Strada enjoys a slice of success with Zonal

Strada has four sites with big ambitions of growth for the coming three years, and wants to ensure that its’ technical infrastructure is up to the challenge.

Strada’s CFO said: “We had an outdated till system that wasn’t giving us the live data that we needed to operate efficiently and meet the demands of modern day diners in terms of booking, speed of service and ease of payment.  Zonal’s integrated Aztec EPoS system gives us the foundations on which we can build a fully integrated hospitality IT package that supports our teams and enhances our customer experience.”

For Strada, having the confidence to work with a business that continuously invests in innovation, offers a partnership approach, comprehensive training and hands on support together with the capacity to scale was key.  Zonal ticked all the boxes and the Strada team has been impressed with the service it’s received to date.

Each Strada venue, stretching from Edinburgh to Portsmouth, has installed an Aztec EPoS solution, with iServe and Zonal’s Card Payment System (ZCPS).

iServe is Zonal’s handheld EPoS Solution, which offers access to Aztec functionality on an iPod or iPad. iServe allows orders to be processed faster and tables turned around quicker with staff visits to the till reduced.

“iServe has been a hit with our front of house teams, especially those sites with large outdoor areas, it gives them greater control and they spend less time running backwards and forwards to the till, freeing them up to serve customers and better manage tables.”

With consumers demanding a faster finish, payment has also become a crucial part of the customer service journey. Research shows customers’ time is the most precious commodity of all and they expect a speedy reliable seamless payment solution.

Fully integrated with Aztec, ZCPS offers improved speed of service eliminating the need to re-key amounts, providing an overall quicker processing time.

 “We have definitely seen the benefits of providing our customers with a speedy and flexible payment process. It simplifies settling bills, especially if groups of customers wish to split the total cost and only pay for what they have individually ordered,”

As for the future, Strada values the input of Zonal’s new product development team who have the knowledge and skills to bring genuine added value to the group’s expansion plans.  “We are a tight team at Strada and to employ dedicated technical development specialists isn’t an option, so to be able to tap into this responsive resource is invaluable,” they explained.

Having embedded the new technology, Strada is now considering its next move with Zonal.  The management team is considering introducing Tables and Kitchen iQ to further improve the customer experience.

Zonal’s Tables system, manages and optimises seating and reservations, which is tightly integrated with Aztec and the customer database, providing key information such as visit history and loyalty as part of the booking and check-in process.  It helps operators, such as Strada, plan staffing rotas, maximise table turnarounds and ultimately enhance the customer journey.

And Kitchen iQ is designed to help improve speed, quality and accuracy of service and transform the overall dining out experience.  It provides a comprehensive kitchen and service management solution that delivers visible real-time information to both kitchen and service staff. The versatile system can be tailored to the needs of any operation and, as it’s also fully integrated with Aztec software, it completes Zonal’s unique service tool chain.

“We are taking one step at a time and making sure we have embedded the first stage of our Zonal solutions. We plan to build on this as our business grows and functionality becomes available or becomes right for us to implement”