make any changes we suggest, and to learn and grow with us as the business expands.”

To find out more about our Restaurant EPOS , and how it could work in your venue, get in touch.

The Wheatsheaf, Crowborough

frankie@tabology.com (Frankie Neale) — Tue, 21 Jun 2022 15:16:51 GMT

"If we put in the cost to us of a product, and the selling price, the system tells us what GP we're making, so we can adjust if needed." Peter Randall, Licensee.

The Wheatsheaf in Crowborough is, says licensee Peter Randall, “an old school, classic boozer.” He adds: “We’re a small pub in a fairly small town, and it’s nearly all local trade. Our business is mainly wet-led, and we do a little food as well.”

The Wheatsheaf has used the Tabology pub EPOS system for five years, managing food and drink sales to customers, as well as the integration with Xero (the pub’s cloud accounting system) to simplify the accounting process.

The pub, run by Peter and Becky Randall, serves traditional cask beers from Sussex family brewer Harvey’s as part of a broad drink range. “Our food and drink are all on the till, so when we we get a new guest ale in, it’s very simple to add a new code to the till, and our food menu also changes more-or-less daily. It’s straightforward to add something, or to make a change to prices on the till,” says Pete

“It’s great from the back end as well; if we put in the cost to us of a product, and the selling price, the system tells us what GP we’re making, so we can adjust it if needed.”

Additional features of the Tabology pub EPOS system proved invaluable to the Wheatsheaf when the initial COVID lockdown in 2020 shut down the hospitality sector. In response to regulars who were anxious to show their support, the pub set up a customer account system.

“When we were shut, we enabled customers to buy vouchers, which we added as a member balance to their account on the EPOS. It generated cash flow for us while we were essentially taking no money, and allowed regulars to support their local.”

When the pub reopened and was initially required to log contact information, the fact that so many regulars had opened customer accounts streamlined the process. “It was easier to just check them in and out on their members’ account, than to have to worry about taking their contact details each time.”

The customer accounts have continued to proved their worth, says Peter. “What happens now is that people will come in and stick, say, £100 on their account, and when it’s gone we can just give them a nudge and they can top their balance up again.

“Through the membership system on the EPOS, we can track when people have been in, what they’ve purchased and how much they’ve spent. Also, if we haven’t seen a customer for a while, we can check with them that everything’s all right. We’ve done that a few times.”

The Wheatsheaf was also able to use the EPOS system to manage table service and outdoor-only trading when required by COVID regulations. “One member of staff could be in the garden with an iPad taking orders, which would appear on the iPad behind the bar, where another staff member was pouring the drinks, which the first member could collect and deliver to the table. It all worked brilliantly,” The pub is now back to taking orders at the bar, but knows the option for table service is there if needed.

Peter adds: “The Tabology system is very easy for staff to pick up. I love the fact that Tabology is always expanding on it – a few times, I’ve emailed them to suggest something, and they say they’re already working on it!” One example was the table plan function. “Now, we can bring up a plan of the whole pub, showing the layout of the tables, and we know which have a tab running on them, which are free, and so on.”

Stocktakes are made easy with the EPOS, by keeping track of deliveries, sales and any waste.

“We can do all the stocktakes through the till. I can log on and it will tell me how many bottles of Peroni I should have, for example, so I can see straight away if anything’s not right.”

To find out more about our Pub EPOS , and how it could work in your venue, get in touch.

Top 5 features to look for in a Bar EPOS when selling cocktails

frankie@tabology.com (Frankie Neale) — Wed, 08 Jun 2022 15:43:38 GMT

Sales of cocktails in the on trade have increased 8% compared to Q1 of 2020 the latest CGA mixed drinks & cocktails data shows. This was to be expected, given a cocktail or perfectly mixed drink really offers consumers something they have been unlikely able to replicate well at home during the pandemic.

So given cocktails are higher price and higher margin drinks, you’re missing a trick if you’ve not got at least some simple classics on your menu. We take a look at key features your Bar EPOS should include to aid in selling cocktails, and more importantly keeping a track on the stock and sales to ensure you achieve these higher margins.

1. Cocktail instructions

Whether you have a long list of cocktails on the menu, changing seasonal additions, or you’re just serving up the classics, customers will expect their drinks to look & taste great no matter who made them behind the bar. Add to this the well publicised staff shortages across the industry, and you’ll want a way to ensure consistency across your serves without needing to supervise every drink made. With our bar EPOS you can add staff notes to every product, giving step by step instructions and images, ensuring consistency. These notes are available to staff at the touch of a button from the EPOS screen.

Alex Morris, General Manager of Moonshine bar talks about his this feature is helping him speed up service, and help get staff new to the industry up to speed.

2. Promotions and happy hours

Promotions and happy hours have always been a great way for venues to draw customers in for their first drink, knowing that they will likely stay for a second, if not the evening. There are a number of ways an EPOS can deal with promotions, ranging from manually entering the discounts, using different product buttons during happy hours, or automatically applying relevant discounts as you key in an order. Our Bar EPOS automatically applies discounts, you simply set up parameters for any promotion on the back office, availability, products they relate to, if they just apply to loyalty members or a subset of your customer base & the system does the rest. Leaving staff to focus on serving great food and drinks, rather than remembering which promotions are relevant when and handling any manual processes.

You’ll want to keep an eye on how much the promotions are costing you, to sense check they’re worth running. We offer a promotions report, which will detail how often the promotion or offer was redeemed, as well as the cost to you - i.e. how much you have discounted the sale by.

3. Recipes and nested recipes

When it comes to cocktails, you’ll be using measures of multiple stock items to make each drink. Any good hospitality focused EPOS with stock management capabilities should allow you to add recipes (for both food and drink items) detailing all the ingredients used in a product, and deduct accordingly from your stock levels. For example, for every Espresso Martini you sell, the EPOS will deduct the correct amounts of vodka, Kahlua & coffee.

Our bar EPOS also allows you to add and track nested recipes. This means you can add a recipe for an item you make on site, that then forms an ingredient itself. The sugar syrup you will likely add to that Espresso Martini for example. Setting this up with its own recipe, and adding a measure of it to your Espresso Martini recipe will keep track on the sugar needed and used, and flag when you’re running low and need to order more, in your suggested orders.

This function would also work if you’re making your own sauces or batch cooked items in your kitchen.

4. Cost price & GP tracking

To make sure you’re achieving the higher margins cocktails have to offer, you should know how much each drink costs you to make, and mark it up accordingly for your sale price. Adding recipes as detailed above to your back office, will help you do this. Our Bar EPOS has stock management software that calculate the cost price automatically for you when adding a recipe, and will show you the GP you’re making in comparison to the sale price you set, allowing you to tweak the sale price if needed. In the current volatile market, you’re no doubt seeing prices of your stock increase week on week. Our back office will automatically increase the cost price of your drinks based on the rising cost of the raw ingredients, giving you the chance to increase sale prices if you need to.

5. Mobile ordering

By now you have likely worked out if your venue is one where mobile ordering has an ongoing place or not. If customers like the flexibility of being able to order another round of drinks, without leaving their table, or if your customers have had enough of the digital interaction and reverted in full back to ordering at the bar.

If you’re a venue that has decided offering mobile ordering alongside bar service is popular, consider the placement of your higher margin products on the menu, and how you can make them look as eye catching as possible. When launching with our mobile ordering app during the pandemic, Mojo Bars placed their cocktails at the top of their menu, and saw a 350% increase in sales of cocktails. You should also consider including images of delicious looking serves to entice customers. You could use the same images you’re using in the staff notes, so the bar staff are making a drink that looks exactly as the customer is expecting it to.

Keeping in mind all the points above, if you are a venue using mobile ordering, you should be looking for a solution that is fully integrated with your Bar EPOS. This means all the drinks ordered via this method will feed into the stock tracking, reporting and will also automatically trigger any relevant promotions and discounts.

To find out more about our Bar EPOS , built specifically for the hospitality industry, and how it could work in your venue, get in touch.

The George, Tiffield

frankie@tabology.com (Frankie Neale) — Wed, 25 May 2022 08:58:41 GMT

"Tabology is spot on. When you have a system that you use every bit of functionality on, that's the system for you." Michael Pearson, Licensee.

The George at Tiffield is a village pub close to Towcester, Northamptonshire, with great food and drink complemented by popular events such as acoustic and open mic music nights, and regular pub quizzes.

The pub has also reinforced its place at the heart of village life with the opening of a shop, using Tabology’s pub EPOS system to process sales of both pub food and drink, as well as groceries and other essentials sold by the shop.

Licensees Martin Steele and Laura Cook began using Tabology in early 2021, having taken over the pub the previous year. Martin says, “we’re very much a village pub, with mainly local trade.” The George has a large garden as well as two indoor trading areas, and part of the initial appeal of Tabology’ EPOS was the ability to take mobile orders while the pub had to offer outside service, and then table service only, in response to Covid regulations. “That has been very useful.”

The George serves a regularly changing range of beers, a full drinks range including hot drinks, and supplements its core food menu with specials from Thursday to Sunday, which can include favourites such as liver & bacon, Thai curry, slow cooked beef short ribs and other freshly prepared dishes, often spotlighting local suppliers.

“Food is about 25% of total trade, but it’s very important to us,” says Martin. All food and drink products are listed on the EPOS, enabling staff to take orders with a touch of a button. Two printers are linked to the EPOS, with food orders sent to one in the kitchen, while another prints receipts in the bar.

“We’re adding new products all the time, and taking others off, which Tabology makes very simple,” says Martin. “For new beers and guest ales, we can pull in the brewers’ descriptions and tasting notes directly from the Untappd website with a simple widget on the EPOS.

“For specials, we have menu boards to say what’s on, and we have buttons on the EPOS called ‘Special 1’ and Special 2’ so staff can take the order. If we need to update the price, depending, on what the dish is, we can do that easily.”

The village shop was initially a response to Covid, as many local residents were unable to travel and there was also a need to help combat the social isolation of lockdown. The response to the offer means the shop is now a permanent addition, allowing The George to broaden their revenue stream. “Initially the shop was to help people who couldn’t get out, but they still use the shop now, so we’ve kept it going.”

"We use Tabology’s digital menu screens, which are linked directly to the EPOS displaying the products available from the shop, changing to reflect availability, with much of the produce coming freshly from local suppliers."

Martin also praises the support available from Tabology. “If we ever have any issues, we just put a message on the WhatsApp and they get back to us in no time at all. For example, when we weren’t sure how to put a discount onto a product, and they talked us through it and also sent us a video link. They also talked us through resetting the printers when we needed to.”

To find out more about our Pub EPOS , and how it could work in your venue, get in touch.

The Wych Elm, Kingston Upon Thames

frankie@tabology.com (Frankie Neale) — Wed, 11 May 2022 14:12:50 GMT

"Tabology is spot on. When you have a system that you use every bit of functionality on, that's the system for you." Michael Pearson, Licencee.

The Wych Elm is a popular, family-run neighbourhood pub in Kingston Upon Thames, south west London. Licensee Michael Pearson says: “We’ve deliberately kept a traditional pub style for the business, with a strong local trade. We have a 60/40 wet/food split, although at the weekend our food trade increases.”

The pub has used the Tabology pub EPOS system since 2019. As well as taking customer orders and payment, the system is integrated with the pub’s Xero accounting system, simplifying their financial processes and allowing them to have a real time view of how the pub is performing.

As well as a regularly changing range of beers from both Fuller’s and guest brewers, the Wych Elm has a broad drinks range including wine and cocktails. All food is fresh and cooked to order, with the core menu of British pub food classics complemented with more premium daily specials, such as fresh fish, chateaubriand, and lobster.

“We serve whatever is in season or available, and it’s very straightforward to update the till with menu specials, guest beers and so on,” says Michael. “Tabology's pub EPOS is very intuitive, and simple for staff to use.”

It was this intuitiveness that helped Michael decide on Tabology, after considering several EPOS systems. “For pubs, the more efficient we can be in terms of technology the better. I was looking for a till system that wasn’t a sledgehammer to crack a nut. Tabology does everything that a pub needs. It’s spot on. When you have a system that you use every bit of functionality on, that’s the system for you.”

The ability to simply implement additional services when COVID lockdown measures were mandated in 2020 was further evidence for Michael that he’d made the right decision. “I felt that we were way ahead of the game during the initial lockdown, when our customers were able to order food and drink for click-and-collect or delivery, using a button on the website linked to the till.

“Then, when we were back trading again, we were able to implement table service straight away. We hit the ground running as soon as we were able to open, and so we stole a march on the competition in our area. From a customer perspective, it was the most simple-to-use application out there, and it linked directly with our till system.”

Table ordering via QR code also proved efficient in staffing terms. “We’re a large pub with a big garden, and there were customers everywhere. We were able to minimise staff to-ing and fro-ing, it was just customers ordering their food via the app, and us delivering it.”

Click-and-collect is also now a permanent part of the pub’s offer, “customers just click on the link and the order goes straight to the till.”

The success of its response to COVID saw the Wych Elm win the Resilience and Adaptation Award in the Kingston Borough Business Awards 2021, as well as being a finalist in both the Marketing & Social Media, and Excellence in Customer Service categories.

Michael also praises Tabology for taking customer feedback on board, with the pub seeing the benefits of improvements to the functionality of the booking and table numbering systems.

He sums up: “The back-up is great. I was initially quite sceptical about the level of support promised, but Tabology are very quick to respond, at any time of day or night. There’s always somebody at the other end of the message, and the response time is pretty rapid – which is what we need, because if something happens, it’s always when you’re busy.”

To find out more about our Pub EPOS System , and how they could work in your venue, get in touch.

Managing tips in a cashless world

frankie@tabology.com (Frankie Neale) — Wed, 04 May 2022 16:17:45 GMT

In a world where an increasing number of venues are making the decision to go cashless, and consumers are now far less likely to carry cash, how can you manage tips and service charges made electronically, and ensure the correct distribution to staff members?

Most people are familiar with the method of adding a tip of gratuity to their bill on a card machine, however you will still want a way of tracking these amounts and keeping them separate from your revenue, which your EPOS can manage for you.

There are three main ways you can add tips using Tabology’s hospitality EPOS - any good hospitality-focused EPOS system should give you similar options.

1. Adding a tip on the EPOS

The most straightforward way, you simply press the ‘tip’ button, which allows you to enter the value of the gratuity when you’re cashing off an order. This is perfect for when a specific amount has been left, rather than when someone has rounded up their bill and you need to calculate how much the tip is.

2. Convert an overpayment to a tip

In contrast to the method above, this is great for when a consumer has rounded up their bill, so you don’t want to spend the time working out exactly what the tip value is. By adding the full value paid when cashing off on order, you will see a ‘convert to tip’ button next to the change value. Allowing you to register that someone has left a tip.

3. Set a service charge

You can also choose to automatically add a service charge to an order. Setting your own criteria, which a table must meet before this happens, e.g. over a certain number of covers. You can also amend the % added to suit you and your venue, and easily remove the service charge for a particular tab if needed.

4. Take tips on mobile orders

If you set a service charge, this will be shown on mobile orders , either as an optional or mandatory charge depending on your settings. You can also allow customers to add a tip to the value of their choosing with our tip slider, selecting their preferred percentage.

So great, you’ve hopefully got some easy options to ensure you’re able to register in the EPOS that you’ve received some tips. However, in order to pass these payments onto your staff, you need a way of tracking and identifying who is owed what.

If your staff each keep their own tips, you can assign a tip owner to any tab or table with Tabology’s EPOS. You can then create a tip report on either a daily / weekly / monthly basis, giving you a full breakdown of who is owed what.

Also with our Xero integration , you can post to a specific tips account, which will keep track of what has been received so you know what needs paying out to staff.

Remember that as an employer, you are responsible for ensuring staff pay any relevant tax & NI on their tips if you are collating them and paying them out, in addition to your own business contributions. If you’re a Xero user, our integration will allow you to pay out via payroll, making all the necessary subtractions. Or simply include the tips in your usual payroll method.

If all this sounds like too much admin, you could look at an external tip management solution, such as TiPJAR . This takes the responsibility away from you as a business completely, and removes the need for you to pay any employers NI contributions on the tips. Consumers leave tips for staff by either scanning a QR on the bottom of their receipt, or you can install a contactless reader at your bar or exit. Venues using our mobile ordering solution can easily add a TiPJAR, or similar link to the confirmation page once an order has been placed.

With the right EPOS you can easily manage and keep track of tips in a cashless world. If you’re interested in finding out more, get in touch.

* Financial Times, 5th May 2022

Curious Taverns, Multi-Site Operator

frankie@tabology.com (Frankie Neale) — Mon, 04 Apr 2022 13:56:38 GMT

"The support we get from Tabology is a lot better than anything I've experienced when working on other systems at other companies It's pretty much 24/7 and it's instant." Jake Castleman, Owner .

Curious Taverns is an expanding pub operator in Northumberland, currently operating four sites: The Pig in Muck café bar in Alnwick; micropubs the Cock and Bull in Amble and the Foxes Den in Felton; and the newly-added Black Swan in Alnwick, which is a larger, traditional pub.

With a diverse portfolio of outlets as well as a broad product range, Curious Taverns uses Tabology’s Pub EPOS system across all four sites. Owner Jake Castleman first experienced Tabology when working for another pub company, and was keen to use it from the outset when he set up his own business.

With a drinks offer across the venues offer that includes freshly-made cocktails, a broad wine list, and a constantly changing line-up of cask and craft beers in the micropubs, Jake singles out the ability to easily add and update products as a key benefit of the system.

“It allows us to work seamlessly across the venues,” he says. “We can update the tills at each site from our phones, which is much more efficient than having to go on to a computer or back-of-house system.”

Curious Taverns also use the system to encourage its full customer base to use the different pubs, according to the occasion. “We’ve linked our membership card scheme, that operates across all the venues to the Tabology system,” says Jake. As well as accruing loyalty points that unlock discounts, members can also buy gift vouchers, which thanks to the Tabology system, are easily redeemable across the venues.

“The vouchers are popular because they can be used to buy food and drink at all the sites, and customers can spend some of the value at one site and save the balance for another.”

In terms of staff using the system, “it’s really easy; a lot of it is self-explanatory. It needs very little training.” Curious Taverns also use the Tabology Clock-In system for staff starting and finishing shifts. “They need to clock-in to use the till, so there are no late clock-ins or clock-outs.”

Curious Taverns also uses the Tabology GP Calculator back office function extensively, helping to ensure correct pricing as products change. The system automatically calculates the cost of recipes and displays GP to the user as sale prices are entered.

Overall, “the support we get from Tabology is a lot better than anything I’ve experienced when working on other systems at other companies. It’s pretty much 24-7 and it’s instant.”

To find out more about our Pub EPOS , and how it could work in your venue, get in touch.

Hospitality systems - when, where & how to integrate

frankie@tabology.com (Frankie Neale) — Wed, 23 Mar 2022 11:38:24 GMT

With the ever-increasing range of apps & technologies available to help you run your hospitality business, integration between systems is now essential.

Your hospitality EPOS is at the heart of your business and contains a wealth of data that can be put to effective use by other systems, from staff scheduling tools to accounting platforms. Many systems also feed into your EPOS, whether you’re taking mobile orders from a table service app , or deposits from a booking system .

In this article we look at the different ways in which you can integrate different systems and the pros & cons of each.

1. Manual / no integration

If two systems rely on the same data, but are not integrated, there will need to be a level of manual interaction between them. This could be as simple as a user reading from one system and entering into another, or exporting data from one system to load into another.

Examples of manual integrations are:

A mobile ordering system that is not linked to an EPOS, resulting in staff needing to key orders into the till
A booking system that is not linked to an EPOS, resulting in staff needing to check multiple systems and key deposits into their EPOS
An EPOS system that is not linked to an accounts platform, resulting in a bookkeeper needing to manually enter sales, purchases and payments into the accounting system
An EPOS system that is not linked to a card machine, meaning staff need to key the amount to be paid into the card machine

Pros:

If there is no existing integration option, and any interactions are simple and infrequent, manual integration could be preferable to a high up-front cost to develop a custom integration

Cons:

High ongoing cost of time moving data between systems
Error prone as mistakes can easily be made keying from one system to another
Opportunities for fraud through deliberate mis-keying

2. Third party integration

Two systems that rely on some common data but are provided by different companies may be able to talk to each other via a third-party integration . This is where one company publishes an API (Application Programming Interface) or SDK (Software Development Kit) which enables other systems to communicate with it.

Examples of third-party integrations are:

An EPOS system that sends sales, purchases and payments to an accounting system
A delivery service that sends orders to an EPOS
A booking system that sends deposit information to an EPOS
An EPOS that sends card payment amounts to a connected card machine

Pros:

Ongoing manual effort is reduced or removed
Elimination of manual keying errors, or deliberate fraud
Wide choice of multiple different third-party systems for each function

Cons:

Potential up front cost to implement for custom integrations (though not if the systems already have an integration available)
Data available to systems is limited to exactly what is shared, which can limit what you can do with the integration
Issues require two companies’ resources to resolve, making them difficult to troubleshoot & fix
Feature requests or improvements will involve buy in from two companies

3. Integrated by design

A system that is built to include multiple functions, that would usually require separate systems, is integrated by design. There is no need for a third-party integration as the functions are part of one system so already have access to the same data.

Examples of integration by design are:

An EPOS system that incorporates a mobile ordering system so orders feed straight into the EPOS
An EPOS system that incorporates a booking system, so bookings can be accessed on the EPOS and deposits easily accounted for
An EPOS that incorporates a staff scheduling system, so sales information is readily available for forecasting & wage percentage calculations

Pros:

Ongoing manual effort is reduced or completely removed
Removal of manual keying errors
One system to log in to
One system for staff to learn
One point of contact for any questions or issues
Each function has access to all the data of all the incorporated functions leading to functionality that may not be possible with third party integrations
Improvements and feature requests only involve one company's buy in

Cons:

Limited choice of genuine Integrated by design systems
May involve some compromise on features vs multiple third-party systems

Conclusion

There is likely a place in most businesses for each type of integration. Where data transfer between systems is simple and infrequent, some manual effort to pass data from one system to another may be preferable to a complex and costly integration.

Third party integrations are a great option where two very different and complex systems need to share or pass data from one to another, and the ongoing effort of manual integration would prove very costly over time, such as an EPOS passing data to an accounting package.

Integrated by design is the optimal level of integration if you find can the key tools you need in one system, but may still need to be supplemented by manual or third-party integrations in areas where you have particularly complex or niche requirements.

Our hospitality EPOS is a genuine integrated by design system incorporating mobile ordering, booking system, stock management & staff scheduling tools. Our third-party integrations include popular accounting packages & delivery services. Contact our team now if you would like to learn more.

Hothams Gin School & Distillery

frankie@tabology.com (Frankie Neale) — Wed, 02 Mar 2022 13:06:39 GMT

"The Tabology system works well for us, and we like it because everything we need is in one place. It's the only holistic solution on the market that we thought was only good." Simon Pownall, Director and Co-Founder, Hothams Gin School & Distillery.

Hotham’s Gin School and Distillery has undoubtedly made its mark, with the combined bar and micro-distilling business, which offers Gin School and Rum School experiential events, named as winner of the White Rose Awards 2019 and 2020 for the best visitor experience in Yorkshire, as well as earning Hotham’s a silver medal at the Visit England Awards for Excellence.

The popular spirit schools, at which customers distil and bottle their own gin or rum, operates at weekends, and Hotham’s also has bars in both Hull and Leeds. The Hull venue, the Bar at 55, is currently transitioning to become a members-only VIP bar, targeting the city’s business, political and sports communities.

Hotham’s uses Tabology’s Bar EPOS system across both venues. Simon Pownall, director and co-founder, says: “In Hull, in particular, we’re really using the Tabology system to its full extent. We use the stock management, and reports functions, as well as for table booking reservations.

“The system works hard for us, and we like it because everything we need is in one place. It’s the only holistic solution on the market that we thought was any good.”

One area where the Tabology system comes into its own is in enabling serving staff to spotlight Hotham’s unique drinks range to bar customers. At the touch of a button on the EPOS you can pull up all the tasting notes and descriptions for a product. “As we distil our own spirits, we’re not really taking orders, it’s more of a consultation to find the product to match the customer,” explains Simon.

“Equally, if someone wants a dry white wine we can read out the descriptions to the customer of the various wines available. The ability for the team that wait the tables to have all of the product information available on the iPad works very well.”

He adds: “The interface on the Tabology system is very intuitive, so we don’t have a big training need. After half an hour on the system, they’re off and running. We offer both table and bar service, and every order goes through the EPOS system, and is printed out in either the bar or kitchen. Staff only work from those tickets, so you can guarantee that nothing is going to be forgotten to be rung through the till.”

This control also informs the back office when it comes to restocking and reordering for the bars. “The purchase order function gives us predictive ordering, telling us what to reorder.”

Simon also praises the technical support provided by Tabology. “To be able to send a WhatsApp to the support team in the middle of the night is absolutely fantastic. Nine times out of ten, it will be because we’ve done something wrong, but the guys on support are absolutely superb.

“If it’s not clear what we’re asking, we can send a video of the issue and they’re on it straight away."

"There are very few issues they can’t resolve on the spot, and most of those are self-inflicted.”

To find out more about our Bar EPOS , and how it could work in your venue, get in touch.

6 key features of a Restaurant EPOS

frankie@tabology.com (Frankie Neale) — Tue, 22 Feb 2022 12:23:18 GMT

An EPOS or electronic point of sale system is the central management system for your business. A restaurant EPOS system is not only responsible for processing orders & taking payments, it should help you to run your business. This can mean managing stock , generating relevant & insightful reports, managing staff, and even taking bookings.

Flexible table plan

Your restaurant EPOS should allow you to easily draw and edit bespoke table plans, reflecting your venue with not only tables but structural elements too. Creating multiple plans to use for different areas of your venue if needed.

Once you’ve created your table plan, you can use this across the EPOS screens to easily add orders to tables or view, print and pay bills.

Allergen & nutritional info

Allergens are a key consideration for a restaurant, so having all the relevant allergen information for your menu available to staff at the touch of an button, saves staff having to try and remember everything, or nip back and forth to the kitchen asking questions. You can also look to include all these allergens directly into the mobile ordering menu for guests to view directly themselves.

Nutritional info can also be included which will become mandatory for those businesses with over 250 staff to display on menus from 1st April. Whilst this won’t directly impact smaller businesses, customer expectations may begin to move in this direction once it becomes more common.

Flexible ordering options

Table side

Restaurants have moved away from staff writing down orders at the table and then heading back to a service area or bar to key the orders into the EPOS. Staff are looking to have a portable EPOS they can take to the table to input orders. This not only reduces errors and ensures orders are routed to the relevant areas as quickly as possible, but having the order process take place table side, means your EPOS can prompt questions about how food should be cooked and ensure staff are upselling sides and extras where possible.

Mobile ordering

Mobile ordering has become far more accepted during the pandemic, and while most restaurants and guests will likely favour having a personal interaction to place their first orders, having an integrated mobile ordering option just allows guests to quickly order additional drinks or desserts without needing to flag down a staff member. The integration element is key here, meaning all the orders come through directly into your EPOS and can’t be missed. You don’t want to be running two systems side by side and having to key orders from one system to another.

Click & collect or delivery

As venues were forced to close over the past two years some have found a really promising revenue stream from click & collect and delivery, which looks set to continue as customers now demand more exciting options when they eat at home.

A good restaurant EPOS should allow you to either manage a click & collect / delivery service yourself, saving you paying any third party fees for additional systems. Or be able to pull all the orders from the likes of Deliveroo, Uber Eats and JustEat into your EPOS, to manage everything centrally.

Our mobile ordering solution works in and out of venue, so you can direct customers to a web page to place orders for either click & collect or delivery if you have drivers to facilitate this. We also have the ability to pull orders through from other delivery platforms into your EPOS. This not only means orders can’t be missed, but your stock will be correctly managed, and all the revenue and profit will be included in your reporting.

Industry relevant reporting

Whatever size of restaurant you’re running you will want access to intuitive EPOS reporting and key insights in real-time. Tracking sales, stock, staff hours and expenditure, as well as the ability to track the popularity of particular menu items and specials.

We talk about what we consider to be the top 5 hospitality EPOS reports in a recent blog article.

Interactive kitchen screens

Whist routing printed tickets to different printers will work for many restaurants, there are some real benefits to be using an interactive kitchen screen .

These enable you to receive and acknowledge orders, keep track of who is preparing them and send ‘food ready’ messages to the front of house. Our restaurant EPOS also enables you to send other messages between front and back of house, for example a mains away message, or to let staff know that items have run out, or wait times have increased.

Using a kitchen screen enables better communication between front of house and the kitchen, allows you to track food service times, and cuts out unnecessary printing.

Booking system

Many restaurant EPOS systems will have a third party integration with existing booking software, enabling the two systems to talk to each other. This can work well if there is a particular booking system you want to use and it has a good integration with your EPOS. However, this does involve learning and paying for two separate systems and having your data split between them.

A fully in-built booking system , will see you making cost savings, but also ensure your customer has a smooth interaction process all the way through from booking enquiry through to arrival at the venue, with any deposits paid being credited to their tab on arrival. It also means all your data from the initial booking request to the sales made to the guests when they arrive is all in one system.

To find out more about our integrated Restaurant EPOS , and how it could work in your venue get in touch .

NOW Group, social enterprise

frankie@tabology.com (Frankie Neale) — Mon, 07 Feb 2022 12:39:14 GMT

"I'm a huge fan of the Tabology system, in terms of its ease of use and the reports that we can get. It has streamlined our organisation." Dwayne Kettlewell, Head of Operational Delivery for NOW Group.

NOW Group is a social enterprise, based in Belfast, which supports people with learning difficulties and autism into jobs with a future. As part of a broad range of services, NOW operates Loaf Catering, which currently runs five cafés.

These include three in Belfast - The Bobbin, Olympia, and Loaf Café and Bakery. There is also a café and pottery in Crawfordsburn, Co Down, and a café at the Ulster American Folk Park in Omagh.

The cafés serve coffee and drinks, snacks, and light meals, and a core part of the ethos is offering jobs and training in the skills needed to work in the hospitality sector. The offer is also being expanded to allow customers to order online for delivery and collection, which will be linked online to the group’s corporate catering business to offer an integrated ordering and delivery service.

Loaf uses the Tabology Cafe EPOS system , which is linked across all its sites and managed centrally by Dwayne Kettlewell, Head of Operational Delivery for NOW Group. “One key benefit for me is the ease with which I can operate the system centrally,” he says. “Our previous EPOS made it very difficult to makes changes; if we wanted to raise the price of a cup of tea, we had to make the change to each individual till system.”

Using Tabology, Dwayne is able to maintain a single database of products and pricing for all the food and drink items sold across the group, and tailor the EPOS for each site so that only relevant products are displayed. “For example, we only have one outlet that currently sells pizza, so it’s only on their EPOS, but if we want to add it to the menu at another site, I can do that instantly from my desk.

“Tabology is growing with us, so when we opened our fifth site recently, the whole finance piece in terms of setting up the till and the menu was done already, so I just had to press the button. I was able to set up all the options, and it’s really easy to add a new product or change the pricing. The staff in the outlets also find the EPOS very easy to use, and were able to start using its straight away.”

The Tabology system has also proved an asset to the back office. “Previously, a stock take was carried out at the end of the month, typed up, and handed to finance three days later. It’s now available instantly, so we’ve gained three days in our financial month. I’m a huge fan of the Tabology system, in terms of its ease of use and the reports that we can get. It has streamlined our organisation.”

Dwayne plans to introduce the takeaway and delivery functionality of Tabology’s EPOS.

“The Tabology WhatsApp group is very useful when we need that kind of support, and their online training manuals are also excellent.”

To find out more about our Cafe EPOS system , and how it could work in your venue, get in touch.

Top 5 hospitality EPOS reports

frankie@tabology.com (Frankie Neale) — Wed, 26 Jan 2022 12:51:30 GMT

One of the key benefits of a hospitality focussed EPOS system vs a generic EPOS system is the availability of relevant hospitality POS reports . In this article we look at the 5 reports we think are most useful to running a successful hospitality business.

Itemised Sales Report

The itemised sales report is probably the most widely used report on any hospitality EPOS system . The detail available will vary between systems, but essentially this is an itemised list of any sales made during a given time window.

A useful aspect of a good itemised sales report is an effective search function. With this you can quickly and easily drill down into the sales of any product, or category of products, to see quantities sold, sales value and gross profit all in one place.

Other useful features are grouping options to see for example, how much each staff member is selling, or how online orders are doing vs in-house orders.

Stock Report

You can easily see the gross profit you should have made on your itemised sales report, but the stock report will show you what you are really making after any losses are taken into account.

The aim is for your actual gross profit to be close to your potential, but where differences arise the stock report will help you to identify the issues causing them.

Correct product set up is critical to a food stock tracking function. Our hospitality EPOS system uses product templates allocated to each category, so any new products created automatically include the correct stock settings.

Staff Costs Report

After your stock, your staff are likely to be your biggest cost, so keeping a close eye on your wage bill can make an enormous difference to your bottom line. The key figure on your staff costs report is your wage as a percentage of sales, but other useful figures are total hours and sales per staff hour.

Underlying the staff costs report will be detailed rota and sales information, which you should be able to drill down into to see specific days or times where you might be over or understaffed.

Many EPOS systems will integrate with a separate staff scheduling system, which will show this information, though having it all in one system means all the data is in place for one of the most useful hospitality EPOS reports…

P&L Report

A P&L (profit & loss) report is one of the most useful reports you can have on an EPOS as it can provide the clearest indication of how your business is performing.

This report won't be available on all systems, as the EPOS needs to hold relevant data on all areas of the business. Where it is available it can give you an immediate estimate of your profit for a specific day, week, or month, so you know exactly how your business is performing.

Email Reports

Email reports may include much of the same data covered by the reports already mentioned, but in terms of usefulness they stand out as a category on their own.

For anyone limited by time (and in this industry, who isn't?) receiving key metrics via email each day, week or month can be a great way to give you a view on how your business is performing. The quicker it can do this the better, so information such as total sales, and how these compare to last week or last year, are great metrics to include.

Our hospitality EPOS system includes all the above reports without any need for third party integrations. To find out more, get in touch .

Guest blog: Shaun Treasure, The Thirsty Bear

frankie@tabology.com (Frankie Neale) — Tue, 18 Jan 2022 13:04:27 GMT

Guest Blog: Shaun Treasure, The Thirsty Bear.

The first in our series of guest blogs comes from Shaun Treasure, the General Manager of our very own pub, The Thirsty Bear.

Named as a finalist in the Great British Pub Awards, Best Sports Pub Category, The Thirsty Bear was recognised for the benefits of the tech we have in venue – iPad Menus and self-serve taps on table – and the flexibility we have with the number of screens and ability to show more than one sporting event at a time.

As such (Covid aside), we are always fully booked for all the key sporting events. However, recently we have been trying to broaden our customer base outside of just sports. We don’t want to become so synonymous with sports that we alienate other customers and have empty tables outside of the sporting calendar.

Here are my 5 top tips, if you also looking to branch out and attract a different type of clientele.

1. Look at your menu options

We’re using our product range to give customers a reason outside of sports to head in. We have relaunched our wine list with the help of our supplier to provide a decent selection, both by the glass and bottle. We will also look to refresh this list seasonally, listing more whites and roses in the warmer months.

Within the confines of our tie agreement, we’re seeking out more craft and interesting beers to stock on draught and regularly rotate the guest ale on offer.

Additionally, we have a great & extensive selection of gins available. Each paired with a complementary tonic or mixer and garnish. Coming in big Copa style glasses, they look great too. We offer a happy hour 2 for 1 offer on them after work to pull people in for their first drink.

2. Tap into the local community

We’re on the same street as halls of residence for a local university. Not only have we been lucky enough to find some great bar staff among the students to join our team, we are catering for the student market in venue too. Specifically, the large number of American students that live in the buildings, we hosted a big Thanksgiving event, and we’ve applied for a late licence for the SuperBowl.

We also offer student discounts and activities like beer pong for them on quieter nights.

3. Attract the corporates

With news of the ‘work from home’ advice to come to an end in the coming weeks, we think this is a great opportunity to renew our relationships with nearby offices and companies.

We’re offering lunch promos, either a set menu offer, or an agreed discount for nearby offices. We are also lucky enough to have a space that we can hire out for private use, for office drinks and celebrations.

As a central London venue, there are also a couple of conference centres nearby, and we’re in discussions with them to host post conference socials.

4. Calendar events

Every venue will have key calendar events that appeal to their usual customer base, and of course they should continue to focus on and promote these, but are there other events which could attract a different customer base?

We’re not the type of venue that would be popular for a couples Valentine celebrations, so we’re planning to focus on the Galentines / Palentines audience of friends socialising together.

We also like to support national charity days, running limited edition products and making a donation of profits from them.

5. Review your social content

We are making sure our social content is balanced between the existing audience and the new ones we’re trying to attract. As mentioned, we’re always full for the big sporting events, so we don’t publicise every specific match in an attempt not to put off non-sports fans. We try to shout about all of the things from the four points above we’re doing too!

With not only Covid, but a venue fire having hit us in the last 20 months, like many other hospitality venues it’s been the toughest of times. Prior to the Omicron curveball, October and November were a real glimmer of hope for us in terms of footfall and profits and a reminder just how much the public love the hospitality industry. Because let’s be honest, nothing at home can ever beat the perfectly made and served drink you’ll get in a pub, bar or restaurant!

Cheers,

Shaun.

With the right EPOS you can easily adapt to calendar events & changing customer demands. With our pub EPOS it’s quick and simple to add and update products, check your GP% & monitor what is selling well. You can also take bookings and deposits with our in-built bookings function if you sign up to the EPOS Pro Plan.

If you’re interested in finding out more, get in touch.

Moonshine, Southsea

frankie@tabology.com (Frankie Neale) — Mon, 20 Dec 2021 12:12:37 GMT

“Of the 15 staff that we have, there are only two with any real previous experience of working behind a bar. The plug-and-play nature of the Tabology system, as well as its intuitive layout, meant the on-boarding of new staff was very quick and easy." Alex Morris, General Manager.

Aiming to shake up the night life of Southsea in Portsmouth, the MoonShine nightclub opened at the end of October 2021. The main venue, with a 350 capacity and a focus on live music and DJs, has a high-volume bar trade. Downstairs is the Prohibition 60-seat speakeasy-style cocktail bar, with a bespoke cocktail menu, adding a very different second element to MoonShine’s offer.

The business was founded by three young local entrepreneurs, with General Manager Alex Morris recruited to bring venue management experience to MoonShine, After detailed research into the EPOS market by Alex, Tabology's bar EPOS was selected, with both aspects of the venue served by the single EPOS system.

“I was looking for a system that that would work for our busy, multi-use venue,” he says. “I’d looked at perhaps seven or eight EPOS systems in the run-up to opening, and a lot are tailored towards the restaurant sector and then simplified for bar use. Tabology’s EPOS has been tailored to how we run our business, and adapts to how we’re developing. Just in the time we’ve been open, the system has been updated twice, and both updates have been great.”

The main venue, which trades from about 7pm to 3.30am, runs with three EPOS, which will soon be updated to five to give staff even quicker access to the system. The cocktail bar, open from 6pm to midnight, has two further iPad EPOS.

The core order-at-the-bar offer in the main venue includes three draught beers, a draught cider and spirit-and-mixer serves. “The ability to make changes quickly has been one of the big benefits,” says Alex. “We aimed to be as accurate as we could, but at the start there are always going to be changes needed to descriptions and pricing.

“I could quickly log in, modify a product within seconds and have it synced to the EPOS. I was able to do that without crashing the system, which is something I’ve had to deal with on older EPOS systems. When you’re messing with the back office on a busy night and it crashes the whole system, you’re into a world of hurt.

“In addition, the industry as a whole is facing a staff shortage. Of the 15 staff that we have, there are only two with any real previous experience of working behind a bar. The plug-and-play nature of the Tabology system, as well as its intuitive layout, meant the on-boarding of new staff was very quick and easy.”

Tabology’s EPOS system is also ensuring that cocktail service, often a bottleneck for bars, runs smoothy and quickly. Most customers in the Prohibition bar order from their table, with a small number seated at bar stools.

"One of the great features of the system is the cocktail building feature within the EPOS. In the modifiers we can key in all the ingredients of each cocktail. That’s great for stock management, but staff can also click-and-hold on the cocktail they want, and bring up the ingredient list and a picture. Even when we’re busy, we’re still flying through the orders, as staff don’t have to keep coming to me to ask how to make a particular cocktail.”

Another advantage is giving the three owners access to real-time data. “I’ve been able to introduce them to the back office and reporting functions. Live sales reporting has been really useful, it means that the owners can be in their other businesses, or at home, and still log on and see live reports on how the night is going.”

Overall, says Alex, “the support we’ve had has been everything that Tabology said it would be. As soon as the system was online we were invited into a WhatsApp group. Whenever I’ve had any issue, I’ve had a reply on that group with a few minutes. If it’s something I’m not able to do myself, then it’s been sorted remotely.”

To find out more about our Bar EPOS , and how it could work in your venue, get in touch.

How to tackle hospitality staff shortages

frankie@tabology.com (Frankie Neale) — Tue, 07 Dec 2021 13:36:12 GMT

With one in four hospitality businesses forced to slash hours or close for part of the week due to staff shortages, and over 200,000 vacancies across the country*, what can venues do to maximise the manpower they have and combat the shortage?

Quick & efficient orders & payments

Ensure your EPOS and payment systems are allowing your staff to take orders and process payments as quickly as possible. Having one screen on your EPOS with your most commonly ordered products can save time switching between different screens. Similarly having options & product upsell or modifier prompts set to pop up as you place orders, rather than needing to add notes to an order or run to the kitchen to let the chef know of any changes, allows the staff to move straight onto the next customer.

When you do manage to get new staff in, it's important the EPOS system is simple and intuitive to use, so staff can get up and running quickly. This was highlighted as a key benefit in a recent case study .

If you don’t already have integrated payments, this not only speeds up that all important payment process, it also reduces the risk of errors keying the amounts between the EPOS and PDQ machines.

Mobile ordering

Whilst mobile food & drink ordering was seen as a necessity in the new trading landscape, with many customers preferring to order from a person, there is a still a role for mobile ordering to save you time. Especially for additional rounds of drinks or desserts, allowing customers to place orders quickly when they know exactly what they want, without needing to flag someone down. An integrated mobile ordering and EPOS system means you can receive these orders directly to the drinks dispense or kitchen, without a staff member needing to manually take the order, freeing them up to deliver orders and tend to other customers.

Staff scheduling tools

Having good staff scheduling tools can help you make the most of the manpower you have, focusing the hours staff are working when you need them most. Looking at your rota alongside predicted or comparable historic sales data, itemised by the hour will highlight lulls in footfall when you may be overstaffed, and the pinch points when you would want your full team in.

Keep a happy team

Wages have naturally been pushed up during the staff shortages, so staff are earning more, but how can you motivate them beyond their payslips? Offering subsidised or free staff meals when working will keep tummies full, and staff happy.

Why not try to incentivise sales, this could be a push to see who can take the most overall on a shift, or sales of particular higher margin items. If you’re using our Hospitality EPOS , you can ‘spotlight’ particular products and monitor their sales across staff members. These incentives don’t necessarily need to come from your pocket either, there are always brands who are happy to incentivise sales of their products, or provide tickets to events and gigs they have access to via their sponsorships. Make sure you’re speaking to your local drinks reps.

If you’re interested in finding out how our EPOS can help you with the above, and more, get in touch.

* The Independent 16th Nov 2021

KR:AFT, Wakefield

frankie@tabology.com (Frankie Neale) — Mon, 15 Nov 2021 11:45:23 GMT

“We know that there's a lot more functionality with the EPOS that we're not using yet. We're only scratching the surface.” Antony de Csernatony, Co-founder.

Wakefield coffee shop KRA:FT Koffee is meeting the challenges of rapid expansion with the support of Tabology’s hospitality EPOS.

KRA:FT Koffee was winner of the Overall Best Business title in the Wakefield BID Awards 2021. The partners behind the business, including co-founder Antony de Csernatony, own a building which houses a barber, tattoo artist and triathlon suite, with the hospitality trading space operating as a speciality coffee shop by day, and flipping to become a bar at night.

“The bar was already using Tabology’s EPOS,” says Antony, “as my business partner had previously worked for a bar group which used it and wanted to work with Tabology based on that experience.

“We weren’t happy with the service from our existing EPOS provider - we couldn’t get enough information from the system, and it was also expensive, so it made sense to switch to Tabology.“

A key consideration for KRA:FT was that the business had expanded to the point where it was registered for VAT, which made it important that the EPOS could distinguish between customers enjoying their order eat-in or take-out, because the VAT rate on some products changes accordingly.

“Being able to track what’s been bought, our wastage and stock handling is all really useful too. One of the biggest selling points for me has been the high level of customer service we get. If there’s a problem, Tabology will solve it. We were put straight into a WhatsApp group, and you only have to put a message in, and you get an answer straight away.”

Antony is also aware that Tabology offers KRA:FT the opportunity to explore new business areas such as online ordering and delivery. “Currently all our business is order-at-the-counter, but we know that there’s a lot more functionality with the EPOS that we’re not using. We’re only scratching the surface."

"One of the biggest selling points for me has been the high level of customer service we get.”

To find out more about our Cafe EPOS system , and how it could work in your venue, get in touch.

Crafted, Bradford

frankie@tabology.com (Frankie Neale) — Tue, 12 Oct 2021 10:28:56 GMT

“Our requirements very quickly went from just payments, to can Tabology run our business for us? And it can.” Simon Pawson, Owner.

Using Tabology to solve one challenge for Bradford bar Crafted has proved to be just the beginning, with a range of issues resolved as the full benefits of Tabology’s bar EPOS system have become apparent.

Crafted is a city centre bar, with a craft-focused beer range, and a popular food menu built around a choice of burgers, chicken, hot dogs and loaded fries. The bar is a very popular pre-match meeting place for Bradford City fans thanks to its proximity to the Valley Parade ground.

Owner Simon Pawson, says: “We initially spoke to Tabology about a specific issue with payment, in that it was very easy for staff to accidentally record a card payment as cash on the till with our current system, which led to issues trying to track down cash that was never actually in the till.”

Having started the conversation with Tabology, the topic of football inevitably came up. “Every other Saturday, when there’s a home game, we have a crazy, can’t-move-on-the-street trading session,” says Simon. “Our existing payment system was ok, but it just took so long to complete a transaction. We needed something fast.”

The result is that “the time saved is immeasurable – it has easily doubled the number of people we can serve. On matchdays, it’s so much quicker to serve someone, which is key for us – we’ve only got that very limited amount of time before they disappear.”

The third issue Tabology has improved for Crafted is booking and ordering. “We wanted to try and bring everything under one system. We kept asking Tabology ‘can we do this, can we do that?’ and the answer was always yes.”

Crafted customers can now use a click and collect function, with a link from the Crafted website, so orders placed online come directly into the EPOS. There is also a link on the site to Deliveroo, which is also integrated, so orders come directly to the EPOS, without staff needing to key orders across, or monitor different screens.

Simon sums up: “Our requirements very quickly went from just payments, to can Tabology run our business for us? And it can. It brings it all under one roof, rather than having all these bits of systems bolted onto the EPOS.”

"The time saved is immeasurable – it has easily doubled the number of people we can serve.”

To find out more about our Bar EPOS system, and how it could work in your venue, get in touch.

Blackjack Brewing Co. Taprooms, Manchester

frankie@tabology.com (Frankie Neale) — Wed, 01 Sep 2021 16:40:11 GMT

“Even with much larger companies, I’ve never received anything like the levels of support these guys give us. All my bar managers are on the WhatsApp support group, and if they raise an issue somebody’s on the phone and it’s resolved with 20 minutes or so." Jonathan Hartley, Director.

The craft beer boom over recent years has given consumers a broader range of choice than ever. Brewers and bar operators have to not simply keep up with consumer trends, but also stay one step ahead in order to keep offering new and engaging beers.

Greater Manchester based Blackjack Brewing Co operates four bars, as well as hosting events at its brewery taproom. The business now works with Tabology to keep its EPOS system updated with the latest beers available on the bar at each venue, as well as to centrally manage stock in order to monitor demand and forecast quantities of its own beers to brew, as well as amounts to buy in from other brewers.

Director Jonathan Hartley says: “We’re fortunate in that we’re a brewery with a few high volume bars, each with a different customer demographic. We use the bars as sampling points, enabling us to judge seasonal variations in beer styles, ABVs, and price points, and plan the styles and volumes accordingly.”

Blackjack Brewing Co has two separate, but closely connected, business streams. “We’re both a business-to-business beer wholesaler, selling to other operators, and a business-to consumer beer retailer through our bars. Until now, we’ve always collected the data on sales trends and volumes manually, and we were looking for an EPOS system that could speed up that process, as well as giving us the essential ease-of-use needed on the bar.”

Having researched the market extensively, Blackjack realised that Tabology’s bar EPOS system solves three key challenges:

Accurate data reporting, with easy access to sales data
Ease of use for bar managers to be able to create stock items, and set them up on the till,
Accurate and reliable integration with the Xero accountancy package used.

“We found there are a lot of systems out there that might do any two of those things well, and completely fail at the third,” says Jonathan. “Tabology has a completely different outlook to any of the other systems we looked at.

“The real proof is in how happy my staff are. They find the Tabology system unbelievably easy to use, and very powerful, so they’re spending far less time on admin, and more time procuring the best stock to be selling in their bars.”

He adds that the high levels of customer support provided by Tabology are unique in the industry. “Even with much larger companies, I’ve never received anything like the levels of support these guys give us. All my bar managers are on the WhatsApp support group, and if they raise an issue somebody’s on the phone and it’s resolved with 20 minutes or so."

“If we suggest things we’d like to see as part of the package, where other companies would give empty promises, with Tabology it’s there on the next update.”

To find out more about our integrated pub & bar EPOS or to arrange a demo, get in touch.

Brewing Brothers, Multi-Site Operator

frankie@tabology.com (Frankie Neale) — Mon, 02 Aug 2021 10:08:26 GMT

“It's very easy to use and update, ensuring smooth customer service.” Ned Braxton, Co-founder.

Over the past five years, Brewing Brothers has become a mainstay of the revived social and eating out scene in Hastings, with the East Sussex town building a reputation for its great choice of restaurants, bars and entertainment.

Brewing Brothers operates The Imperial, its taproom bar on its brewery site in Queens Road, and in Summer 2021 open a second, larger site in the Courtyard on Hastings seafront. Both venues operate Tabology’s integrated EPOS , ensuring consistency across the business, and enabling its choice of beers to be quickly and simply updated as they go on sale at either of the sites, as well as customising food orders.

Founded by brothers Ned and Charlie Braxton, Brewing Brothers has built a reputation for the quality of its ever-changing range of craft beer, with the Imperial also offering a choice of fresh, made-to-order pizzas.

Ned Braxton says: “Tabology makes our life easier; in terms of accounting and reporting it’s very straightforward. They set it all up for us, and it's very easy to use and update, ensuring smooth customer service.”

Tabology’s product options and modifiers within the EPOS mean food orders can be fully customised. At the Imperial this means selecting the right choice of sauces and toppings for pizzas, while in the Courtyard venue the menu is built around small sharing dishes, sourced from local suppliers. Specialities include local oysters, and salmon gravlax made especially for the business, encouraging customers to mix and match different dishes, which are all prepared to order.

“Our beers change all the time, and the food is fresh making every order unique, so it’s essential that the EPOS system keeps up with changes as they happen, and ensures that customers get exactly what they’ve ordered,” says Ned. “The Tabology system is very easy to modify, and with the same system across both venues there’s zero confusion. It’s easy to use, so everyone who works with us knows the system well.”

"Any issues are very easily resolved, and Tabology is always there. There's a WhatsApp group chat that I can use at any time, and I always get a response.”

To find out more about our Pub EPOS system, and how it could work in your venue, get in touch.

The Windsor Castle, Windsor

frankie@tabology.com (Frankie Neale) — Fri, 09 Jul 2021 16:40:14 GMT

“We wanted an all-in-one system that would give us control, and enable us to closely monitor aspects of the business such GP, stock loss, and wage percentages etc." Stuart Hayward, The Windsor Castle.

The Windsor Castle is a traditional English pub, located within walking distance of its royal namesake in the historic town of Windsor, Berkshire. It’s traded as a pub since at least 1851, with the building largely unchanged, and offering a spectacular view down The Long Walk towards the town’s ‘other’ castle.

While its location makes it popular with tourists, the Windsor Castle’s warm welcome and regular programme of special events and live entertainment also ensures it has a strong appeal to the local community.

The Windsor Castle recently switched to Tabology’s Pub EPOS , allowing it to manage bookings and ordering. This has proven particularly useful post-lockdown, with the pub offering a maximum two-hour time slot to customers. “We use the booking platform, with booking widget on our website, and Tabology continues to upgrade the system and add new features,” says Stuart Hayward.

The ability to closely manage bookings comes into its own at weekends in particular, the pub’s busiest time. A Sunday can see 70 or more roast diners served, with tables turned multiple times, and meals served up to 7pm. As restrictions are relaxed post-COVID, there are also plans to revive live music and entertainment, demanding even more robustness from the bookings function.

The back-of-house control offered by the EPOS software was just as important as the front-of-house benefits in influencing the decision to change to the Tabology EPOS system, says Stuart. “We wanted an all-in-one system that would give us control, and enable us to closely monitor aspects of the business such GP, stock loss, and wage percentages etc."

"We were impressed by the ease of setting up the system from scratch. We were with another provider and when we moved across to Tabology it was a very quick, very smooth process. There was no interruption to the business."

To find out more about our integrated Pub EPOS or to arrange a demo, get in touch .

How technology can streamline your customer's experience

frankie@tabology.com (Frankie Neale) — Tue, 22 Jun 2021 14:58:52 GMT

“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.”

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 .

Managing a multi-site EPOS transition

frankie@tabology.com (Frankie Neale) — Tue, 22 Jun 2021 14:18:35 GMT

If you run a multi-site hospitality business, changing your EPOS system can be a daunting prospect. However, the right EPOS provider and a well-managed transition can smooth out the process. With the new generation of cloud EPOS solutions now offering so much more than older legacy systems it can also be a project that will yield an incredible return on investment.

Switching to a focussed hospitality EPOS system that can not only replace your old EPOS, but also your staff scheduling, stock management and booking systems for example, can actually simplify the transition as well as providing enormous long-term benefits.

In this article we look at some factors to consider to ensure a smooth transition to your new EPOS solution.

Planning

A well-planned transition from one system to another is essential to ensure a smooth start. Most multi-site businesses will start with a pilot in one venue making sure the system is a good fit before kicking off a phased switch over of the rest of the estate.

Make sure your chosen provider understands all of your requirements up front, particularly if your sites differ in terms of how they run or what they need. You don’t want to run into any sticking points part way through a roll out.

Data loading & multi-site management

Check if your proposed solution allows for central management of your menus across all sites EPOS systems, as well as any linked digital menus or food & drink ordering apps. Any transition and ongoing management will be made much easier if you can load your products once and select which sites each product is available in and what the price should be.

Check what assistance your supplier will offer in onboarding your sites. This could include loading your menus, running through set up options, checking set up etc. up to full project management of a multi-site rollout. You should ensure you have a dedicated point of contact to discuss any challenges or requirements throughout.

Training and installation

See what options you have in terms of installation and training for each site. Some businesses will want their EPOS company onsite for each install to get everything up and running and provide training to staff and managers. Others will prefer to get up and running themselves (which is perfectly possible with cloud-based systems) with remote training and support.

We have found that a combination of these two approaches can work well for some businesses. This is where installation and training are provided at the first site with key members of staff trained in both the system and installation so the subsequent roll out can be managed with in-house resources. If you are considering this approach just make sure your new EPOS system is straight forward to set up and use, and your provider is on-hand with responsive support when you need it (both should be the case if it’s a system worth switching to!)

This approach worked well for the Mojo bar group, who felt it got their team off on the right foot. Managing Director, Martin Greenhow commented that “Having PJ trained up to be able to install the systems and train the other managers gave us confidence we could manage our systems ourselves, while at the same time knowing that Tabology were there to assist if we needed them.”

Knowledge & Experience

Make sure your chosen EPOS provider has the knowledge & experience to manage a multi-site transition. Check reviews on websites such as trustpilot and ask to speak to other multi-site customers to get an understanding of their experiences.

Make sure your provider has expertise in your sector so they can advise on how the system is best used to address your key challenges.

Other systems

Make sure your new EPOS will run smoothly alongside any other operational or back-office systems. Any existing integrations with these will need to be considered as part of the transition.

If you use a business intelligence system, like Power BI for reporting & analytics, or a CRM platform, you’ll need to make sure your new EPOS can share data with it to ensure a smooth transition.

If you have a booking system , you may want it to integrate with your EPOS to send bookings and deposits. If you use a staff scheduling system you will likely want your EPOS to share sales data with it to get detailed forecast & actual wage percentages.

Our all-in-one EPOS solution even has the capability to replace some of these existing systems, which can simplify both the transition and your ongoing operation.

Support

A smooth switch over of an EPOS across a multi-site business takes team work and will be a collaborative effort between your team and your EPOS provider. Make sure your provider has the expertise to support your transition and make sure you have the right people available to you when you need them.

If you are considering switching EPOS and would like to know more on how we can help manage the transition for you, get in touch.

Are mobile food & drink ordering apps here to stay?

frankie@tabology.com (Frankie Neale) — Tue, 01 Jun 2021 15:14:06 GMT

The hospitality industry faces another four weeks of social distancing and restrictions before we can look forward to a return to normal trading for the first time in 17 months.

Some venues and customers can’t wait to have stools back at the bar, locals chatting, and the ability to check out the beer fonts as you work out what to have for that all important first drink of the night. In most venues, though, the convenience of finding a table and ordering everything from there, is something customers have come to expect and will likely want to see continue. A view shared by veteran hospitality industry analyst Peter Backman as he considered which covid prevention measures introduced by businesses can be expected to be permanent changes. “Contactless ordering and payment have leapt out of their covid-induced requirement and now seem set for an ongoing, essential role.”

Keep it simple

With mandated table service, consumers have already overcome the initial barriers of giving mobile ordering a go, and venues have perhaps been forgiven for clunky systems and the frustration of having to download a specific app and create an account before you can order a drink. Moving forward though, customers are unlikely to be so tolerant. The apps that will survive will be web-based, so it’s as simple as scanning a QR code and you’re in.

At Tabology, we designed our food and drink ordering app pre-Covid, and it was built on the principle that a first-time user should be able to order at least as quickly and easily as ordering at the bar. As the option of actually ordering at the bar becomes a reality again, this principle will be vital.

Fully integrated

From an operator perspective, you need something that will slot neatly into your existing operation. Again, as a temporary measure during Covid, some venues have made do with a standalone mobile ordering app, either keying orders manually across into the EPOS or running two separate systems. A fully integrated hospitality EPOS and food and drink ordering app will ensure orders aren’t missed, all your stock can be accurately tracked, and you don’t need to manage multiple systems.

What about staffing costs?

The general consensus across the industry is that limited capacity and mandated table service is killing any chance of profits. However, if you use an efficient mobile drinks app, table service doesn’t need to be any more costly than taking orders at the bar. Yes, staff will need to deliver drinks to the table, but they are saving time taking orders, keying them in, and taking payments. Orders ping directly to service areas and kitchens, and just need to be run out to the table when ready.

Your customers still get the convenience of table service and because payments have been made via the app as they go, they’re free to leave when they’re done, removing both the chance of walkouts and that sometimes frustrating experience of needing to catch someone’s eye for your bill.

Additional revenue

We’re happy to have helped customers facilitate click & collect or delivery options using our mobile ordering system during lockdowns. Again, with orders feeding directly into an integrated EPOS this is something sites can continue to offer, hassle free. We’ve certainly enjoyed being able to get a meal from our local pub instead of the usual take away options, especially on a Sunday! By having your own mobile food and drink ordering set up, you’re also fully in control and not paying out any unnecessary third-party commissions.

The key to longevity of mobile ordering apps is ease of use for customer and operator. By having a fully integrated offer with your EPOS, mobile ordering becomes just another part of your everyday service and giving drinkers in your venue the choice.

Our Pub & Bar EPOS with mobile ordering offers features that enable all of the above design options and EPOS analytics, To find out more get in touch .

Driving sales of cocktails

frankie@tabology.com (Frankie Neale) — Mon, 10 May 2021 15:36:02 GMT

Cocktails might have once been the exclusive territory of swish hotel bars and upmarket clubs, but in recent years they have become a regular part of the mainstream offer in pubs and bars of every style and location.

However hard consumers tried to compensate for the lockdown with a spot of home mixology, nothing beats the enjoyment of being served a freshly-made cocktail. As we’ve noted in a previous article , a professionally-served cocktail or well-poured pint of draught beer appeals to customers who are looking for something more than they can make for themselves at home, and gives pubs and bars a point of difference.

This pent-up demand for the on-trade experience is demonstrated by industry analyst CGA’s Drinks Recovery Tracker. This shows that in the first week of reopening, from 12 to 18 April, cocktail sales were 75% higher than in the equivalent week in 2019. The data also shows a strong trend toward premium brands and serves, as customers celebrate their return to a big night out.

This should make any operators still deterred from offering cocktails, either by the complexity or by the skill set of their staff, think again. With the right planning, integrating a cocktail list into the core food and drink offer is straightforward.

Skills Match

Ensure that all bar staff know how to make the most popular cocktails quickly to minimise waiting time. At busier times, focus on-screen prompts towards the simpler-to-make cocktails, or promote sharing serves to reduce waiting times.

Focus on Top Sellers

If you’re unsure where to start, cocktail brand Funkin’, using CGA data, advises pubs and bars that a popular and profitable cocktail menu should include the Mojito, Pornstar Martini, Sex On The Beach, Long Island Iced Tea, Woo Woo, Daiquiri, Espresso Martini and Cosmopolitan. Added to this, offer an Aperol Spritz or similar, lighter aperitif style cocktails, and sparkling cocktails such as the Bellini, made with prosecco, or champagne in a premium serve.

Our bar EPOS system makes it easy to drill into sales of any product and will email you with your top sellers each week.

Menu Positioning

Making the most of app-based-menu-design ensures that customers see the most popular (and high margin) products when they browse an on-screen menu. As one example of the opportunity, the Mojo bar group placed their cocktails category at the top of their drink ordering app and saw the sales of cocktails increase by 350% as a result.

Ice and a Slice

Use plenty of fresh garnishes to make cocktails look irresistible, and offer customers the option to add their own choice of extras via the on-screen menu, A good looking cocktail not only attracts envy on its way through the bar, but also promotes the business when customers share pictures on social media.

Happy Hour

As people start to return to the office, price promotions such as an after work, two-for-one happy hour offer are an effective way to bring people in & drive sales. Use on-screen menu prompts to highlight the start of happy hour and the cocktail choices offered, while engaging graphics and appealing descriptions will direct customer focus to the most profitable serves.

Seasonal Shake-up

Adapt basic cocktail recipes to the time of year by featuring ‘specials’ on the on-screen menu. Lighter, fruity flavours in the summer can easily be switched to more indulgent flavours such as chocolate and caramel when the weather cools down.

Find out how our pub & bar EPOS with mobile ordering solution can help you drive a profitable cocktail menu. get in touch .

Hospitality off to a flying start!

frankie@tabology.com (Frankie Neale) — Tue, 20 Apr 2021 16:00:43 GMT

Hospitality is off to the post-lockdown flying start that the trade had hoped for, with those businesses now open again for outside trading recording a very strong first week’s trading.

Industry analyst CGA reported that drinks sales were the star performer, as consumers went in search of that all-important first pint or cocktail. Despite icy weather conditions on the first trading day, like-for-like drinks sales were up nearly 115% in outlets that were able to open, compared with the equivalent day in 2019.

CGA’s figures show that just under a quarter of the UK’s licensed premises, around 21,000 in total, had opened by the Thursday of the first week. Pubs dominated, with many being much better placed than restaurants to be able to open under the outside-only rules.

Plenty of venues had taken high levels of bookings well before the April 12 reopening date, demonstrating the strength of pent-up demand to get out post-lockdown. However, media headlines suggesting there were no tables to be had anywhere will have deterred some other potential customers.

Research for hospitality bookings specialist TheFork suggest that bookings were up 88% for the month compared to the last time the sector could trade normally. It’s a great start and one that brings the limited capacity available from outdoor only trading rules to the front of operators’ minds.

The challenge is how to safely maximise the potential of this limited trading area to capitalise on the pent-up demand. Below we look at some ideas to consider:

Promote bookings

Use the venue’s website, social media and email database to communicate the booking policy. A pre-booked table that stays empty is the worst of both worlds, so consider taking a deposit when bookings are made online to encourage take-up of reservations.

Encourage walk-ins

If the venue offers walk-ins, make sure people know about it. If consumers are under the impression they always need to book, they may not even try. Consider keeping a proportion of tables for walk-ins, and promote this via the website, apps and social media. With our pub & bar EPOS you can create bookings directly on the EPOS on the fly, so can still have all your track and trace data in one place.

Maximise covers

If tables are regularly getting fully booked, look to maximise the covers at each table. This can be done by specifying a minimum number of covers for bookings, or prioritising booking requests with more covers. At the same time operators also need to prevent too many customers using one table. With our EPOS' built-in booking system you can specify the minimum and maximum covers available for online bookings.

Turnaround tables

With demand for tables in pubs and bars outstripping supply, turning around tables as quickly as possible can make a big difference to the bottom line. Consider having a fixed or a maximum booking duration, which can be specified on the booking form, to make sure as many customers as possible can enjoy their return to the pub, and discourage customers taking up a table when they’ve finished eating and drinking.

Set a minimum spend

At the busiest times, specifying a minimum spend, especially if used in combination with the maximum stay, can ensure that the business is making what it needs from each table

No operator wants to be putting too many obstacles in the way of customers enjoying themselves. There’s a balance to be struck, and as restrictions are lifted and more trading space opens, it will be possible to be more flexible. Until then a few sensible steps to make the most of the opportunity that’s presenting itself will ultimately benefit venues and customers, as more people can get out for that long-awaited pint in the sun.

If you don’t already have the systems in place to make the most use of your available space, contact our team to see how we can help.

My Cookie Dough, Multi-Site Operator

frankie@tabology.com (Frankie Neale) — Wed, 14 Apr 2021 13:21:10 GMT

“We identified that we needed three core systems in the business quickly. Specifically, they were a new EPOS system, a new staffing and rota system; and a new stock management system. The absolute joy of Tabology is that it's all of those things under one roof, for an incredible price.” Ian James, Operations Director.

Managing growth in hospitality and retail is one of the key challenges for any business. For expanding Quick Service Restaurant brand My Cookie Dough, support from Tabology has enabled the business to adapt to changes in the market as needed, as well as to quickly refocus in the face of the challenge of the Covid lockdown.

My Cookie Dough is a kiosk-based food concept, offering its exclusive soft cookie dough recipe, topped with ice cream, along with premium shakes. The core menu is supplemented by seasonal specials for occasions such as Valentine’s Day and Christmas.

“We only operate in the biggest and best malls in the world,” says Ian James. There are currently eleven company owned outlets in the UK, along with a couple of extra franchised stores, as well as seven stores outside the UK, “which will double before the year’s out”.

Ian joined the business with the aim of driving its expansion programme. “The existing operation was still very paper based, relying on spreadsheets and timesheets, with manual stock takes,” he says.

“We identified that we needed three core systems in the business quickly. Specifically, they were a new EPOS system ; a new staffing and rota system; and a new stock management system. The absolute joy of Tabology is that it’s all of those things under one roof, for an incredible price.”

Crucially, as My Cookie Dough adds new stores, it can simply scale up, and replicate the existing system for the new store. Reporting is also integral to the system, “which Tabology built for us from scratch.” With different parts of the business, such as head office, operations, unit managers and franchisees, needing different levels of information, the system generates bespoke automated reports on metrics such as sales across all sites or by individual site, gross profit, costs, labour and stock.

“There are hundreds of different reports available to us within the system,” says Ian. “The key point is that Tabology has tailored it to report on our specific KPIs.” With more overseas stores planned, aspects such as translations of text, and country-specific tax reporting, are also being added by Tabology.

Integrating staffing into the system has also been an important benefit. “Previously, staffing looked like a separate system, with a completely separate set of headaches and costs. With Tabology, we can manage staff costs and rotas through the EPOS. There’s the capability for managers to run their unit from one log in, with one point of contact.”

The implementation of Covid restrictions from March 2020 required My Cookie Dough to adapt quickly to keep staff and customers safe. “We needed a solution immediately, and Tabology had that off the shelf. Within 24 hours we had a click and collect offer, which was a key part of our Covid risk assessment for operating within shopping centres.

“It processes payments, and links to our EPOS system, and we’ve built quite a promising e-commerce business. We’ve invested in production, and e-commerce is very much part of the plan moving forward. Crucially, the criteria have changed multiple times over the past year, and will change again, because the retail landscape has changed. It only needs an email or phone call to Tabology for us to make those changes.”

Ian sums up: “My background is in operations and new openings, and I’ve worked with many systems and EPOS providers. What is refreshing about Tabology is that they want to help, They are at the end of the phone to build bespoke solutions, change things, and adapt their system to our changing requirements. I couldn’t be a bigger champion of Tabology.”

To find out more about our Cafe & QSR EPOS , staff scheduling or our order and pay solutions, and how they could work in your venue, get in touch.

Wags N Tales, Surrey

frankie@tabology.com (Frankie Neale) — Thu, 18 Mar 2021 17:24:41 GMT

“We run three businesses in one – a coffee shop, restaurant and cocktail bar – and Tabology's EPOS software is the only one that gives us everything we need.” Parvin Tank, co-founder of Wags N Tales.

South West London is bursting with parks and green spaces ideal for dog walkers, but there are far fewer hospitality businesses in the area ready to welcome those same walkers and their canine companions when it comes to post-exercise refreshment.

It was that gap in the market, prompted by their experience of walking their own dog, Cadbury, that prompted Parvin and Raj Tank to open Wags N Tales in Surbiton in 2016, Having found success and picking up a number of awards along the way, a second site opened in Twickenham in February 2020.

“We are essentially a follow-the-sun, into-the-night business,” says Parvin. “We’re a coffee shop, a restaurant offering vegetarian and vegan options, and we’re a fully licensed cocktail bar.” The trading day starts at 8am with coffee and breakfast, goes via brunch, lunch and dinner, and with a late licence of Friday and Saturday, can be serving freshly made cocktails through to 2am.

As for the name, “wags is for the dogs, and tales is for the tales customers come in to tell. Being dog-friendly is a key element of what we do, it helps us appeal to the right demographic in terms of customers.”

Wags N Tales has worked with Tabology as its EPOS provider since the earliest days. “When we opened in Surbiton we acquired a business that was already there; they had old-style tills and terminals. It was clunky and old-school.”

Tabology's Commercial Director, Ali Rees was able to advise Parvin on a new approach. “We are essentially three businesses in one, a coffee bar, restaurant and licensed bar, and Tabology's EPOS software was the only system we saw that does everything we want,” says Parvin.

“We wanted to move away from the old model of printing orders for the coffee bar and kitchen, and Tabology's EPOS is iPad based.” When an order is placed, order routing functionality ensures that the right elements go to the right places - coffees to the barista at the coffee station, food to the kitchen, and drinks to the bar.

Comprehensive order modification options also ensure that food and drink is tailored to each customer’s expectations. For example, the functionality ensures that the customer’s choice of various milk options, including almond, soy, coconut or oat milk, is flagged up to the barista.

“It was easy to set up, and for anyone new coming in, it takes 10 minutes or so to find their way around the system. Our employees who’ve worked in other hospitality businesses say it’s easy and intuitive to use.”

When the initial restrictions required as a result of the Covid pandemic were introduced in March 2020, Tabology's food & drink ordering app came into its own by allowing customers to order from their table. “It needed a few tweaks for what we wanted, but it was quick and easy to be up and running with QR code ordering. We also liked the fact that there is the flexibility to open a tab.

“We didn’t want customers to have to enter payment details with every order, so they can have a tab, order from their table and pay at the end. That’s been really useful, helping in keeping our costs low and our team as lean as possible during the pandemic.”

During the full lockdowns, the business switched to a takeaway and delivery model that includes groceries such as fresh bread and eggs, as well as veg boxes and upmarket sandwiches. Customers can also order from a range of heat-at-home deli specials which include smashed avocado toast, burritos, burger and tamales.

While there’s a choice of wine and bottled beer available, Wags N Tales has also pushed its takeaway drinks offer to the next level with a hotline that enables local customers to order draught beer or cocktails, that are delivered from the bar to their door in 20 to 40 minutes.

"We’re now looking at having the Tabology booking widget added to our website so that when a customer enters their booking request, it pops up straight away in the EPOS system.”

As the business prepares to reopen fully, it is planning to make more use of the booking function. “It was very useful when we began using it last summer, much better than having a diary and writing in bookings by hand. We’re now looking at having the booking widget added to our website so that when a customer enters their booking request, it pops up straight away in the EPOS system.”

Summing up, Parvin says: “We get very good service from Tabology. They’ve always been responsive to any issues we raise, or any request that we have for modifications. There is other software out there, but being three businesses in one, nothing else that gives us everything we need.”

If you are looking for an EPOS for your cafe , coffee shop, or multi-angle hospitality businesses, get in touch .

Maximise outdoor trading

frankie@tabology.com (Frankie Neale) — Tue, 02 Mar 2021 08:44:00 GMT

Whether it’s the shady oasis of a country pub garden, or just a few picnic benches in a fenced-off corner of the car park, it rarely takes more than a glimpse of the sun for customers to pick up their pint glass and head outside.

This year, the alfresco element is set to be more important than ever to pubs and bars as the industry works to recover post-lockdown. The roadmap to reopening comes with a large dose of caution, but if all goes to plan those businesses able to offer outside service will be the first to be allowed to start trading.

The plan for England allows for pubs and bars to offer outdoor service from April 12th, with indoor trading not kicking in until May 17th. For operators hoping to take advantage of the earlier opportunity, a little forward planning to ensure that the business is ready and waiting as soon as those first thirsty customers arrive squinting in the spring sunlight could pay dividends. Aspects of outdoor trading to consider include:

Portable EPOS

Robust and reliable portable bar EPOS devices are a key weapon in the outdoor trading armoury, allowing staff to move freely between tables, take orders and quickly process payments.

Bookings and deposits

Keeping a register of customers using the business is likely to be a track-and-trace requirement for the foreseeable future. Taking bookings will not only capture this information but will also help to make the most of the outdoor trading opportunity by using all available outdoor tables and welcoming walk-in customers when space allows. Taking deposits can also help minimise no shows, freeing up tables for other bookings or walk-ins.

Our bar EPOS includes a built in booking system, so you can take and manage bookings and handle deposits all in the same system.

Simplified menus

A good rule is to keep it very simple when serving customers outside. A menu tailored to a streamlined alfresco offer, such as bottled beers, simple cocktails and snack-style food, will enable staff to keep service flowing, as well allowing tables to be cleared quickly ready for the next customers. Keeping the kitchen open with reduced trading space carries costs, so focus on dishes that can be simply and quickly prepared, and deliver good margins, as well as menus that can be easily and quickly updated.

Mobile ordering

Distance is often the enemy when it comes to outdoor service – it can simply take staff longer to get around all the tables, as well as to cover the ground between the bar or kitchen and the outdoor trading area. This can be frustrating for customers, as well as costing the business valuable income. Mobile ordering enables customers to place their order from the table when they’re ready, freeing staff to focus on preparation and serving rather than notching up their step count.

Outside bars

If the customer can’t come to the bar, take the bar to the customer. An outside bar area doesn’t have to break the bank, with plenty of mobile equipment options out there. With table service likely to be a requirement when businesses reopen, an outside bar acts as a service station close to the trading area, and has the potential to add a new, outdoor revenue stream to the business when restrictions are lifted.

Robust WiFi

A weak WiFi signal can easily be the undoing of the best laid plans. Check that you have a strong signal connecting all outdoor areas to the EPOS, and add boosters if needed. If WiFi coverage is a challenge, consider portable EPOS devices that can work off a 4G signal, ensuring that there’s no interruption to ordering and payment.

Plan for the weather

It would be very optimistic to assume that the British weather will always co-operate, so look at the options for umbrellas, gazebos and marquees. Brewers and drink brand owners will often supply these, so make some calls.

While not every business has outdoor space, those pubs and bars that are able to bring customers back first when outdoor trading is permitted will be blazing a trail for the whole industry as well as boosting their own bottom line.

If you need help getting set up with the portable EPOS, bookings, or mobile ordering get in touch .

Pubs show innovation to bridge lockdown

frankie@tabology.com (Frankie Neale) — Wed, 17 Feb 2021 09:04:29 GMT

When the going gets tough, the tough get going!, However challenging the past year has been for pubs and bars, it has also shown that innovation and adaptability are at the heart of successful businesses.

From delis to drive-throughs, operators have implemented a broad range of initiatives which, even if they don’t really make up for the loss of a busy bar trade, have enabled the business to keep ticking over, and just as importantly, to remain engaged and in touch with its customers.

Looking forward, this drive for diversification will undoubtedly continue to stand pubs and bars in good stead. The benefits of adding new revenue streams are already proven. While overall outlet numbers may have declined, it’s already recognised that the businesses that have thrived are the ones which have been able to adapt to changing times.

Community support

Amongst the many operators showing a flair for adaptation and expansion are the Jacobs Inn in Wolvercote, north Oxford. The pub has opened a deli shop, offering a range of grocery products that includes goose fat, pesto, bacon chilli jam, garlic mayonnaise, pickled onions, white vinegar, mushroom ketchup and much more.

The Jacobs Inn has also expanded into takeaway food, ranging from a classic Sunday roast to kebabs, burgers, hot-dogs, pizzas, falafel, steak frites and homemade pies, all available for delivery & collection via Tabology’s mobile ordering app and routed directly into their pub EPOS system .

Fresh ideas

Another Tabology customer, café bar Wags N Tales in Surbiton, Surrey has taken a similar route. Its deli shop offer includes groceries such as fresh bread and eggs, as well as veg boxes and upmarket sandwiches. Customers can also order from a range of heat-at-home deli specials which include smashed avocado toast, burritos, burger and tamales.

While there’s choice of wine and bottled beer available, Wags N Tales has also pushed its takeaway drinks offer to the next level with a hotline that enables local customers to order draught beer or cocktails that are delivered from the bar to their door in 20 to 40 minutes.

Another cocktail innovator is award-winning group Yummy Pubs , which has created a range of Letterbox Cocktails. Available to order online, these come with all the liquid and garnishes needed to make professional-looking cocktails, with a wide choice including a Pornstar Martini, Bramble, and Margarita, supported by online recipes.

Out in rural Surrey, Hogs Back Brewery which operates a bar, tap room and shop on its site in the village of Tongham, now enables beer lovers to order freshly poured cask and keg beers for collection or delivery. The beer is supplied in a Snorter, a 3.5 pint branded, returnable glass container. Customers collecting their Snorter can also take advantage of the shop’s socially distanced drive-through service.

Pub is the Hub , the body set up with the support of the Prince of Wales to help community pubs expand local services, also stepped up its activity as businesses adapted to the pandemic. Pubs that have benefited from its support include the Green Man, a village pub in Scamblesby, Lincolnshire, which now sells newspapers, fresh bread, groceries and local produce through its shop, and The Star Inn at Harbottle, Northumberland, which has opened a takeaway pizzeria.

While diversification clearly requires imagination and effort, the technical challenges of adding and maintaining the benefits of new revenue streams shouldn’t be a barrier.

If you are looking to adapt your business and would like help with the technology to support your plans, get in touch with one of our friendly team.

Increasing profits through mobile ordering app design

frankie@tabology.com (Frankie Neale) — Mon, 01 Feb 2021 11:02:38 GMT

It’s well known that good menu design can have a direct and substantial increase on your profits by pushing sales of higher margin products and encouraging customers to spend more.

Some of these same techniques can be equally effective with interactive menus, whether these are on your food & drink ordering app or online take away menu.

This article looks at which techniques you can apply to your app-based menus to maximise their profitability.

Calculating your high margin products

It’s as important with interactive menu design as with printed menu design to have an understanding of which are your highest margin products. A good bar EPOS system should calculate recipe prices for you and display your GPs as you enter your prices so this information should be easily to hand. You may also want to look at your sales reports to understand which products give you the highest GP in £ terms - a product that has a good margin and already sells well could present a good opportunity, as even a small % uplift could offer significant upside to your profitability.

Enticing descriptions

Enticing product descriptions are one of the most basic features of printed menu design and apply exactly the same to your interactive menus.

You don’t need long descriptions for every item though, particularly for a drinks menu. If you avoid descriptions on simple items or keep them very short (style, ABV), those that you do add descriptions to (something high margin, like a cocktail) will stand out much more.

Enticing images

Pictures on printed menus aren’t for everyone. Certainly, higher end venues usually prefer to stick to enticing descriptions and use of images can have a tendency to convey cheapness. Whether this holds true in the digital world where images are more widely used (think of an article in a newspaper vs one online) is up for debate. Many may still want to avoid use of images or use them sparingly. Though perhaps limited, but well-planned use of images provides the most uplift potential in any case, by drawing customers to your higher margin offerings.

Featured items

Another way to draw customers to your higher margin products is to feature them on your menu. Featuring an item on an on-screen menu can be done in a similar way as on a printed menu, with a border and some styling to make it stand out from the other menu items.

Combining featured products with images and descriptions can be particularly effective.

Menu positioning

Menu positioning is important on printed menus, with high margin items placed where customers eyes are most often drawn to. With an interactive menu, particularly one on a mobile phone, it’s different.

You can control exactly which items your customers will see first simply by presenting them at the top of your menu. This presents a compelling opportunity - the Mojo bar group placed their cocktails category at the top of their food & drink ordering app and saw the sales of cocktails increase by 350% as a result. Others create a specific category of “Popular items” that leads customers straight to your most popular (and high margin) products.

Add on and customisation options

Offering customisation options or add on products is a well-known way of increasing spend per head while providing customers with a better experience. With an interactive menu this can be even more effective as customers can take their time to choose their options and tend to select more on average then when ordering from a member of staff.

Running your winners and dropping your losers

Good menu design is an ongoing process. You should regularly review your sales to ensure you don’t have poor sellers (or items with a poor margin) taking up prime spots on your menu. If an item isn’t selling, ensure it isn’t taking up a position that could be occupied by a good seller with decent margins. (If sales are really poor consider dropping it from your menu completely).

Equally with your best sellers consider whether there is any scope for price increases. This is a delicate balance so tread carefully, but even a small price increase could have a large positive impact on your bottom line.

A necessary cost or a boost to profits?

With social distancing regulations likely to continue once pubs & bards can re-open, many will see a table service app as a necessary cost of doing business. However, some time and effort spent on your menu design could lead to an increase in profits that far outweighs the cost.

Our Pub & Bar EPOS with mobile ordering offers features that enable all of the above design options and EPOS analytics, To find out more get in touch .

Brew York Taprooms, Yorkshire

frankie@tabology.com (Frankie Neale) — Wed, 13 Jan 2021 16:50:46 GMT

"We just type in the beer name and all the information and imagery is pulled through from Untappd. We can manage it centrally and push the information out to all our venues.” Wayne Smith, Managing Director

Brew York is an innovative, award winning craft brewer which sells through its own shop, tap room and bars, as well as distributing nationally.

Choice is an essential part of the enjoyment of the diverse craft beer scene for many enthusiasts, keen to try beers of different styles, flavour and strengths, but managing that choice can be a challenge for an operator.

With its own brewery located within the city walls of York, Brew York has developed a range of more than 40 beers across core, seasonal, collaboration and limited edition brews.

The business operates a shop, tap room and beer hall in its home city, as well as bars in Pocklington and Leeds. Each venue offers a constantly rotating selection of beers, with customers selecting from a choice of between 20 and 40, depending on the venue, which are displayed on a digital menu screen.

Brew York switched to Tabology’s integrated bar EPOS & mobile ordering solution to help manage the beer menu across its venues, replacing a previous system that was both time-consuming and created the potential for error.

Wayne Smith, Managing Director of Brew York, explains: “The system we were using previously was very cumbersome – we had to update each beer three times - on the EPOS system as it became available, then on our on-screen menus, and then on our customer ordering app.

“It was very hard to synchronise between them. If the team put a new beer on the EPOS, but forgot to put it on the ordering screen, customers would come to the bar and not realise it was available. Likewise if it was on the screen but not on the EPOS, the customer would order it and we couldn’t put it through the till.”

The Tabology solution means that the bar EPOS system, on-screen menu and customer ordering app now all draw on a single source of information – the Brew York listings on the widely used Untappd beer app.

“Our team now just has to focus on making sure our Untappd listing is correct and up-to-date, and the rest of it takes care of itself in our bars. We just type in the beer name and all the information and imagery is pulled through from Untappd. We can manage it centrally and push the information out to all our venues.”

“We’re delighted with the support Tabology has given us to make the whole process of listing and selling our beers, across all our venues, simple and straightforward.”

Wayne adds: “In our main venue we have 40 different beers and each can be ordered in a third, half, two thirds or pint measure - so we had 160 different line items to add individually on our old system. With the Tabology system we simply add the product and it knows all the measures. It keeps it all very simple for us.”

Tabology has also created a fully-customisable digital menu screen that means the beer menus displayed in Brew York’s venues fully reflect the overall branding. “That look and feel is an important part of the business, so it’s great to have a menu that is fully configurable and can be easily updated,” says Wayne.

“We’re delighted with the support Tabology has given us to make the whole process of listing and selling our beers, across all our venues, simple and straightforward.”

To find out how our fully integrated bar management system could benefit your venue, get in touch.

Preparing for the reopening of hospitality

frankie@tabology.com (Frankie Neale) — Fri, 08 Jan 2021 11:15:34 GMT

As 2021 dawns, many hospitality operators are looking to the spring as the time the ‘new normal’ could start to kick in.

While much depends on the speed at which the vaccine programme rolls out, the strong consumer response when hospitality businesses reopened in the summer shows that there is already plenty of pent-up demand.

The key question is what will customers expect normal to look like, and how can operators deliver on those expectations? A recent survey of public opinion by analyst Lumina Intelligence shows customers are keen to get out and start spending again. Only 11% of those surveyed said they’d be reluctant to return to hospitality businesses – and considering even in the best of times, the number of regular pub-goers is well below 89% of the population, this suggests a healthy appetite to get back out.

The key concerns of the consumers surveyed were issues such as social distancing, hand sanitising, moving through the pub and contactless payment, showing that safety is a top priority. Part of reassuring them will be clear compliance by operators with measures such as track and trace.

Once customers know they are safe, the experience of going out will be key. A professionally-served cocktail or well-poured pint of draught beer is likely to be far more appealing to customers who have been stuck at home than a bottle of beer, as well as being better for the bottom line.

How to prepare

The Easter weekend, which traditionally marks the start of the spring and summer trading uplift for the hospitality sector, falls at the start of April in 2021. So, what are the steps that operators will need to take, and how easy are they to implement? It’s worth remembering that almost every hospitality business has an ally ready and waiting to support the process. Hospitality EPOS systems and related technology have never been more important, and the right combination of technology and the personal touch can be used to support each step on the consumer journey back into hospitality.

Booking

It’s likely that pre-booking will remain part of consumers’ expectations for some time to come, helping to reassure them that numbers are well managed. Taking contact details for customer groups may continue to be an official requirement, and businesses can prepare for this by having a reliable booking system in place, including the ability to quickly and easily capture details for walk-ins. Some businesses will benefit from a dedicated booking system, ideally integrated with their EPOS, whereas others will find an EPOS with an inbuilt booking system, like our hospitality EPOS, meets their needs and avoids the outlay on two separate systems.

Arrival

The first point of contact is key to reassuring customers they’ve made the right choice, and this will be even more important as businesses start to rebuild. By arming staff with a simple, touch-screen system that enables them to confirm customer details and take the all-important first order, staff are free to explain the ‘rules of the house’ in terms of ordering and payment. This can be delivered using a portable EPOS or handheld device at the customer’s table. Every Tabology EPOS device can be used as a main till or a portable device, and switched as needed.

Service

With many venues switching from at-the-bar to table service, equipping staff with the tools and training to support customers throughout their visit will become even more important. Using a food & drink ordering app to enable guests to browse on-screen menus to order for service at their table frees up staff to support customers when it’s most needed, checking at key points and offering advice when asked.

Personalisation and upselling

Persuading guests to spend a little extra can ensure they enjoy their visit a whole lot more. A good food & drink ordering app should support operators to create on-screen food and drink menus and prompts that offer options to customise products and upsell premium lines. Menu positioning, featured items and product images can be used to add to the customer experience while encouraging higher spend and delivering improved margins.

Self-service

Consumer expectations of social distancing and cashless payments help to highlight the benefits of investing in self-dispense systems. Research for the organisers of the Brew LDN festival has found that post-lockdown drinkers will typically try three different beers during a session, and 57% are now more interested in seeking out unique and unusual beers. Offering increased choice through a self-serve beer system creates a memorable, can’t-get-at-home experience that drives extra sales and creates a talking point that will drive more customers to the venue.

Payment

Taking payment remotely doesn’t simply reassure customers in terms of safety, it also streamlines the entire visit, from an upfront deposit right through to settling the bill when the moment comes.

Click and collect

For those customers reluctant to fully engage with pubs and bars, integrating click and collect options into the offer bridges the gap, while adding an extra revenue stream for operators. The Lumina report found that most customers who bought takeaway beer or cocktails during lockdown would continue to do so if the service remains in place - it would be a shame to disappoint them.

There are many systems available that will help you with each of the above points and depending on the specifics of your business some will be more important to you than others.

With a built-in booking system, mobile ordering solution, and integrated self-serve beer taps, our Hospitality EPOS is the only EPOS system that can help with all of these points and many more.

Being completely focussed on the needs of pubs & bars ensures we can address more of these needs than other less focussed EPOS systems.

With this strong focus, you can also be assured that as you grow Tabology will continue to adapt to your needs. To find out more speak to one of our team .

Customers call for touch screen service

frankie@tabology.com (Frankie Neale) — Mon, 14 Dec 2020 12:30:14 GMT

We always remember the places where we’ve enjoyed great service. It’s at the heart of hospitality, but when circumstances change, service style has to change with it. Measures introduced by operators to keep customers safe in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic seem to have accelerated a change that was already well in motion.

Like the broader retail market, pubs and bars are seeing a shift towards digital-friendly customers, who are far more comfortable with a less “hands-on” approach to service than previous generations expected. The challenge for operators is to keep up with these customer expectations of socially distant, technology-led solutions, while still giving them a warm welcome and memorable experience.

Embracing Innovation

Figures from Ofcom shows that 55% of consumers aged 25 to 34 will have bought goods or services online in the past week, compared to 42% of 55-64 year olds and just 29% of 65-plus consumers.

This younger demographic is a group that pub and bar operators can’t afford to ignore. Research by hospitality analyst CGA show that half of pub regulars are aged 18 to 34. The same report says that pub goers also tend to be quick to embrace new ideas and innovations, Operators who adapt their business model to online ordering will find themselves on the right side of the curve.

A report by McKinsey, ‘How restaurants can thrive in the next normal’, finds that there is a new ‘digital maturity’ amongst consumers around the world. When eating out, these customers are comfortable with online ordering and willing to engage with digital loyalty programmes.

Based on trends seen in China and elsewhere, McKinsey expects consumers to remain more digitally engaged even after the coronavirus is under control. In particular, the report forecasts that social-distancing behaviour will outlast the immediate impact of the pandemic.

Making it Memorable

The challenge for hospitality operators is that going out to eat and drink has to be more than just a transactional experience. Even with less direct contact with staff, customers still expect to be entertained, engaged and inspired when out with their friends. Businesses need to retain the ‘theatre’ of going out by creating memorable experiences.

Touch screen menus can be a key part of the mix, allowing customers to customise their food and drink from their own phone, or using a tablet on their table. This added interaction also helps operators add incremental sales to their bottom line.

When touch screen menus make higher-margin products visible and appealing, customers’ attention is focused in the right places, and can drive a significant uplift in sales. Cocktails, which can be easily upgraded with the addition of extra ingredients and premium spirits, are an obvious opportunity to boost sales by making the most of interactive menus.

As just one example, Mojo bars group saw cocktail sales across its 5 bars increase significantly once they started using Tabology's drink ordering app . With cocktails featured at the top of the on-screen menu, in the first three months sales increased by 3.5 times compared to the same period a year previously. Across the five sites, cocktails grew from 8% to 29% of the sales mix, tipping the balance towards more profitable products.

Taking distanced service a step further, self-serve beer systems create genuine theatre in pubs and bars. Research for brewer Marston’s identifies a key group of on-trade customers as ‘Experimenters‘, keen to try a range of beer styles and brands. Self-dispense systems such as PourTab enable customers to enjoy favourite beers and try new ones. Bars which have installed PourTab typically stock a broader range of beers, offering customers improved choice.

Interacting with apps linked to a bar EPOS system also helps resolve the service bottleneck at the end of the session, by allowing customers to order and pay at their own pace. The home stretch of a hospitality visit can be the most frustrating, as customers struggle to catch the eye of a member of staff in order to settle the bill. Paying using the on-screen menu means they can finish and leave without a negative experience being their final memory of an otherwise enjoyable night out.

Ensuring satisfaction

None of this makes great service any less important. CGA’s figures show that consumers who rate the service at a venue as good are more than twice as likely to be satisfied with their overall experience of a pub.

For operators, though, this can be matter of providing the personal touch where it delivers the most benefits, such as the initial welcome and explanation of the ‘rules of engagement’, and the final fond farewell. In between, much of the heavy lifting in customer service terms can be safely left to service apps linked to the venue’s bar EPOS system. The future is already with us, and operators need to adapt quickly.

To find out how your venues can benefit from the shift towards touch screen ordering, get in touch with our team.

Food & drink ordering apps for bars - a selection criteria

frankie@tabology.com (Frankie Neale) — Mon, 08 Jun 2020 11:49:25 GMT

It now seems almost certain that to re-open your pub or bar after lockdown you will need a way to serve customers that respects social distancing guidelines. As such, many pubs are looking to put in place an app for customers to order their food and drink.

Many food & drink ordering apps have sprung up in response to this demand, but how do you select the right one for your pub or bar?

This article explains some of the key differences between the different apps available and offers our thoughts on some of the key things to look for and common pitfalls to avoid.

Customers don’t download apps

We’ve found from our own experience and from others in the industry that it is very hard to get customers to download an app. This is the case in normal times, when a venue offering a table service app would be a novelty, but what about in a world where nearly every pub has their own app? Customer’s aren’t likely to want a different ordering app on their phone for every pub they visit.

Instead look for a Progressive Web App (PWA), which can be saved on a customer’s home screen just like an app, but crucially does not need to be downloaded. Instead it can be accessed just by visiting a URL or scanning a QR code (more on this below).

Make it quick and easy to order

Key to the success of a food & drink ordering app is how quickly & easily a customer can place an order. This is at least as true for a first-time customer who has never used your app before, as it is a regular customer.

If you’ve avoided your customer’s needing to download an app then you’re off to a good start with this. Downloading an app can take a minute, which is already more time than you should be expecting your customers to have to give.

Not forcing customers to register to use the app is probably the next most important factor. If you need to capture their details, this should be done after they have placed their order, not before.

For really quick ordering, some apps, including our own food & drink ordering app, will enable a customer to order by simply scanning a QR code (scanners are built into most phones cameras, so this is as simple as putting the QR code in the cameras view).

If a new customer can place an order from your app as quickly as they could have ordered at the bar, then you have an app that is likely to be a success.

You might need it to do more than you think

Ordering food and drink from an app sounds like a simple requirement, but it’s easy to overlook the many more detailed aspects that underly this.

Think through all the features you use of your bar epos and whether they will also need to be available on your drinks ordering app. Do you need to run promotions? Can customers select modifiers or mixers? Are certain products only available at certain times of day?

If you track stock you will need the orders from your app to feed into your stock tracking system & you’ll want to be able to report on your mobile orders as you can your other sales.

It needs to tie in with your other systems

Many of the requirements above will rely on a good integration with your bar EPOS system . A level of integration is also key to achieving a positive user experience.

If staff need to re-key orders into your EPOS, this will delay the time to a customer receiving their order. It can also lead to mistakes. With the increased volume of orders that might be placed using an ordering app under social distancing regulations, it would be a huge amount of staff time to key all of these orders into your EPOS.

If your kitchen already received food orders on a kitchen screen or printer, you'll want orders placed on your ordering app to come through in the same manner.

Look for multiple payment options

From both a customer experience and operational perspective, taking payment in the app makes sense, particular if your app supports Apple and Google Pay.

However, card processing fees on an app will always be higher than for card transactions taken using your card machines.

It’s important to be aware of this and to understand what your options are if volumes of sales through the app prove to be very high. One option might be to pass on a small service fee to the customer – you will be the best judge of how acceptable this would be to your customer base.

Another option, would be to take payments for orders using your card machines instead of within the app. Whether you choose to do this is likely to depend on your order volumes and your own operational procedures, but if it’s something you want to consider you’ll need to know your ordering app has the option.

Decide on your own criteria

We’ve put together the above based on our own experience in self-service systems and the thinking we went through in developing our own ordering app. Different points will be more or less relevant to different businesses and it’s important to think through what is important to you and your style of operation.

If you’re not tied to your existing EPOS we’d love to tell you more about using our pub & bar EPOS with integrated mobile ordering . If you don’t want to move from your current EPOS then hopefully the above can help with your selection of an ordering app that integrates with your system.

For more about mobile food & drink ordering or pub & bar EPOS, just contact one our team get in touch

Roxy Ball Room, Multi-Site Operator

frankie@tabology.com (Frankie Neale) — Wed, 03 Jun 2020 11:45:37 GMT

“The benefits have been huge. We have staff actively selling on the floor with an easy to use POS system.” John Crowe, Operations Director.

Roxy Ball Room is a fast growing chain of competitive social gaming bars. Formed in 2013 Roxy has rolled out the ping pong, pool and mini golf concept to 10 sites and plans to expand by at least 2 sites each year.

Operations Director, John Crowe, knew that he needed the right systems in place to support the planned growth of the business. This meant sourcing a Bar EPOS System that would integrate with their other systems and enable customers to place orders easily without interrupting their games. Roxy had tried many different EPOS systems in the past, including Sharp, EPOS Now and Point One, but none were able to deliver against the experience & level of service Roxy strived to offer to their customers.

Having had a bad experience with iPad-based tills in the past, John was initially skeptical when he came across Tabology's EPOS, but after speaking to some other bars in the area he heard glowing reviews that gave him the confidence to give it a chance. John decided to trial the EPOS in one of their highest volume sites, knowing that if it worked well there it would be good to roll out across the estate.

The trial proved successful, and Tabology's Bar EPOS was rolled out across the estate. In parallel the conversation moved onto the integration with existing systems that would need to support the growth plans of the business. Key to this was an integration with Roxy's existing booking system, Togo, which Tabology were able to build out using our internal bookings functionality and bookings API.

As a fast growing bar group with a strong concept, it was inevitable Roxy would come up with other ideas that could help align their systems with their operational processes. Tabology was able to use their in depth industry knowledge and the EPOS's flexible design to turn these ideas into concrete requirements, and deliver the change smoothly into Roxy's operation. When we asked John about the benefits of working with Tabology, he highlighted the approach to customisation requests as a key competitive advantage for the group: "Tabology were welcoming and flexible with custom requests, which has helped keep our business ahead of the game"

The ease of use and reporting capabilities of the EPOS provided further benefit to the operation: "The benefits have been huge. We have staff actively selling on the floor with an easy to use POS system. The figures are easy to report on so we can incentivise team members who are taking more orders. We saw revenue increase as soon as we put the system in and customer’s are happy too as they can get served easily."

Having selected an EPOS that could form the backbone of Roxy's IT systems, the group was able to look at the other benefits Tabology's integrated technology could bring. This led to iPad Menus being introduced in their karaoke venue, and Tabology's food & drink ordering app being rolled out across the estate.

A roll out involving multiple systems to multiple bars in a relatively short timeframe needs highly capable planning and processes and readily available, knowledgeable support. Fortunately this was another area John highlighted regarding his experience with Tabology: "The support offered by Tabology is fantastic - pretty much 24-hour support and any issues corrected immediately 99% of the time and a realistic timescale given if that isn’t possible"

"Tabology were welcoming and flexible with custom requests, which has helped keep our business ahead of the game" John Crowe, Operations Director.

To find out more about our Bar EPOS , and how it could work in your venue, get in touch.

Opening your pub with social distancing in place

frankie@tabology.com (Frankie Neale) — Thu, 14 May 2020 12:12:02 GMT

How soon you can reopen your pub and resume trade is likely to depend on how well you can meet social distancing guidelines. This article looks at how you can run your pub safely and successfully with social distancing in place.

A food & drink ordering app

It’s clear customers will not be allowed to congregate around a busy bar in the new world, and it looks very likely that table service will be the only way venues can re-open.

A food & drink ordering app enables you to offer table service more efficiently, while keeping both your staff and customers safe.

What’s more, customers order more frequently and spend more when there are fewer barriers to service, so as well as maintaining social distancing you will also be more likely to be able to turn a profit from the reduced number of customers you can accommodate.

You can also use the app to offer a takeaway or delivery service, which could increase your trade further once open, or provide some much needed income while you’re waiting for the nod.

Food & drink drop off points

Customers ordering on their phones removes one touch point, but you will still need to get food & drink orders to your customers. You could address this by having a drop off point at least 2m from each table where staff can leave orders for customers to pick up. It’s worth thinking now about where these drop off points could be.

Alternatively you could ask customers to collect their orders from an area of the bar, as long as you can ensure this won't cause customers to come into close contact with each other.

Self-serve beer taps

Another way to get drinks to customers without staff coming into contact with them is to enable them to pour their own. You can do this with self-service beer taps .

You would need to provide some sanitising wipes for customers to wipe the taps before use, but you may want to do that in any case (see below).

Self-serve taps can be triggered by a contactless bank card, therefore also removing any contact with staff when it comes to payment.

Optimise your trade area

You may want to review your trade area to optimise it around the new arrangements. You'll need to arrange your tables so that customers are seated at least 2m apart from other groups - using up previous standing areas might help with this.

If customers aren’t able to purchase drinks from the bar, you might be able to use the space in front of the bar for tables (ensuring the customers will be at least 2m away from your staff). If you have a large bar, or multiple bars, you might also be able to free up some of the actual bar area for customer use.

You will also need to think about any bottlenecks where social distancing won’t be able to be easily adhered to. Toilets could be a common area that will need some thought. You could make the toilets unisex, put locks on the outside doors and only allow one person in each toilet at a time.

If you have more than one door into your trade area you might want to consider having a one way system with one door as the entrance and another as the exit.

Sanitise

You’ll need to ensure all surfaces are well sanitised between one group leaving and another arriving. Your staff may need to wear disposable gloves and facemasks.

It would also be a good idea to provide sanitising gel/wipes so customers can sanitise their hands, drinks etc as they wish.

You might want to put notices up to remind people to wash their hands frequently, use sanitising gel, and any other procedures you reccommend.

Secure outdoor space

Outdoor space provides a safer environment for your customers, and securing additional space could give you that vital capacity boost when the number of customers you can fit into your venue is significantly reduced.

If any nearby venues with outdoor space aren’t re-opening maybe you could come to an arrangement to use theirs.

If you have a pavement license and there is additional pavement space you are not currently allowed to use, see if your licence could be temporarily enlarged. If you have any open spaces nearby, approach your local council about using them for trade while restrictions are in place. These requests help get businesses up and running and ensure public safety so should be looked upon favourably.

I’m sure there will be more to think about, particular as further details about restrictions come to be known. For some venues opening with social distancing unfortunately may not be possible at all. For those that can make it work, or are still assessing it, hopefully the above provides a good starting point in working out the practicalities.

The more pubs and bars that can open safely once permitted, the better it will be for the industry and our customers.

If you have any questions on the ideas mentioned in this article, or would just like to discuss your reopening plans and how we can help, just drop get in touch

Coronavirus - what help is available?

frankie@tabology.com (Frankie Neale) — Wed, 18 Mar 2020 13:52:51 GMT

Pubs and bars, along with other hospitality and retail businesses, are now facing probably the toughest challenge ever faced as an industry. With government advice to avoid pubs and bars, trade at many venues has already dropped significantly and no one knows how long this will last or what further measures will be announced.

Faced with this scenario it is essential that pubs and bars have support available and know where to go for it, but it is not always easy to keep up to date with the rapidly changing measures. This article is intended to provide a simple summary of the help that is available for pubs and bars to the best of our knowledge.

We can't guarantee this will be fully up to date at time of reading, but we will endeavour to update as more detail is available and further support measures are announced.

Business rates

The chancellor has announced that there will be no business rates payable next year for any retail, hospitality and leisure businesses.

Grants

Pubs and bars with a rateable value of between £15,000 and £51,000 will receive a £25,000 grant.

Those with a rateable value of less than £15,000 will receive a £10,000 grant.

Grants are becoming available now via your local authority.

Insurance

Unfortunately most insurance policies only provide cover for a specified list of notifiable diseases. This means that although COVID-19 has now been listed as a notifiable disease, many insurance policies taken out prior to this won’t provide cover. We have heard from some customers whose policies do provide cover though, so we suggest you check the wording of your own policy carefully.

If your policy does cover you for pandemics from notifiable diseases (not only specifically named ones) then the government has agreed with insurers that you can already claim for government-ordered closure, due to the advice the government have given for people to avoid pubs and bars.

Loans

A new Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme will be launched next week to support businesses in accessing loans and overdrafts. These loans will not incur any interest for the first 6 months. Further details on who will be providing access to these loans is due in the next few days. We will update this article as and when more information is available.

Staff wages

HMRC will reimburse 80% of employees wage cost (up to a cap of £2500 per month) where the employee is unable to work and would otherwise have been laid off.

There will be a new online portal to submit information about employees to be "furloughed" as part of the scheme and new systems put in place to facilitate the reimbursements.

Ongoing developments & further advice

The support announced so far shows that the government has an appreciation of the impact the current situation is having on the sector, but more help is still needed. We will be monitoring closely as further measures are announced and will update this article with any new information.

At times like these we need to stick together and if you would like to discuss or ask questions about any of the help covered in this article, please get in touch and we will help as much as we can.

Getting ready for the Governments new immigration laws

frankie@tabology.com (Frankie Neale) — Tue, 25 Feb 2020 14:09:05 GMT

The government has announced there will be no visas for "low skilled" workers after leaving the EU. Bar and waiting staff are categorised by the government as low skilled.

If you run a pub this is unlikely to be welcome news. It’s difficult to recruit staff already and a further significant drop in the number of applicants could leave many pubs and bars critically short staffed.

UK Hospitality chief executive Kate Nicholls has called the policy “disastrous for the hospitality sector” and if many of your job applicants are from the EU you may well also take this view.

There is time between now the new policy coming into force for changes to be made, but if it is introduced as outlined, what can you as an operator do to prepare?

Apprentices

Having a core team of long term staff will limit the amount of recruitment you will need to do when the new rules come into affect. We wrote about the benefits of apprenticeships in a previous article here . They can be a great way to recruit passionate, long term staff.

Quick and efficient systems

If you might struggle to recruit the staff or you need, you want to make sure those you do have are as efficient as possible. A quick and efficient bar EPOS is essential for this, as well good operational processes and procedures.

Use the time of the staff you have more efficiently

It will also be important to ensure you use the staff you have at the times that you really need them. With a reduced total pool of hours to draw on, being over-staffed at times will not only cost you more, but could leave you critically short at other times.

Our Pub EPOS has a built in staff scheduling module that enables you to plan your staff against your sales trends and see where you might be over or under staffed. There are also dedicated staff scheduling systems available, such as Deputy and S4 Labour.

Introduce self service

If you might not have enough staff to provide a good or even acceptable level of service you could look at enabling your customers to serve themselves. There are multiple self-serve options available from self-serve beer taps , iPad menus and smartphone ordering .

Automate time consuming admin tasks

Your staff don’t spend all of their time behind the bar or out on the floor. There’s also admin to take care of. By automating this where possible you could free this time up to get more staff on shift when you need them.

With Tabology EPOS you can automate tasks like ordering stock, management reporting and bookkeeping.

Don’t be too pessimistic

It’s easy to get wrapped up in the news cycle and focus on the worst case scenario. Remember, negative news sells so it’s important to keep a level headed perspective. Keep in mind that a lot can change between now and next January and no one can forecast the real impact a policy like this will have. Take sensible steps to prepare - yes, but then go back to focussing on all the positive ways to drive your business forward.

If you would like to find out more about how Tabology and our Pub EPOS can help you run your pub more efficiently, get in touch .

The Plough & Harrow, Litlington

frankie@tabology.com (Frankie Neale) — Tue, 28 Jan 2020 16:09:08 GMT

“I needed something quicker, more reliable, and that would give me a detailed view of the key elements of the business.” Glenn Hooper, General Manager.

The Plough & Harrow in Litlington is a 17th century country pub, offering real ales, great food and a friendly atmosphere.

Glenn Hooper took over as General Manager 4 years ago and immediately saw the potential in the business, but knew that to tap into that he would need to invest in an up to date pub EPOS system.

"When I arrived, the pub used old fashioned electronic tills that were bulky, slow to use, and offered very little in terms of reporting. I knew that to build the business how I wanted to, I needed something quicker, more reliable, and that would give me a detailed view of the key elements of the business.”

Glenn had used other EPOS systems in previous roles, but none of them were quite what he needed. “I’d used ICR Touch for many years and loved it, but I could see it was fast being out-dated by the newer tablet-based EPOS systems. I’d also used Epos Now, but found it was unstable (would lose tabs for example) and the reports were clunky.”

When Glenn came across Tabology's Pub EPOS system , he immediately liked the fact that any POS terminal could be used as a fixed till or portable POS. It also offered the control and reporting that he needed to keep on top of his key priorities - cash, stock, and staff hours.

After starting to work with Tabology, Glenn and his team found the system was quick & simple to use, and didn’t have the stability issues he’d experienced with other tablet-based EPOS systems.

When he did need help he found it was a refreshing change from the service he had experienced with other systems.

“The support network they offer is immense. Many other companies charge you extra for support, but with Tabology it’s included in the licence costs. The guys are literally a few moments away whenever you need them.”

To find out more about our Pub EPOS , and how it could work in your venue, get in touch.

The Grasshopper - Hall & Woodhouse, Poole

frankie@tabology.com (Frankie Neale) — Tue, 28 Jan 2020 11:35:57 GMT

“Guests immediately go to those tables. They are nearly always full with far most guests sat or standing around the tables than we anticipated. More chairs on order!” Andy Thompson, Hall & Woodhouse Project Manager.

Hall & Woodhouse are a Dorset based independent family run brewery with an estate of over 200 pubs across the South serving cask ales, draught & bottled beers from their award winning Badger beer range.

With a strong history of innovation in both beer and pubs, Hall & Woodhouse are always looking to try something new. Having discovered self-serve beer in bars in Europe, the company decided to pursue the opportunity within their estate.

Following extensive research into the options available, Hall & Woodhouse decided on Tabology for their self-serve beer trial at The Grasshopper pub in Poole.

The addition of iPad Menus enabling customers to order food and drink as well as pour their own beer was seen as an added benefit and included in the trial.

Anticipated benefits from the system included higher sales with a low labour impact due to guests ordering and pouring themselves. However, the real purpose was to expand the guest experience and offer something new and quirky for guests to enjoy.

In January 2018 self-serve beer was launched in The Grasshopper with two self-serve tables of 3 taps each and iPad menus offering a selection of food & drink.

The response from guests was even better than expected, with Andy Thompson, (Hall & Woodhouse Project Manager) noting, “Guests immediately go to those tables. They are nearly always full with far more guests sat or standing around the tables than we anticipated. More chairs on order!”

Reviewing the figures on the use of the self-serve tables backed up Andy’s initial views and Hall & Woodhouse are now planning their next self-serve beer and iPad menu installations.

To find out more about iPad Menus , or Self-Serve Beer , and how they could work in your venue, get in touch.

The Thirsty Bear, London

frankie@tabology.com (Frankie Neale) — Tue, 28 Jan 2020 10:53:41 GMT

“The venue saw a 78% jump in revenue only 2 months after launching the system, increasing to a 300% uplift one year on.” Giulio Cassini, General Manager.

The Stamford Arms was a traditional wet let pub that was struggling to make ends meet from its regular customers and weekday trade from nearby offices. Having made heavy losses for a number of years, the lease was bought by Robot Pub Group (now Tabology) as a pilot and showcase of the iPad Menus , Self-Serve Beer and Pub EPOS systems .

The central London location was ideal for showcasing the concept and the company was confident that the draw of self-serve beer & iPad menus would lift the trade to profitable levels.

In January 2012, 15 tables with iPad menus & self-serve taps were installed, along with 4 iPads on the bar that would receive self-service orders and function as the main bar EPOS.

The upstairs of the Stamford Arms had historically only been used as a function room. Efforts to use the large area for day-to-day trade had been unsuccessful as customers inevitably stayed on the floor they arrived into. In order to bring this area into day-to-day use, 12 of the 15 self-service tables were installed upstairs.

The pub re-opened at the end of January, renamed as The Thirsty Bear. The response from customers was overwhelming, with the self-service tables quickly becoming booked out.

The previously under-used upstairs quickly became the most popular area, frequently outperforming the downstairs bar in sales volume.

The venue saw a 78% jump in revenue only 2 months after launching the system, increasing to a 300% uplift one year on.

These increases have stood the test of time with The Thirsty Bear in 2018 trading at over 400% uplift on the year prior to the installation of the iPad Menus & Self-Serve Beer.

To find out more about iPad Menus , Self-Serve Beer or our Pub EPOS , and how they could work in your venue, get in touch.

Pub offers & promotions that really work

frankie@tabology.com (Frankie Neale) — Mon, 04 Nov 2019 14:25:59 GMT

Are you looking to drive more traffic to your pub? While every pub has its loyal regulars, you may need to go further to get more customers in the door and keep them there, especially on quiet nights or during slow seasons.

Special offers and promotions to attract new customers and encourage more sales can definitely work for your pub, but you need to make sure you're choosing effective offers that convey value (but not cheapness) to your customers. You want to offer something special that really increases your trade and your customer loyalty. Here are a few of our favourite offers and promotions for pubs:

Happy Hours

This is obviously a classic and popular pub promotion. And with good reason - happy hours can draw customers into your pub at earlier times, and they might stay for more drinks after the happy hour period is over. If your happy hour includes cocktails, customers might continue drinking those higher-end options throughout the evening.

VIP Offers

It's basic psychology: people like to feel special. With the right tools, you can offer exclusive promotions only to customers that meet certain requirements - customers who sign up for your loyalty program, who have reached a target number of visits, or who hit a specific spending amount at your pub. These kinds of VIP offers can turn first-time customers into repeat visitors once they realise that they might earn a reward. And customers are becoming more used to the idea of "checking in" to businesses via social media, so they may be more receptive to signing up for a loyalty program than you'd expect.

Birthday Offer

Offering a simple birthday promotion, like a free pint with no strings attached, can draw in not only the birthday customer themselves, but any friends who are celebrating with them. You can ask customers to show their ID on their birthday to claim the offer, but if you already have birthdays on file through a loyalty scheme you can reach out to them as their birthday approaches. It might just make them choose to celebrate at your pub for the whole evening, bringing a large group with them.

Creative Discounts

While offering discounts can seem like a good promotional strategy, discounts can actually cheapen your brand and might not work as well as you hope. Instead, try offering something for free. For example, offering a free pint after buying two essentially results in three discounted pints. But the customer perceives that they're getting a special bonus pint instead of buying three discounted ones. It comes across as added value, and might encourage customer loyalty.

Discounts can sometimes be effective if you are debuting a new product and want to build excitement around it, but you need to be careful not to train customers to expect constant discounts at your pub.

Food and Drink Combinations

Offering a free drink when customers purchase a meal can be a great promotion, especially at lunchtime or slow weekday evenings. Customers will be more likely to buy food from you rather than leaving after one drink to head to the nearest chip shop. And they may also stay after their meal for at least one more drink.

Whether you stick with these promotion ideas or come up with creative options of your own, you'll need a bar EPOS system that can handle them smoothly at the till. With Tabology's Pub & Bar EPOS you can set up all of the above promotions and the relevant discounts are applied automatically at the till.

If you'd like to discuss switching to our Pub EPOS just drop us a message or give us a call .

The cashless pub: is it right for you?

frankie@tabology.com (Frankie Neale) — Wed, 18 Sep 2019 13:50:33 GMT

From supermarkets to corner shops people are increasingly making contactless payments using their phones, watches and smart cards. It's probably the same in your pub, but what would happen if you made contactless the only option - what would happen if you went cashless? Let's get into the pros and cons of a cashless pub.

Benefits of a Cashless Pub

Improved Speed of Service

Getting rid of cash can improve your staff's efficiency behind the bar. Card and digital wallet payments will take a lot less time than counting out change for cash transactions. A faster speed of service results in happier customers and more sales at peak times.

Reduced opportunity for mistakes and theft

No matter how diligent your staff are, handling cash transactions during busy times can lead to mistakes. Over time, these mistakes could really cost you. Having cash on hand also invites the possibility of theft or even employee fraud. If employees no longer need to handle cash, this risk is removed.

Saving Staff Time

Taking cash means that employees are spending time counting money every night after closing, and making frequent trips to the bank to deposit funds and get change. With digital transactions, all of the necessary information is already calculated after each shift. Funds are automatically transferred to your bank account, eliminating the need to carry large quantities of cash to the bank.

Improved Sales

When people pay with cash they're constantly reminded of how much they're spending (and have spent). This isn't the case when they're tapping a card or phone, which means people tend to spend more. With a good pub EPOS system, your staff can also be alerted to upselling opportunities, maximising the benefit.

Potential Downsides of a Cashless Pub

Losing Customers

You may worry that some customers may be so used to paying with cash that they'll find another pub if you go cashless. The good news is that more and more people are relying on credit cards, debit cards, and digital wallet services instead of cash. In fact, in 2016 cash transactions accounted for only 40 percent of all payments, and experts predict that the percentage will drop to 21 percent by 2026.

Many customers who pay with cash would happily use another payment method if asked. But you need to look at your customers - if a lot of them still prefer cash, going cashless may not be right for your pub just yet.

Internet or Technology Failure

If your pub goes cashless, an interruption in internet service or your card processor could be a serious issue. However, this can be mitigated by having backup card processing options. There are many cost-effective, no contract card readers available that can serve very well as a backup. A great option that covers for Internet outages is the SumUp 3G reader.

Cash for Deliveries

You may worry that your pub needs cash to pay for deliveries. If you decide to go cashless, talk to your vendors about alternative payments. They may be willing to accept cheques or offer payment terms if they want to keep your business. You could also keep just enough cash on hand to make payments, although managing that cash would negate some of the benefits of going cashless.

Is a Cashless Pub Right For You?

If you're considering going cashless, it's time to take a close look at whether it will work for you. What are the demographics of your clientele - are they likely to accept a cashless pub? Look at your records and determine if most of your customers already pay without cash.

If you decide going cashless is a good option for your business, we'd be happy to advise you on the right technology to help make the switch. If cash is still too vital to your pub, you can still achieve many of the benefits in this article through strong business processes and a good pub EPOS system .

Either way, get in touch for expert advice from our experienced team.

Maximising trade from sport at your pub

frankie@tabology.com (Frankie Neale) — Fri, 30 Aug 2019 14:02:38 GMT

The Premier League is underway and with 32 extra matches to be broadcast live this year it's a good time to focus on getting more sports fans into your pub (and keeping them happy once they're in). This article looks at how you can make your pub appeal to sports fans and maximise the uplift in revenue this can bring with it.

Provide a mix of sports for all fans

While the Premier League is a big draw for many pubs, showing a good range of sports will help increase traffic beyond just those fans. Research has shown that pubs can see a significant boost in traffic during international football, rugby tournaments, and even American football games.

Providing a mix of sport can be great way to bring customers in throughout the day, rather than just at peak times.

The rugby world cup is just around the corner and with the tournament being held in Japan means matches will be broadcast in the morning in the UK - a time when most pubs would otherwise be empty. Boxing fights are frequently broadcast late in the evening when many pubs would usually be closed or starting to lose customers.

Show what they don't have at home

With many fans now having Sky and BT Sport at home, few people have needed to visit the pub to watch a match in recent years. However, this season Amazon has secured 20 Premier League matches . With only 30% of sports fans having Amazon at home, showing these matches is a great opportunity to bring people into your pub.

The same applies to pay per view boxing fights. While these can be expensive, they can also draw a large crowd, often at times that would otherwise be quiet.

Make sure your customers know you will be showing events they may not be able to see at home. You can use your website, social media, mailing lists, and in-venue advertising. MatchPint can also be a great way to help sports fans find your pub.

Create the right atmosphere

Atmosphere is one of the top-cited reasons for fans to choose to watch sport in the pub. Fans want to be able to cheer without feeling self-conscious, they want to be able to find other fans to connect with, and they want to feel like their passion for sport is taken seriously.

You don't have to go all out and display every team's colours, but a few decorations here and there can make your pub feel like the right place to watch sports, rather than just a pub that happens to show matches on a TV. If fans feel truly welcome, they'll make plans to watch more events at your pub.

Let everyone see and hear

This goes along with creating the right atmosphere. There may be many pubs showing a big match, but they may just have it playing on a small screen that only a few customers can really see.

By having multiple screens, placing them strategically, and investing in a good sound system, you'll ensure that all of your customers have an optimal viewing experience for their favourite sporting events.

Promote smaller events

It may be relatively easy to draw fans in for the big headline events, but to keep your pub's traffic consistent, you'll want to bring people in the door for smaller events, too.

You can do this by running promotions that entice fans to enjoy every sports event at your pub. Try a happy hour that runs during all events, or a special food and drink offer while a match is on.

Provide quick and easy service

Being able to get served quickly and easily is a big reason fans choose one pub over another. It's also a big factor in securing loyal customers who make your venue their top choice for sports in the future.

Ensuring you have enough bar staff on shift is essential. Offering table service is a big plus.

To provide a really seamless experience you could offer iPad menus and self-serve beer taps so customers don't have to miss a minute of the action to go and queue at the bar. All self-service sales feed directly into our bar EPOS system , keeping operations running smoothly and all data & reporting in one place.

This concept was the main driver in taking The Thirsty Bear in London Waterloo to the finals for the Best Sport Pub in the 2017 Great British Pub Awards.

As you can see, it takes more than just installing a television to truly maximise trade from sport at your pub. By offering a mix of sports, properly advertising the matches you'll be showing, and ensuring a fantastic customer experience, you can bring in sports fans and turn them into loyal pub customers.

If you are looking for a Pub EPOS and would like to know how our system could work in your venue, get in touch .

Preparing your pub for Brexit

frankie@tabology.com (Frankie Neale) — Fri, 02 Aug 2019 13:47:55 GMT

No one knows what Brexit will mean for the UK as a whole, let alone pubs. We don’t know if we will leave with or without a deal, and we don’t really know what either of these will mean anyway!

It might seem impossible to prepare for so many unknowns, but it doesn’t do any harm to make sure you’re ready in case some of the more negative scenarios play out.

Check your gross profit margins

Brexit could hit the price of goods. If goods become cheaper through the benefits of free trade, we can all have a bit more money in our pocket. However, if they become more expensive you will want to make sure you’ve got healthy gross profit margins that could withstand the increases.

If you use a specialist pub epos system you should be able to see your GP on every product easily. If you’re not hitting the margin you need, you could increase the price, look for a cheaper supplier, or replace the product with a cheaper alternative.

Look for locally sourced produce

Locally sourced produce appeals to customers, is better for the environment and helps your local economy, so you already have enough reasons to use it. Ensuring you do could also help protect you against any price increases after Brexit.

Build staff loyalty

Recruiting good bar and kitchen staff is already a challenge. If fewer EU workers choose to, or are allowed to, come to the UK after Brexit it will become even harder.

Ensuring your current staff are happy and motivated is a good idea anyway, and doing so prior to Brexit will help ensure you’re not left in the lurch if there is a shortage of staff to go around.

Hire apprentices

If you do need to recruit staff, planning for the long term can avoid you having to recruit again in what could be difficult circumstances. This means looking for people who want a career in the trade, rather than a short-term job. The government apprenticeship scheme is a great way to do this. Alongside their employment, apprentices study a (largely government funded) course. Hospitality apprenticeships are on the increase, and include courses aimed at team members as well as supervisors and managers.

For more information see the government apprenticeship website .

Identify cost cutting opportunities

If Brexit has an adverse impact on the economy it could hit consumer spending. Economic predictions are notoriously unreliable so it doesn’t make sense to panic, but it does make sense to be prepared.

Take a look at your costs to identify any areas you could cut back, either now or if spending was to take a downward trend. If you automate your accounts you will always have an up to date and accurate view of your P&L making it easier to identify any areas where spending is higher than it should be.

Don’t Panic

Many of the suggestions made above are good business practice in any scenario, so will leave you well prepared whatever the outcome of Brexit.

Perhaps the most important point of all though, is not to panic. In the last few years, pubs have been faced with changing consumer behaviour, competition from supermarkets, and crippling business rates. With every challenge, comes further evidence of the resilient, adaptive and forward thinking businesses that make up the sector.

If you would like to talk to someone about any of the suggestions in this article, get in touch with one of our team who will be happy to help.

Automated bookkeeping for pubs

frankie@tabology.com (Frankie Neale) — Wed, 24 Jul 2019 14:05:14 GMT

Automating your bookkeeping not only saves you time & money, but also gives you an up to date and accurate view of how your pub or group is performing. This article explains how to get started.

Running a pub is already more than a full time job, so many publicans understandably pass the task of bookkeeping onto a professional bookkeeper or accountant. Whilst this does push aside a painful activity it can often mean high accountancy fees and poor visibility of how your pub is performing.

Automating the bookkeeping process can dramatically cut your fees and provide you with an accurate, up to the minute view of the profitability of your bar. This can give you confidence that your business is on track, and alert you more quickly to issues that need attention or potential improvements that could increase your profitability. Here’s what you will need.

A cloud accounting package

You will need a cloud accounting package that has the ability to integrate with other apps. Xero and Quickbooks are two popular options. Both have the ability to integrate with other applications that will allow you to automate your bookkeeping.

If you don’t already use a cloud accounting package you may want to see if your accountant has experience in any. If you already have an EPOS that you don’t want to change then you will also need to check which packages it can integrate with.

A compatible EPOS system

You will need a pub EPOS system that integrates with your chosen accounting package. Tabology's Pub EPOS integrates with both Xero and Quickbooks.

The integration should cover sending your sales to your accounting package, ideally each day.

Cash, card and any other payment types you accept can also be posted automatically. Ideally these should be based on the actual payments you received (what you enter at cash up) rather than what was keyed through the till. This way any cash variances are accounted for and tracked in your accounts package and you won’t have a nasty shock at the end of the year.

If you pay for any purchases using cash from your tills or safe you ideally want your epos to post these as well.

A bookkeeping add-on

You now need a way to get the rest of your purchases into your accounting package. For this you will need a bookkeeping add-on for your accounts package, like Receipt Bank .

These add-ons will read invoices and automatically extract the key data from them (supplier, date, amounts etc.), and send them into your accounts package. Once you set the correct account for a supplier on one invoice it will also allocate future invoices to the same account.

You can ask suppliers to email a pre-defined email address and their invoices then go straight into Receipt Bank, where they can be reviewed and then pushed into your accounting package.

Once in your accounting package invoices can be reconciled against your bank statement in one click.

The benefits

From putting the above in place you can save a significant amount of time (or cost if you use a bookkeeper).

You will also be able to log into your accounts at any time and see exactly how your pub is performing. In a few clicks you can see your revenue, wage costs, gross profit margins, and net profit.

If you would like to implement the above and need help, contact one of our team for further advice. We can also help put you in touch with an accountant or bookkeeper who can help.

Pub EPOS systems - cloud vs. onsite

frankie@tabology.com (Frankie Neale) — Wed, 20 Feb 2019 15:46:57 GMT

One of the biggest decisions you will need to make if you are looking for a new pub EPOS system is whether to go for a traditional till system with the server built in (or based onsite), or one of the newer cloud-based pub EPOS systems .

This article talks through the main differences between these two options to help you make an informed decision.

Internet dependence

A cloud epos system connects to a server that is hosted in the cloud (in a data centre somewhere). This means there will be some dependency on an Internet connection.

Most cloud epos systems can still function while offline, but there may be some limitations to the functionality that is available.

A system that has a built in server, or connects to a server-based onsite, should not have a reliance on an Internet connection for its day to day use. This could make this a good option if your pub or bar has a very poor Internet connection.

On the flipside, you will always be able to access your data on a cloud EPOS wherever you are. Whether you can do this with a traditional till system depends on the particular system, and will need an Internet connection at the site & some specific network configuration.

Hardware & set up costs

Having a server onsite adds to the up front cost of an epos system. This additional cost relates to the hardware itself and any associated installation cost, such as network changes.

With a cloud epos system, hardware and set up costs are generally much lower, as no server is required to be purchased, installation is much simpler (and can be DIY), and the epos hardware is usually less expensive.

Software updates

With many traditional onsite systems you pay for your software up front along with your hardware. While this may (and should) reduce any ongoing fees, it will usually also mean you do not benefit from any significant software updates or improvements.

To update your software you are likely to need to pay for an upgrade, which may also lead to costs to upgrade your hardware.

With a cloud epos system, you will usually pay for your software as a service. This means you will always have access to the latest software available from your provider without having to pay to upgrade software or hardware.

With the pace of change of technology today, a static system can become out of date very quickly.

Cost of switching

One of the big benefits of a cloud EPOS is it is very easy and inexpensive to switch to a different EPOS provider if your system doesn’t live up to your expectations. Most cloud EPOS systems make use of off-the-shelf hardware that can be re-used with a different epos system should you decide to switch. As the software is usually paid for monthly, you can simply stop paying the old provider and start paying the new.

With onsite server epos systems the costs to switch can be very high. We speak to many publicans who have paid a large up front fee for a new pub EPOS system, only to find it doesn’t live up to their expectations. Unfortunately, these systems can often be very hard to resell and so the cost incurred is frequently unrecoverable.

A hybrid approach

In our experience most sites run perfectly well via the cloud. Internet outages these days are very rare and offline mode keeps things going if outages do occur.

There are some sites though that do have unreliable Internet and would benefit from having a server onsite.

At Tabology, we do offer a local server option so that sites that can’t rely on their Internet connection can still take advantage of many of the other benefits of a modern cloud EPOS system.

Which is the right option depends, not only on Internet reliability, but how you use the system.

If you are looking for a new EPOS and would like some advice on which option would work best for you, just contact one of our experienced team who will be happy to help.

5 technologies to boost your pub profits in 2019

frankie@tabology.com (Frankie Neale) — Mon, 07 Jan 2019 16:34:29 GMT

A new year is a good time to reflect and look ahead at what you could do differently in the year ahead. This article looks at 5 technologies that could boost the profits of your pub in 2019.

Cloud EPOS

Whilst cloud-based apps and technologies are becoming common in our day-to-day lives (iCloud, Dropbox, and Google Drive being the most well known), many pubs are still working with old-fashioned, hardware-based till systems.

We’ve written about the broader benefits of cloud technology and some of the financial benefits of a cloud EPOS system before, so I’ll just outline the key benefits here:

Cheaper, re-usable hardware
Access your data from anywhere
Always on the latest software without the need for expensive upgrades
Easy to try out new products without committing large sums of money
Easy to switch to a new provider if you’re not happy

To understand what a cloud EPOS is and how it differs from the more traditional hardware-based till systems see our article, what is a cloud EPOS .

If you’d like to consider Tabology's Pub EPOS for your pub or bar, just get in touch with our team to discuss your needs or arrange for a free trial.

Staff Scheduling System

Staffing is one of a pub’s biggest variable costs. Getting your staff levels right leads to quick service, happy customers, and motivated staff. Getting them wrong leads to stressed staff and walkouts, or bored staff and a wage bill that can’t be paid.

Staff-scheduling systems help you align your staff rota with your sales trends and see up front if your wage % for the coming week looks to be an issue.

At the simplest end of scale this can mean entering your own sales forecasts, and seeing your resultant wage % on a daily basis and for the week overall. At the other end are fully automated hour by hour sales forecasts taking into account historic sales, big events and seasonality, and a rota that is effectively planned for you

If you’re looking for a simple staff scheduling system, a good pub EPOS system, such as Tabology, may cover what you need. If you’re looking for intelligent sales forecasts, a dedicated employee app, and integration with Payroll it’s worth trying out Deputy , which our Pub EPOS integrates with.

Cloud Accounting

Similarly to cloud EPOS, many pubs & bars are yet to grasp the enormous benefits that moving to a good cloud accounting platform can bring. Having a real-time view of how your business is performing, right down to your bottom line, is invaluable for identifying and resolving issues early.

With a cloud accounting package you can see your profit and loss for any period right up to the current day. An integrated EPOS ensures your sales are always up to date and then a bookkeeping add on, like Receipt Bank will load in your bills automatically.

If you’re still waiting on management accounts months after the period has ended, 2019 would be a good time to look at moving to the cloud.

We recommend Xero , which our Pub EPOS integrates with, and our team are happy to help with any questions about getting set up with the EPOS, Xero and Receipt Bank.

Mobile Ordering

Wetherspoon’s Order & Pay app has led to a much broader awareness of mobile ordering. But other pubs and bars can also take advantage of this technology, without the need to develop an expensive app.

A handful of POS providers are now offering mobile ordering apps that tie into their EPOS. Our web based mobile ordering app is one example, which enables customers to order from their phones with orders sent straight to the EPOS iPad.

Mobile ordering is a cost-effective way to offer table service, with no need for staff to visit tables to take orders, or even key them into the till. Customers tend to stay longer, and order more, when ordering from a phone or tablet.

Self Serve Beer

If you’re looking for something different to drive sales in 2019 you could consider self-serve beer . Customers love pouring their own beer, and the concept is still rare enough in the UK that it can really put a venue on the map.

We’ve written about the different types of self-serve beer available in our Guide to self-service in pubs & bars.

To find out more about any of the above technologies, just get in touch and our team will be happy to help. In the meantime we wish you all a happy and profitable New Year!

Can you afford not to have a Pub EPOS system?

frankie@tabology.com (Frankie Neale) — Thu, 01 Nov 2018 17:03:04 GMT

A well-designed pub EPOS system can perform many of the duties of a disciplined staff member for a fraction of the cost.

I don’t make this claim in any way to devalue your staff, as there are, and always will be, so many jobs that they can do far better than technology.

However, in this modern age, there are some jobs that technology can do better than people. Conveniently, these also tend to be the jobs that people don’t like doing!

So if a pub EPOS system can take away some of your worst jobs, do them better, and at a lower cost, can you afford not to have one? Let’s look at some of the jobs your EPOS can either do, or help with.

Take care of your admin

It’s a pretty safe bet that admin doesn’t come high on the list of favourite jobs for either you or your staff. It’s also generally not a cost-effective use of time now that technology can take care of so much. A modern pub EPOS system should track your stock, tell you what you need to order from your suppliers & send off the orders. It should help with setting up your products, plan an efficient rota, and even take care of your bookkeeping.

If you or your staff are still slaving over these admin tasks, you might want to consider the cost of your time vs the cost of an up to date pub EPOS system.

Let you know how things are going

I’ve come across many pub managers who spend a couple of hours every week pulling together a report to show the owners how the pub is performing, which products are selling well, and which should be dropped from the menu.

A good pub EPOS system should pull together these reports automatically and email them straight to you. Furthermore, with the manual effort taken away, you can be sent a report every day if you want to monitor things more closely, at no extra cost.

Make sure you’re hitting your target Gross Profit

Gross profit and recipe costing spreadsheets take time to put together and even more to maintain. With the right pub EPOS system you can say goodbye to the spreadsheets and still see exactly what GP you should be making on everything that you sell.

For beer or wine, just enter your cost and sale price and see if you’re making the GP you expect. For cocktails and meals, enter your ingredients and your EPOS can calculate the cost of your recipe and tell you your GP.

Not only does this save you time, but it avoids the even more costly scenario of selling a dish for less than it costs you to make (and this does happen!)

Help serve customers more quickly

Fast service is more important in the pub trade than perhaps any other industry. EPOS systems for pubs should be designed to minimise the time it takes to key in orders and serve customers. This means one-touch ordering for the most popular products, and a simple intuitive interface.

Checking allergen info, or the style of a particular beer or wine, shouldn’t slow down service. A good pub EPOS system can store this key info and make it available to staff on a simple button press, avoiding the need to check allergen lists or ask the chef or manager.

If you’re running a promotion this should be applied automatically, taking no more time than a normal order.

Venues with a real bottleneck at the bar can also look at ways of enabling some customers to serve themselves

The savings from just one or two of the above would easily cover the cost of a Tabology EPOS license (£39 per month) and there are many further benefits that will ensure your investment is returned many times over.

If you’d like to discuss your particular needs, or arrange a demo of our Pub EPOS, just contact one of our team .

How much does a self-serve beer system cost?

frankie@tabology.com (Frankie Neale) — Thu, 27 Sep 2018 19:11:01 GMT

Pubs are always on the lookout for new ideas to drive sales and provide a better experience for customers. And costs are always an important factor in deciding if and how you implement those ideas.

Having run our own pub for over 10 years, we know that transparency around pricing is key. That’s why, if you’re looking for an EPOS and management suite for your pub, we make it easy to understand how much you’ll need to spend on hardware, software licences and support.

However, when you’re looking for a self-serve beer system (one of those ideas that can drive sales in your pub), it’s not quite so straightforward. That’s not us trying to hide costs – it’s just that there are many more variables to consider.

This article aims to plug this gap and make it as clear as possible what your self-serve beer system will cost (and if you’re not sure whether self-serve beer is right for your pub, take a look at the pros and cons of the various options in our guide to guide to self-service in pubs & bars .

Fixed costs (£1750 - £3000)

You’ll need certain components regardless of how many self-serve beer taps you install. These include a cabinet, onsite server, and network equipment. If you only have a handful of taps, it’ll cost you around £1750 for the parts and installation, while a larger install will be around £3000.

Taps on tables (£1100 - £2000)

If you’re having self-service taps on customer tables, you’ll need a mounted iPad to present measure options and display pour counts, and a flow controller to enable tap(s) and monitor the dispense. If you choose Tabology for your self-service table taps, you can integrate your full food and drink menu into the beer tap screen, making it more likely that customers stay longer, order more, and increase your revenue.

Many table-tap installations include an RFID card reader that activates the tap(s) when the customer presents their ‘beer card’. Our integrated EPOS and management suite allows you to integrate loyalty and membership benefits to the beer cards too.

Alternatively, bar staff can activate the taps from your EPOS. This is a good option when the self-service tables are pre-booked and one group will use them for a long period of time. When people come and go regularly, such as when you’ve got lots of self-serve tables or a beer wall, it may be better to have beer card readers, or your staff will constantly be asked to activate the taps.

The price range for taps on tables starts from £1100 for a 1-tap table with no card reader to £2000 for a 4-tap table with a card reader.

Beer wall taps (£850 - £1250)

With a beer wall, any customer in the bar can walk up to the wall, insert their “beer card” and pour a beer. The main variables impacting the cost of a beer wall tap are the size of the screen and the number of taps per screen.

Having one screen for every 2 taps is the most cost-effective option at £850 per tap. However, this limits the number of customers who can use the beer wall at the same time, as each time a beer card is inserted, 2 taps will be activated for the customer to choose from.

If your goal is to provide more choice, but you’re not expecting particularly high volume through the wall, then this can be a good option. If you are expecting high volume on the beer wall and want each tap to be able to be used independently then you would need to have one screen for every tap.

For a one tap per screen set up a small screen (iPod) is the most popular and costs £1000 per tap. For a larger screen (iPad or iPad mini) the cost increases to £1250 per tap.

Integrated Hospitality EPOS System (£600 - £1000 & £39 per month)

However you set up your self-service beer taps, you need a way to administer the system, set up tabs or beer cards, and track the beer being dispensed. You also need to record self-serve sales along with your normal bar sales.

So it makes sense to have all of that in a single, seamlessly integrated system. Our self-service beer system is part of the Tabology EPOS and management suite for pubs and bars . Your staff have only one system to manage and all sales and stock and data is managed in one place. Loyalty and membership rewards can be configured to the self-serve taps, and bookings for self-serve tables are managed within the same system as normal tables.

Trading Standards verification (£75 - £1000)

Any self-service beer system used for trade in the UK needs to be verified by the local Trading Standards office to ensure it is dispensing accurate measures (see Self Serve Beer - Is it Legal? ).

Trading Standards charge for this by the hour. Both the time taken and the hourly fee varies so this is the hardest cost to estimate, but in our experience, it usually falls between £75 and £1000 depending on the number of taps.

Network cabling and power sockets (£0 - £1000)

A self-serve beer system requires power and data sockets at the location of each tap. Sometimes these may be in place already or be very easy to add. In others this could involve extensive cabling work. This makes it another very hard cost to estimate, but it rarely costs more than £1000.

Running beer lines (£0 - £2000+)

It’s very common for a brewery to agree to run new lines and install new cellar equipment in exchange for an agreement to offer their beers on some or all of the self-service taps.

If you prefer to have complete freedom over the products you serve on the taps, you might want to pay for a company to run new lines and possibly provide new coolers. If you like to offer a diverse and ever-changing mix of beers, Our stock system lets you add new products in seconds – product templates and links to suppliers mean beer information is automatically added, saving you all that time and effort.

This could cost from a few hundred pounds to run some new lines to a single table or beer wall, to over £2000 to run lines around a large venue to several individual tables.

License & support fees (£19 per month per tap)

Monthly or annual license & support fees cover the use of the technology, including any updates and enhancements, and any support needed in relation to the system. The fees for PourTab are £19 per month per tap.

The above will hopefully give you a reasonable idea of the budget you'll need for your self-serve beer system. Running it is much easier when it’s all seamlessly integrated with your EPOS and management software.

For a more accurate quote or for specific advice, just get in touch with our team .

5 ways a Pub EPOS can free up your time

frankie@tabology.com (Frankie Neale) — Thu, 30 Aug 2018 12:27:48 GMT

One of the biggest challenges of running a pub is finding the time to juggle the many different tasks involved. This article looks at how a good pub EPOS system can help you do more in less time. Who knows, you may even be able to take a day off!

View real-time reports from anywhere

With a cloud EPOS system, you can view all of your data from anywhere. With full access to your EPOS reports whether at home or on the road, you can see how that new menu item is selling, find out how a function went, or see who’s clocked in for their shift.

Get key metrics direct to your inbox

Keep a handle on your key figures in less than a minute each week. Daily, weekly, or monthly email reports will tell you at a glance if sales are up or down, what is selling well, and as importantly, what isn’t.

Add new products in seconds

In order to correctly track stock movements , EPOS systems for pubs need detailed information about each products you sell. You need to specify the units you buy stock in, the measures you sell the product in, the supplier you order it from, and more. This can take up valuable time, and any mistakes can take up even more of your time when they show through as issues on your stock take.

A well designed pub EPOS system can cut this to a fraction of the time and minimise mistakes by offering predefined templates for your common products. Then when you add a draught beer or bottle of wine, all you need to enter is the name, cost price, and sale prices. The rest is done for you.

If you order unusual size kegs or sell beer in schooners, you only need to amend the template and then every product you add will automatically have the set up you need.

Automatically calculate recipe costs

You know how important it is to know your margins on your menu items, but maintaining costing spreadsheets is time-consuming. A good pub EPOS system will enable you to add your recipes against every dish or cocktail and automatically calculate the cost and gross profit.

Save time ordering from suppliers

Working out what to order from suppliers isn’t overly complex. Estimate how much you’re likely to sell before your next order and then adjust this for what you already have in stock. For one product this doesn’t take long to do, but for every product, from every supplier, every week, it really eats into your valuable time.

With a good pub EPOS system, this can all be done for you. Your EPOS knows how much you’re selling and what you have in stock and can use this information to show you what you need to order. You may need to make some adjustments for a big booking or event, but this still takes a fraction of the time it takes to work out an order from scratch.

To save even more time, instead of picking up the phone, have your EPOS email your order straight to your supplier.

These are just some of the ways our Pub EPOS can free up some time so you can invest it elsewhere in your business or spend it with friends and family.

If you would like to find out more, just contact one of our team .

Using your Pub EPOS to improve your gross profit

frankie@tabology.com (Frankie Neale) — Wed, 20 Jun 2018 14:13:17 GMT

One of the many advantages of using a modern pub EPOS system is you can track your most important figures easily. One of the most important of these is your gross profit (GP).

By tracking your GP closely you can identify ways to improve it, which will feed directly through to your profits.

A good pub focused EPOS should allow you to see your GP on three levels.

Product GP

This is the GP you make on the sale of each product. When you set your prices on your EPOS back office you should be able to see the GP you will be making on each item. Checking this as you update your prices is the first step in ensuring you are making enough margin on each sale.

For food or cocktails that have recipes, it’s useful if your system has the ability to calculate the recipe cost automatically. If it doesn’t you should calculate the cost yourself so you can enter it into your system and make sure you know the GP you are making on those items.

Theoretical GP

This is the GP you should have made on your sales, based on the product GP for all the products you have sold. You should be able to see on your EPOS reports what your theoretical GP was for any period. This provides your target GP for those sales. This may not be the same as the actual GP you made, and this is where the final check comes in.

Actual GP

This is the GP you actually made based on the stock that you have gone through over the period. You will see this figure on your stock report when you run a stock take. This should ideally be as close as possible to your theoretical GP, but due to wastage or unexplained variances is likely to be different.

Improving Your GP

Tracking GP on all 3 levels will identify options to improve on it. Increasing your prices or driving down your cost prices will improve your product level GP. Any improvements here will feed straight through to your theoretical GP. Any difference between your theoretical and actual GP can be then be minimised through reducing wastage or investigating any unexplained variances.

To see how our Pub EPOS can help you track and improve your GP contact one of our team.

Self-Serve Beer - how does it work?

frankie@tabology.com (Frankie Neale) — Mon, 28 May 2018 15:09:11 GMT

There are a few different self-serve beer systems available, but all share many commonalities in how they work. This article explains how self-serve beer taps work from both a technical (but not too technical) perspective and also from a staff and customer viewpoint.

If you are looking to purchase a self-serve beer system , this article will help you understand what you will be getting and how it will work.

The self-service tap

At the location of the self-service tap, you first need an ordinary beer tap just like you’d have on the bar, with a beer line run up from your cool room or cellar.

Then there are the additional components needed to enable self-service from the tap. These will usually be a flow controller, a screen, and an RFID card reader. The role each of these plays is described below.

The flow controller

All self-serve beer systems need a way of tracking who can access the self-serve taps, and how much beer has been dispensed. This is achieved through an electronic flow controller with a flow meter and valve attached.

The flow meter and valve are inserted into the beer line, usually just below the tap. The flow controller takes the readings from the flow meter to track how much beer has been poured and opens the valve when a customer has initiated a dispense.

The RFID card reader / contactless bank card reader

A common method of allowing a customer to activate a tap is with use of an RFID card. When placed on an RFID reader, located at each self-service tap (or bank of taps) the customer identified by the card will be linked to the table and the tap will be enabled.

The RFID card can be loaded with funds, which will be deducted when beer is poured from the tap. Or alternatively, spend can be tracked for the customer to pay prior to leaving the venue (a credit card would usually need to be held, or pre-authorisation taken with this method to avoid walkouts).

It is also possible to link a contactless bank card reader to each tap. Customer's can then tap their own bank card to trigger a dispense. This can be a great option for a smooth customer experience, but it does bypass the controls that prevent underage or intoxicated customers getting access to alcohol. This results in additional staff controls being needed, which we wrote more about in our previous article Self Serve Beer – Is it Legal?

The screen

There will usually be a screen located at the self-service tap that informs the customer what they have poured from the tap (in the UK displaying this to the customer is essential to meet weights & measures requirements). The screen may also inform the customer of the balance they have left on their card or how much they owe.

With PourTab self-serve taps the screen is either an iPad or an iPod touch. The iPad tends to work better for a tap based on a table, whereas the iPod touch can be a good option for a tap that is fixed to the wall.

One advantage of the iPad is that it can be used to offer additional self-service options such as ordering food or drink from the menu or playing tracks on the jukebox.

Behind the bar

Behind the bar, there is an activation station, which could also serve as the bar EPOS system . This is connected to another RFID card reader that is used for activating beer cards or loading them with credit.

The activation station (or EPOS) is also used to see what has been poured on various cards, and to receive alerts based on volumes dispensed. This enables control of how much beer guests are consuming, which is necessary to satisfy licensing regulations.

With PourTab self-serve beer taps, the activation station is often a Tabology EPOS iPad that also functions as the main EPOS for the venue. This has the advantage of keeping all sales in one place, whether they take place over the bar in the traditional sense or via one of the self-serve tables. It also avoids the need to have an additional screen behind the bar to manage the self-serve beer system and means staff aren't spending time keying sales from one system into another.

In the office

In the office, there is a central server that stores all of the sales and allows all of the components described above to communicate with each other.

This location will also be the hub of a network (wired and/or wireless) that enables this communication.

The Customer Experience

All of the above components work together to facilitate the customer experience.

A first time customer who arrives at the bar will either purchase a preloaded beer card or open a tab that will be tracked by a beer card to be paid later.

Staff can create either option on the fly at the activation station or EPOS.

The customer then places their card on the RFID reader at their chosen self-serve tap, selects a measure*, and pours their beer.

If it’s enabled, the customer might also order some food or other drinks from the touchscreen menu.

Depending on how the venue, customers with balances left on cards may be able to take them home and come back to use them again another day. It’s even possible to use a smartphone app to top up their card when they get low on funds.

There is of course much more involved in introducing a self-serve beer system, and we wrote about some of the things it is good to think about in our guide to self-service in pubs & bars .

If you’re thinking about introducing self-serve beer to your venue and would like to know more, just contact one of our team who will be happy to help.

* This is required only in the UK to meet weights and measures legislation

Using your Pub EPOS for stock control

frankie@tabology.com (Frankie Neale) — Fri, 13 Apr 2018 15:32:03 GMT

This article offers some guidance on how to use your pub EPOS system to manage your stock.

Good stock control is essential for any pub wanting to both protect and maximise profits.

As all of your sales go through your till it makes sense to use this data to track your stock. Doing so can give you an accurate view of the gross profit you’re achieving and alert you to any stock deficits that could be hitting your bottom line.

Accurate stock tracking on your EPOS can also reduce or remove external stock taking costs, and even cut down the time spent placing orders by having your POS System calculate what you need.

The benefits are clear, but many publicans struggle to track stock effectively using their EPOS and then have to rely exclusively on external stock takers. Getting stock tracking right can be difficult, especially if you don’t have the right system in place (EPOS systems for pubs need to be built to handle the complexities of measures, recipes and ingredients), or you don’t follow the right steps in getting started.

This article aims to provide some guidance to help you start tracking stock successfully on your EPOS. The below is written with reference to functionality offered by Tabology EPOS. Not every system will offer the same functionality, but the principles should apply to most modern pub EPOS systems.

Ensure Product Set Up is Correct

The hardest and most important part of tracking your stock accurately is getting your products set up correctly. Incorrect set up leads to issues on the stock report that can mask genuine stock problems. When there are too many set up issues, the stocktake report becomes impossible to derive anything from.

To track stock, your pub EPOS system needs to be able to link the products you sell to the stock you buy in. This could be that you buy kegs of 88 pints and sell them in pints and halves for example. Or you buy wine in bottles and sell it in 125ml and 250ml glasses. In order for your EPOS to track how much stock you should have at any given time, it needs to know these details for every product. Ensuring this is correct for all products is key to implementing a successful stock tracking system.

Our Pub EPOS uses templates that are linked to your categories, (e.g. draught beers, wine etc.) so whenever you add a product you can be sure your stock set up is correct. If you don’t have this facility on your till system you can achieve a similar thing by copying another product that has the desired set up.

More complex products such as cocktails or food items will need to have recipes entered, so every time you sell one, all the relevant ingredients are deducted from your stock.

Run Regular Stock Takes

Particularly when starting out with a new system it's important to run stock takes regularly. This way any issues can be identified more quickly, investigated more easily, and fixed ready for a subsequent stock run.

If there is a large gap between stock takes, any issues will be much harder to look into as there will be more potential causes at play. Also if there are genuine issues causing stock deficits (unauthorised give aways, staff drinks, or even theft) these will have been left to continue longer, causing greater losses.

Run Daily Line Checks on Suspect Lines

If any lines are showing unexplained variances it’s a good idea to run line checks on these items daily, on top of your regular stock takes.

Daily line checks will home in on which shifts the losses are occurring. They’ll also present you with a much smaller amount of data to look into, making it easier to get to the bottom of any issues.

EPOS Systems for pubs should have a way of performing line checks on a subset of stock items, as well as full stock takes. With Tabology EPOS you can set a flag against any product you have concerns with so that it is included whenever you run a line check.

Check Deliveries Match Orders

It’s important to check that what you take in from deliveries matches the order you placed. If any items are missing this will show up as a variance on your stock take. At best this will take up your time investigating the cause before going back to your supplier. At worst you may never discover the reason for the deficit and end up paying for stock you never received.

If you enter all of your orders into your EPOS back office at the time of placing the order you will have a reference to check your deliveries against. (Some systems, including ours, will even create orders for you based on your sales history and stock levels).

When a delivery arrives you can then check what you’ve received against your order. Any differences can be flagged and amended on the system prior to marking the order as delivered. This will make sure your stock levels stay accurate and alert you to the problem so you can arrange for a credit from your supplier.

Set Minimum Stock Levels

If your EPOS or stock control system calculates your stock orders for you then it will likely use minimum stock levels as part of this calculation. This is the amount of stock you never want to go below for any particular item. Essentially it acts as a buffer in case the period you are ordering for turns out to be unexpectedly busy.

Your minimum stock level should, therefore, be higher for high volume products than those that you sell only rarely. If you choose a minimum stock level that is the equivalent to the most you would expect your sales to increase from one week to the next then you should rarely have to adjust the orders suggested by your system.

Summary

Hopefully, you will have found some of the above useful if you plan to start stock tracking using your EPOS. It’s not essential to implement all of the above straight away to get a basic stock-tracking program in place. If you’re short on time or limited by the functionality offered by your system you can achieve a lot by focusing on the correct product set up and regular stock takes. When you want to get more focused and precise with your stocktaking, consider using stock management software .

If you would like further advice on using your EPOS to manage your stock or would like to consider our Pub EPOS for your stock tracking, just contact one of our team .

EPOS systems for pubs with rooms

frankie@tabology.com (Frankie Neale) — Thu, 22 Mar 2018 09:48:15 GMT

If you run a small hotel or a pub with rooms, using the right EPOS can you save time, and help ensure your guests have a positive experience.

This article looks at some features EPOS systems for pubs with rooms should have, that you may find useful to help manage your rooms and guests.

You will no doubt have many other specific requirements relevant to your operation and we suggest an approach to making sure these are met in our article, finding the right epos for your pub .

Room tabs

Most pub EPOS systems will cater for running tabs, but if you allow guests to put orders on their room bill you’ll want to have the ability to retain a tab across multiple days, so that guests can add items during their stay and be presented with their final bill when they check out. This means your EPOS needs to be able to roll forward room bill sales to the next day when you close down and not expect payment for these items when you cash up.

Integration with a hotel management system

A hotel management system can be a great way to improve your visibility across multiple booking sites. It can also save you valuable time managing your listings, rooms, and guest stays.

To maximise the time saving you’ll want your hotel management system to be able to connect to your EPOS. In this way, tabs can be opened for guests automatically on check-in and any purchases they make can be synced back to the hotel management system for payment of the final bill.

There are many many hotel management systems available and Capterra gives a good roundup here .

Tabology's EPOS integrates with Cloudbeds , which connects to hundreds of booking sites such as booking.com and Expedia, as well offering a widget for commission free bookings from your website or Facebook.

Flexible product pricing

As you’re likely to sell rooms at different rates on different days you’ll need to make sure your pub EPOS system can handle flexible pricing. This may be a number of different price levels for each room or a completely open price you can enter at the time of the transaction.

Room service options

Boost your room service sales by offering smartphone or iPad menu ordering. You could offer an iPad in each room for guests to order from, or enable guests to order using their own phones. Our recent article, iPad Menus or Smartphone Ordering , gives a review of the relative merits of each. This is particularly useful for attracting younger guests to your pub , who demand seamless and personalised experiences.

If you would like to know more about how our Pub EPOS can help you run your hotel or pub with rooms, contact one of our team who will be happy to help.

iPad menus or mobile ordering?

frankie@tabology.com (Frankie Neale) — Mon, 12 Mar 2018 10:03:36 GMT

These days everything is available on-demand. From the latest TV series on Netflix to a last minute order on Amazon Now, consumers are used to getting what they want the minute they want it.

Pubs are beginning to realise this and respond by offering their customers a more on-demand experience. This article weighs up two methods of achieving this – iPad menus offered in venue, or smartphone ordering apps on customers own phones.

Quick & Easy Service

A key benefit both technologies offer is quick & easy service.

Tapping your order in on a phone or iPad is much more convenient than walking to another floor or queuing at the bar.

iPad menus have the advantage of always being out on display in front of the customer. Placing an order is as simple as a few taps on the screen.

Smartphones need to be taken out of a pocket or bag, and then the app opened up. Not exactly a hardship, but a few steps that aren’t needed with iPad menus.

First-time ease of use

Everyone is a first time user once, and any new concept you offer has to be easy to get to grips with the first time.

With iPad menus, a new customer just sits down at a table with an iPad to browse menus and place an order.

To order from a smartphone a customer first needs to download an app. Then when placing their first order they will also need to enter a few basic details and a payment method.

These steps don’t take long and will still be quicker than waiting at a busy bar, but iPad Menus still take the mantle for first-time ease of use.

Visibility

Visibility can be a pro or a con depending on your venue and your personal preferences.

iPad Menus are generally fixed to tables in plain view of anyone entering the bar. This is great for advertising their presence, or if you run a modern bar where they’ll add to the look & feel. It’s not so great if you run a traditional pub and feel the appearance of iPads will ruin the ambiance.

Smartphone menu ordering is a much more subtle offering so if an iPad doesn’t fit with your décor, it may be the best option. However, as smartphone menu ordering is not immediately visible, you will need to make more effort advertising its availability in venue.

Cost

With smartphone menu ordering your customers provide the devices so you don’t need to go out and buy a lot of iPads, or cases to secure them. This can make it a better option than iPad menus for those on a tight budget.

Additional benefits

Although this article is reviewing two methods of menu ordering, its worth a note on the additional features each option can open up.

iPad menus, being on display, are great for advertising in-house offers and promotions. It’s also possible to push out timed offers that encourage impulse purchases.

A smartphone ordering app opens up different possibilities. Once your customers have an app for smartphone ordering, this can be used to push out news & promotions to their phone (assuming you’ve obtained their permission).

As customers provide their details for smartphone ordering you can also track their ordering preferences and use the data to segment your customer base and tailor your marketing messages to the right people.

Summary

If you’re considering introducing electronic ordering hopefully this article has offered some useful points. Ultimately the right option for you will depend on you and your venue.

Some venues could even benefit from a mix of the two - a few iPads providing the visibility and ease of use to draw customers in, and a smartphone app to open the offering up to everyone in the venue.

If you're considering adding iPad menus or smartphone ordering at your venue or would just like to know more contact one our team .

Why pay ongoing fees for an EPOS

frankie@tabology.com (Frankie Neale) — Thu, 25 Jan 2018 12:12:15 GMT

Not so long ago many pubs would rely on a mechanical till or basic Point of Sale (POS) system that involved an upfront payment and then nothing more.

Now it’s becoming more common to purchase an Electronic Point of Sale (EPOS) via a monthly or annual license fee. So why the change, and what do you get for this ongoing cost?

What’s changed?

The rate of change of technology is faster now than ever before.

Older pub EPOS systems and tills performed the basic functions of keying in orders and taking payments. The latest bar EPOS systems can email you on your business performance, monitor your staff hours , and post to your accounts .

The potential features are so far-reaching and rapidly expanding that EPOS companies need a team of developers constantly working to enhance their offering. Without this, their systems would soon become obsolete.

This constant development & improvement needs to be paid for and that is where license fees come in.

Ongoing fees should also cover the support your business will need. Providing support, particularly for pubs & bars that trade late into the night, has a cost. And with pub EPOS systems now responsible for so many elements of your business it's important to be able to get help when you need it.

So how do some companies not charge license fees?

There are still systems available for which you pay for the software up front (though there is still likely to be an annual maintenance fee to cover support). This is still effectively a license fee, you are just paying it in one go, meaning you own the software.

The advantage of this is you are free to use the software for as long as you like with no further cost to pay. The disadvantage is you are unlikely to get any significant upgrades or enhancements, at least not for free.

Inevitably as technology moves on, the software will become out of date & no longer take advantage of the latest technology, or meet the evolving needs of your business. At this point, you will need to upgrade the system and purchase new software and most likely new hardware to run it. It is important to factor in these upgrade costs, as well as any ongoing maintenance when comparing ongoing license fee vs. upfront EPOS options.

The below chart shows the cost over time of a typical cloud EPOS (using Tabology figures) vs. an upfront purchase system with a fairly typical maintenance fee and an upgrade every 5 years. The exact figures will vary, but the chart demonstrates how both types of system incur an ongoing investment.

As the pace of change of technology increases, the frequency of requiring these upgrades is only likely to increase also. With an upfront purchase system, it is only immediately after an upgrade that you will have the very latest technology available. After that, the system becomes progressively more out of date until your next upgrade.

With an ongoing license fee model, you should receive frequent releases and always be on the latest technology offered by the company.

Isn’t some EPOS software free?

There is some EPOS software that, on the surface at least, is free. Of course, all businesses need to cover their costs and with software as important to your business as an EPOS it is good to ask how any provider of free software plans to do this.

You may find that premium features will be offered for a price at some point down the line, or you may be tied into higher card transaction fees. This can be cost-effective for very small, low volume businesses, but for the average pub can prove very costly. The graph below shows the cost of Tabology EPOS vs a well known “no fee” alternative, for a venue taking a modest £10,000 in card payments per month.

This shows just one specific example, but it demonstrates the importance of checking the true cost of a “no fee” solution.

With any free software check the support commitment from the provider. Support has a cost so with any free software (without significant hidden costs) this is likely to be limited.

You are also unlikely to get any customisations with a free solution – again these have a cost attached that need to be covered.

If you run a very simple operation and can afford to wait for responses to issues or questions then a no fee solution might work for you. If you rely on rapid support or have particular requirements you need to be met, then you will likely need to look for a paid solution.

Select a system that works for you

The right type of system for you will depend on the specifics of your business.

With upfront purchase systems be realistic about when you might need to upgrade and what the costs will be so you can factor this in.

For simple, low volume businesses, no fee systems could prove cost-effective. Just make sure you check for any hidden costs and that you will have the support you need.

With ongoing license fee systems, make sure that your fee includes all of your support as well as any new software releases and enhancements.

With our Hospitality EPOS your license fee includes all software updates and enhancements as well as industry-leading support. To learn more, contact one of our team .

Self-Serve Beer - is it legal?

frankie@tabology.com (Frankie Neale) — Wed, 17 Jan 2018 12:40:51 GMT

This article should serve as a useful guide for anyone considering purchasing a self-service beer system for use in the UK

Self-serve beer can be a great way to make your pub or bar stand out from the crowd. Customers love pouring their own beer, and tend to spend more and stay longer when they don't have to keep queuing at the bar.

You can read an overview of self-serve beer, the various options, and potential benefits, in our recent article on self-service in pubs . In this article, we focus on the legality of self-serve beer and what you need to be aware of if you are considering introducing self-serve beer in the UK.

In the UK there are two sets of regulations that need satisfying in respect of any self-serve beer installation. We’ll address each in turn.

Licensing

Licensing regulations in the UK are based on a set of objectives that need to be met by any venue licensed to sell alcohol. Nothing in these objectives or in most premises license terms prevent the sale of beer via self-service. However, you will need to be able to demonstrate to your local licensing authority that the licensing objectives will still be met with the use of your proposed self-serve beer system.

This effectively means ensuring you are not serving people who are drunk or underage.

In a traditional bar, this is achieved by the staff checking both age and signs of intoxication at the point that a customer orders a drink. Any self-service beer system has to have controls in place to ensure this same check is happening.

This is achieved through two specific controls:

All self-serve taps are disabled by default and any customer will only be given access after their age and levels of intoxication have been checked by a staff a member.
Alerts are sent to staff at set intervals relating to how many pints have been poured from a self-serve tap. On each alert, staff need to check the customer to ensure they are not intoxicated before allowing them to continue serving themselves.

Contactless Payment

It is possible to have a contactless card reader linked to each self-service tap that triggers the dispense directly. This can simplify the access to the taps for your customers, although it does remove some of the controls outlined above. It's important therefore to ensure your local licensing body are happy with the processes you have in place to ensure that you are correctly authorising each and every sale. Most likely this will include a member of staff monitoring the self service taps.

Weights and measures

The second set of regulations that need satisfying relate to UK weights and measures.

Any system used for trade in the UK needs to be approved by the National Measurement Office. This results in the issuing of a type approval certificate, demonstrating that the system has passed a rigorous testing process ensuring the accuracy and consistency of dispenses. These certificates are available to view on the National Measurement Office website and you should ensure that the certificate for any system you are considering covers what you need it to. If you want to dispense wine, for example, this needs to be included.

Secondly, every installation of the system needs to be verified by local Trading Standards. This will involve a Trading Standards Officer checking every tap to ensure each measure dispensed meets up to the very stringent accuracy requirements. The difference between a correct and incorrect measure is invisible to the naked eye in a pint glass, and certainly, no human could pour to the same standards.

Trading Standards will charge for the verification. The fee will be based on the time it takes so will vary, but in our experience, it is usually between £25 and £50 per tap.

A word on legal measures

In the UK it is necessary to sell beer in measures of a pint, a half, or a third. Allowing a customer to pour measures other than these is a breach of these regulations and can result in an order to stop using the system.

As a result, any approved system in the UK will require one of these measures to be selected before any beer can be dispensed.

The law behind legal measures was initially there to prevent different venues selling beer in different measures that would make it harder for a customer to compare prices between them. This wouldn’t be an issue for self-serve beer, which is still priced by the pint. Further, if customers could pour any measure they chose they would only pay for what they poured. Unfortunately, UK measures legislation is yet to catch up with modern technology and for the time being its necessary to allow for the fixed legal measures only.

3 key steps

If that all sounds like a lot of work, it is! But you don’t need to worry about all of it. If you are considering a self-serve beer system just make sure you follow these 3 steps:

Check the supplier is approved by the National Measurement Office , and that their certificate covers every type of drink and every measure you want to be able to offer.
Check the system has the necessary controls in place to satisfy licensing (or if a contactless payment system that you have the necessary operational processes in place)
Get in touch with your local Trading Standards (or ask your supplier to) to arrange for verification of the system once it’s installed

If you follow those steps you will have no issue with your new self-serve beer system. If you’d like any further advice or to know more about self-serve beer , contact one of our team .

Best EPOS system for a pub - key criteria

frankie@tabology.com (Frankie Neale) — Tue, 12 Dec 2017 13:38:05 GMT

This article will look at some of the key features any contender for the best pub EPOS system should have. The best EPOS system for a pub will depend largely on the individual pub. If you’re searching for a new EPOS, some other recent articles you may find useful are Finding the right EPOS for your pub and Pub EPOS systems - cloud vs. onsite .

But back to the topic of this article, there are some key areas we believe any contender for this title should cover.

Speed of service

Speed of service is critical at a busy bar. Make sure any pub EPOS system you are considering is quick and easy for your bar staff to use. In particular, make sure your most popular items can be immediately presented on log in and be added to an order with one key press.

Cash control

Making sure your payments, particularly cash, add up to your sales is vital to protect your profits.

Your cash up module should enable you to enter counts for all of your payment types, as well as any petty cash purchases.

It’s also important that you are alerted to any variances in a convenient way such as via email.

Stock Control

It's an unfortunate truth that most bars will at certain times have unscrupulous staff who might give drinks away free, or worse avoid putting sales through the till. Disciplined and accurate stock tracking ensures these issues will be quickly stamped out.

It’s important that your stock module allows you to specify quantities in both the units you purchase and those that you sell. You don’t want to have to work out how many pints of beer, or milliliters of wine you’ve just taken delivery of.

The use of templates for common products is a good way of ensuring this set up is correct.

Recipe Management

Equally important is the handling of recipes. Without this, you're unable to effectively track stock for food or cocktails. Ideally the cost of a recipe should be calculated for you so you can see the GP you’ll be making. It is not unknown for pubs to sell food dishes at a loss through lack of proper costing.

Staff Scheduling

Getting staff levels right is absolutely key to running a profitable pub, so make sure your pub EPOS system can help with this. Even a small venue should have access to hourly sales reports to plan the staff schedule against, and larger venues would almost certainly benefit from integration with a full staff management system .

Email Reports

Every publican knows they should regularly monitor how their business is performing – whether sales are up or down, which products are selling well or not so well.

Not every publican finds the time to do this consistently though. Scheduled email reports with key performance indicators are a great way for the time-strapped publican to keep an eye on what matters.

Accounts Integration

Whilst still a new idea for many, having an EPOS system linked in with your accounts package is quickly becoming a must-have feature. Not only does it save you hours of painful bookkeeping, but it ensures your books are always up to date so you can spot any issues earlier, and resolve them before they’ve caused too much of a hit to your bottom line.

Full & Responsive Support

Pubs are not a 9-5 business and your EPOS is essential to your operation. EPOS systems for pubs should have responsive support that is available for all the hours that you open for.

It is also important to have a quick and easy way to raise issues, even while in busy service. We find instant messaging chats are the best way to achieve this. Messages can be received and responded to very quickly, and staff can continue serving customers while waiting for a reply.

With the above in place, you have the foundations of a good pub epos - ensuring efficient service whilst your key costs are controlled and issues are brought to your attention early. Our Pub EPOS is designed by publicans specifically for pubs, so covers all of the above as well as many other features that will save you time, improve your service, and help grow your business.

To find out more about our Pub EPOS System, and to see how it could help your pub, contact one of our team .

The benefits of cloud technology

frankie@tabology.com (Frankie Neale) — Fri, 24 Nov 2017 16:09:36 GMT

As well as developing our own cloud EPOS and self-service apps , we use cloud software ourselves in many aspects of our business.

There are many articles that cover the benefits of cloud technology in a broad sense, but in this article, I focus on what we see are the most relevant practical benefits to small businesses like pubs and bars.

It’s accessible

Cloud software is quick to download and start using. If you’re looking for a new system and it’s available via the cloud, the only factor determining how quickly you can start using it is the time you have to get it up and running.

Try before you buy

With most cloud software you have the opportunity to try before you buy. If a system doesn’t end up doing what you need or you just don’t like it you just don’t sign up when your free trial ends.

A free trial does still take an investment of your time and effort so it makes sense to check any new software covers your key requirements before embarking on one. For more on this see our article on finding the right epos for your pub .

Access from anywhere

Because you access cloud software over the Internet you can access your back office and EPOS reports from anywhere with an Internet connection (pretty much anywhere these days.)

This is handy for geographically dispersed locations and teams, but perhaps, more importantly, helps facilitate the flexible lifestyle many of us aspire to - we can still check in on sales from that beach in the Bahamas (ok maybe from home in-between nappy changes…)

Automatic updates and improvements

As you pay for cloud software as an ongoing service you always have the latest updates and features. There’s no need to upgrade to a new system when the one you have is out of date.

With technology advancing more quickly all the time, this aspect of cloud technology will only become more important, as traditional hardware systems will be out of date in increasingly short timeframes.

Low or no capital expense

While you will need some hardware to use some types of cloud software, an EPOS, for example, this is generally off-the-shelf hardware that costs far less than bespoke hardware-based systems. It is also usually standard hardware that can be used with other software should you decide to switch, or worst case has resale value.

With other types of cloud software, such as an accounting package, there are no hardware needs at all, other than a laptop.

Hardware Reliability

Your cloud-based software will be running on a high spec server in an air-conditioned, dust free, data centre. There will be high levels of physical and software security. There will be an uninterrupted source of power and Internet. Your data will be continually backed up. The resultant levels of reliability for the hardware your software is running on will far exceed anything you could achieve at your premises.

Easy to switch

If at any point you decide your cloud-based software isn’t working for you, you can cancel your subscription and switch to a new system. You don’t have to negotiate with the vendor to take the system back or try to sell it secondhand.

An extra bonus of this is that cloud software providers, knowing you can switch easily, are motivated to ensure the software continues to meet your needs for the long term, rather than just making the initial sale.

Integration Opportunities

Just as you can access cloud software from anywhere, cloud apps can also access other cloud apps. This means there is a huge range of other applications your software can be integrated with.

This is really powerful as it means you can choose specialist best in breed software for each operational area and link them all together. Your EPOS can send your sales straight to your accounts package for example, or to your staff scheduling system.

As technology filters into more and more aspects of our lives and businesses, being able to link different apps together in this way will only become more important.

These are some of the key practical ways we see cloud software helping the businesses we work with. There will though be some cases where cloud software isn’t the right option and if you’d like to discuss whether cloud apps would be a good fit for your business, contact one of our team for a free consultation.

Finding the right EPOS for your pub

frankie@tabology.com (Frankie Neale) — Tue, 14 Nov 2017 16:27:24 GMT

Following the steps in this article will help make sure your next EPOS meets the current and future needs of your business.

Taking a planned approach to selecting your next pub EPOS system can save you hours of time and ensure you end up with the right system.

We find many people jump into a free trial without first checking that their key feature needs are met. Free trials are great, but they require an investment of time, so before embarking on one its good to make sure the system you’re trialing meets your needs.

By following the below steps you can make sure you find the EPOS that’s right for your venue without wasting valuable time on systems that never will be.

1. Consider the key features you need

The first step is to consider the features or characteristics that your new pub EPOS system needs to have. It may help to think through the following:

Shortfalls of your current system

If you already use an EPOS system there must be one or more things it doesn’t do that are causing you to be looking to switch. You will need any new system to plug these gaps.

What you can’t afford to lose

In focusing on what your current system doesn’t do, it can be easy to overlook the things it does do well. Don’t lose sight of things you rely on from your current system that you will still need from your new system.

Bonus features

If you’ve found a system that covers off your key reasons for moving without losing the features you rely on from your current system, then you already have a strong contender. Now it's time to think of any cool features you’ve seen or heard about that would be a nice bonus. You might not need these to be available immediately but would like to know if they’re at least planned.

2. Email your list to your potential EPOS companies

This single step can save you hours of time trialing different systems, and yet in our experience almost no one does it! Write down your list of features and email it to any company offering an EPOS that you’re considering. Request them to respond to each feature with whether it is covered by their system or not.

A simple bullet-pointed list of your features works best. You could group them into those that you need vs. those that you might like in the future, but that isn’t essential.

3. Review your responses

The responses you receive will enable you to see which EPOS systems meet your specific needs. This doesn’t necessarily mean you will like the software or find them easy to use, but you will find that out in the remaining steps.

If you get responses to say that a particular feature is in the pipeline, try and get a firm date, particularly if it is one of your must-have features. You can then decide if the system is still a contender.

4. Book a demo

The quickest way to find out how to access the features that matter to you is to arrange a demo . If the company is local to you this could be face to face, but if not it can be done remotely, using video conferencing software that enables screen sharing.

5. Start a trial

Once you have a system that ticks all your boxes and an understanding of how to use it, it’s time to start a free trial . This is your chance to set the system up so it’s right for you and run through all the scenarios you need to cater for in your venue.

If more than one EPOS has made it through to this point, you can now make your final decision based on which you prefer using. You’ll also by now have a good idea how responsive the vendor is to your needs, and whether you can see them as your EPOS partner for the years ahead.

As you’ve spent the time prior to the trial making sure all your boxes are ticked you can spend the trial using the system for real-world scenarios. You could even use the EPOS live in your venue and make sure it runs smoothly prior to needing to commit to your first payment.

No one knows your business better than you so this article is only intended as a guide. If you’d like to talk through whether self-service could work in your venue and which type might work best, contact one of our team for a free consultation.

Guide to Self-Service in Pubs & Bars

frankie@tabology.com (Frankie Neale) — Mon, 30 Oct 2017 16:45:16 GMT

If you’re considering introducing self-service to your venue, it helps to understand the various options and pros and cons of each. Some styles of self-service will suit certain outlets more than others, and some are just better serving customers the traditional way.

It's good to start with a clear idea of why you want to introduce self-service and what you intend to gain from it. Potential benefits are increased footfall, higher spend per head, and improved customer experience.

However, these benefits are not guaranteed. Realising them involves selecting the right type of self-service for your venue and correctly accounting for your expected demand. Then you still need to follow the best operating procedures to get the most out of your self-service system.

Any self-service option should be fully integrated into your operation, which is best done by using an integrated bar EPOS system . This avoids your staff having to work across multiple systems, and keeps your sales all in one place.

Get these things right and the benefits can be enormous. Get them wrong and your self-service plans could end up a costly mistake.

Self-serve beer taps

Self-serve beer is what gets people excited. Customers love the novelty and convenience of pouring their own pint. And will often plan a visit to your venue simply for this reason.

There are two main options when installing self-service beer taps in your venue - taps on tables, or a self-service beer wall. Whilst both offer the novelty of pouring your own pint, each provides quite different benefits.

Taps on tables

Taps on tables offer the customer convenience. There’s no need to leave their table and queue at the bar to get another beer. This type of self-service can be a great choice for sports bars where customers will appreciate not having to miss the match or face the dreaded half-time rush to get a beer. It can also work well in any busy bar, where customers want to enjoy the night out with friends rather than spend it queuing at the bar.

They would still need to go to the bar for other drinks or to order food, so including iPad menus with taps on tables can be a great overall solution.

Pros

Ultimate convenience as customer doesn’t have to leave the table
Drives footfall as customers enjoy the novelty of pouring their own pints
Can be combined with iPad menus to offer the customer full self-service

Cons

Customer choice of products limited by number of taps at their table (though this can be addressed by adding iPad menus)
With the self-service taps only used by one table at a time, throughput will be lower than for taps at the bar
The cost (and disruption) of running beer lines can be higher than with a beer wall (see below) where all taps are in a single location. This may not matter if your brewery is running the lines for you (see our recent article on self-serve beer costs )

Self-service beer wall

A self-service beer wall offers multiple taps in a central location that any customer in the venue can use. This provides more product choice for the customer, so beer walls can be a great option for venues with a large beer selection, such as craft beer bars.

In the right location, the beer wall can also offer convenience. Beer gardens, or areas a long way from the bar can be great locations. If you’re planning to put your beer wall close to the bar you need to give your customers a good reason to use the wall rather than the bar. This may be a different product offering, although in our experience unless the beer wall is the only method of purchasing draught beer, those located near to a bar don’t tend to perform as well.

Pros

More customer product choice
Customers enjoy the novelty of pouring their own pints
Can offer convenience & a secondary service area if well located

Cons

Customer still needs to leave their table to get a beer so poorly located beer walls can perform badly

iPad menus

iPad menus are often considered almost as an after-thought to self-serve beer taps. However, we have seen that these can provide some of the greatest benefits in terms of customer experience and sales uplift.

With an iPad menu at their table, a customer can order any item of food or drink available, offering the ultimate in convenience. They never need to leave their table to queue at the bar and can spend their entire evening catching up with their friends.

Customers order more when ordering is as simple as tapping the screen in front of them. They also stay longer when they don’t have the hassle of queuing at the bar. Adverts on the iPads can display tantalising food images or tempting drinks offers to further increase spend per head. You can even push out time-limited offers that have your customers scrambling to order your highest margin drinks.iPad menus will not suit all venues and could look out of place in some. However, in the right style of venue, they can offer one of the most successful types of self-service.

Pros

Ultimate convenience for the customer with full menu offering available without having to leave their seat
Increased spend per head
Increased dwell time in venue

Cons

iPads on tables will not suit all styles of venue
Customers need a table, so less suited to small venues with mainly standing room

Mobile ordering

Mobile ordering works in a similar way to iPad menu ordering without you needing to go to the trouble or incur the cost of fixing iPads to your tables. You also don’t need to worry if iPads won’t match the look & feel of your venue.

There are of course some drawbacks. Customers’ browsing on their own phones makes for less of a social experience than sharing an iPad for the table. Smaller screen sizes and the fact phones spend most of the night in a pocket or bag, make it harder for you to tempt customers with food imagery, drinks deals or timed offers.

If your mobile ordering solution is an App Store or Google Play app, your customers will need to download it before they can use it, which can server as a barrier to use. A better option is a web app that opens on a customers phone as soon as they scan a QR code.

Some food and drink ordering apps require customers to register or enter details before they can order. While this might fulfil your data needs, it slows down the ordering process and frustrates customers. If you want to collect data it is better to incentivise customers to sign up once their order is placed.

Mobile ordering can be a great choice where iPad menus wouldn’t be a good fit. It can also be great for beer gardens where iPads wouldn’t be a practical option.

Mobile menu ordering can also be used by hotels or pubs with rooms to provide a modern and convenient room service option.

Once customers are using an app to order food or drinks, you can use the same app to offer a loyalty scheme and keep them updated with news and events happening at your venue.

Pros

No need to fix iPads to tables resulting in lower capital costs
Can be implemented without changing the look of a venue
Can double up as a loyalty app to target customers with offers and events

Cons

Fewer opportunities to increase spend per head
Less of a social experience

No one knows your business better than you so this article is only intended as a guide. If you’d like to talk through whether self-service could work in your venue and which type might work best, contact one of our team for a free consultation.

What is a cloud EPOS?

frankie@tabology.com (Frankie Neale) — Wed, 11 Oct 2017 08:34:54 GMT

The arrival of cloud EPOS has completely changed the process of purchasing an EPOS system .

The traditional process went something like this: Compare a few complex quotes for various hardware and software modules, arrange some sales demos, and select your preferred system. Then schedule a day for installation and training, before finally getting to use your new EPOS – and hope you still find it does what you need!

With cloud EPOS you can now start a trial, download an app, and try out a potential new EPOS in minutes. If it doesn’t do what you need, you can try another one.

But how does this work? And, if you decide to purchase and start using a cloud EPOS, what do you need?

How it works

Any EPOS system is built around a computer. This may be built into each individual till, be a separate onsite server, or in the case of cloud EPOS be hosted off site in a data centre somewhere.

When you download and use your EPOS app, or log into your back office, you are accessing this server over the Internet.

If your Internet goes down and your app can no longer access the server, your cloud EPOS should have an offline mode to keep you up and running. While this will likely be fine for short outages, sites that expect long outages and have multiple EPOS terminals may want to consider a local server based option.

What you need

So you’ve downloaded an app, set up the products you sell, and put through some sales. You’ve had a demo session to ask all of your questions and make sure the features you need are covered. What do you need to start using the EPOS in your venue? We’ve listed the key items below.

An iPad (or tablet compatible with your chosen EPOS)

For Tabology this would be an Apple iPad. (there are pros and cons to any device but we prefer the additional security & reliability provided by Apple’s closed ecosystem to the flexibility offered by Android). Other cloud EPOS systems will run on different devices.

If you’ve already downloaded the app you will have this already, but you may need additional devices depending on how many EPOS terminals you need.

An iPad mount

You will need a mount for the device you’re running the EPOS app on. There are a huge range of mounts available, but most venues will want something sturdy and secure. We recommend the Moonbase stand , or Lightweight Heckler stand, which are both easy to set up, flexible, and secure.

Receipt Printer

A receipt printer is needed both for printing receipts and orders, and for triggering the cash drawer. It is likely therefore that you will need one receipt printer for each cash drawer.

For a cloud EPOS system your receipt printers will either have to connect to your broadband router via a network cable or wifi, or directly to the device running your EPOS app via a cable or bluetooth. A directly connected printer is the simplest option as there is no need to run network cables or connect the printer to your wireless network. We recommend the Star Network printer , which connects to an iPad via the lightning port.

If you want to connect multiple iPads to the same printer then you would need to go for the network option, such as the Star TSP143LAN. (you will then need a network cable from your broadband router to your printer).

A cash drawer

You will need a cash drawer for each till that you will be taking cash for. These connect to the back of your printers via an RJ12 cable, which comes included with most cash drawers. We find the Star Cash Drawer is a sturdy and reliable cash drawer that will be a good size for most venues.

A kitchen printer (optional)

If you want to print food tickets in your kitchen you will need a kitchen printer. These are impact rather than thermal printers as the heat generated in a kitchen can affect thermal till roll. They are generally network printers meaning you will need a network cable from your broadband router to your kitchen. If you’re not able to get a cable run to your kitchen there are wireless models and adaptors available. We recommend the Star Network Kitchen printer .

A kitchen screen (optional)

In addition to or instead of a kitchen printer, you can have a screen in your kitchen that displays tickets and allows the chef to mark tickets as ready. The main advantage of this is to enable messaging to your EPOS when food tickets are ready. It can also enable better tracking of service times. To use a kitchen screen with Tabology EPOS, you would just need an additional iPad.

Wireless router or access point(s) (optional)

You will need a wireless network to connect your EPOS devices to. For a small set up (1 or 2 terminals) in one room the router provided by your Internet service provider is likely to be adequate. For more than 2 terminals or larger buildings it will be worth investing in one or more wireless access points. These connect to your broadband router and provide a much stronger signal. They can also be placed in different rooms to your main router for covering larger buildings.

The Ubiquiti UAP-AC-Lite is an excellent Wireless Access Point that will suit most needs.

Card machines

You will need a method of taking card payments. For small sites or those wanting to avoid contracts, this could be a PayPal Zettle reader . For permanent sites with higher volumes you may be better with PED terminals and a contract with a payments processor. We can offer preferential rates with First Data, which we’ve found have provided good savings to many of our customers. For advice on the best solution for your circumstances contact one of our team .

All of the above are available in our online shop . If you need help setting up your Tabology EPOS, check out our getting started articles , or contact one of our team .

Tabology enters partnership with BII

frankie@tabology.com (Frankie Neale) — Mon, 02 Oct 2017 09:16:29 GMT

The BII marketplace showcases a range of industry focussed products to its members, from a list of partners who are all experts in their respective fields and provide best-in-class quality service.

The BII is a hugely respected organisation with over 9000 members from across the sector. Tabology is one of the most focussed EPOS systems available to pubs & bars and we’re confident Tabology will provide enormous benefits to BII’s membership base through the new partnership.

To find out how our fully integrated bar management system could benefit your venue, get in touch.

The Thirsty Bear named finalist in the Great British Pub Awards

frankie@tabology.com (Frankie Neale) — Mon, 02 Oct 2017 08:59:18 GMT

The Thirsty Bear has been named one of 6 national finalists in The Great British Pub Awards, Best Sports Pub category.

With iPad menus and self serve beer taps , sports fans at The Thirsty Bear don’t need to miss a minute of the match to order their food or drink. While pub-goers around the country face the agonising decision of missing the match or waiting to join the dreaded half time bar queue, at The Thirsty Bear they just keep their eyes on the action while pouring their own beer, or tapping their iPad to order anything they need.

"With the taps and the iPads the venue became hugely popular for the sport" said General Manager, Giulio Cassini. "Recognising this we made sure we appealed to sports fans in all other parts of our offering as well. There’s not a table in the pub where you can’t see at least one screen, and with every screen able to show a different event we try to accommodate anything our customers want to watch."

For The Thirsty Bear to be recognised by the Morning Advertiser in such a respected competition is a great endorsement of TableTab and PourTab. It is also a great achievement for Giulio and his team who have gone the extra mile to make it such a great place to watch sport.

We wish The Thirsty Bear the best of luck in the final round.

The Great British Pub Awards is a prestigious competition that has been recognising the best pub operators in the country for the last 17 years. The winner will be announced on 7th September.

To find out how our Pub EPOS , iPad Menus or Self-Serve Beer Taps could benefit your venue, get in touch.

Selecting and EPOS - the importance of flexibility

frankie@tabology.com (Frankie Neale) — Mon, 02 Oct 2017 08:51:43 GMT

Choosing a new pub EPOS system is a big decision that it is important to get right. It is also hard to find the time to research systems whilst running a busy pub.

It helps to focus first on the most important factors. Being operators ourselves, and having developed an EPOS system for pubs & bars we have a good understanding of what these are. In this article, we look at one key aspect to look for – flexibility.

Speaking to owners and operators day in day out we can confidently say that every pub or bar is different. How you choose to run your bar will be different to the pub down the street. You need a bar EPOS system that recognises and accounts for these differences. This means looking for a few things:

Customisation options

There should be a good number of customisable options which will allow you to tweak the EPOS set up, making sure it's right for you and the way you operate.

Do staff taking orders prepare their own drinks? Do you need to queue these orders to another terminal or printer? Do you always give receipts or only on request?

These are just a few examples of options that will be different site by site.

Of course, not everything you need will necessarily be a configurable option – which leads into the next point.

Flexible design

The design of the system should be flexible enough to allow for reasonably quick and easy changes. You're unlikely to think of everything you need from your POS until you're up and running, and your needs and wants will change over time.

Not all of your requests may be possible, but if not you at least want your EPOS provider to help you achieve them as best as they can – this leads onto the final aspect to look for in a flexible pub EPOS system.

Willingness to adapt

Of equal, if not higher importance to a flexible design, is a flexible approach.

With some time and effort spent understanding your needs, there will be a solution for most requests. When you choose a pub EPOS system, you should not just be assessing the product but the people behind it. You are selecting people who will be instrumental in delivering your current and future needs. Make sure they have both the know-how and willingness to work with you on solutions to the challenges you will face.

An EPOS should be a long-term purchase that will grow and adapt with you and your business. If your needs and requirements are not being listened to and worked on, look elsewhere. Remember you are looking for a long-term partner, not just a supplier.

If you're looking for a new EPOS for your pub or bar contact us to let us know your requirements and see if we can help meet them.