Discover the latest consumer trends in hospitality

From who the influential consumers are and how to reach them, to expectations during the customer journey, and the role hospitality plays in consumers’ social lives, our GO Technology research series explores some of the key issues impacting our industry. Download our free reports for access to insights from over 5,000 British consumers.

Key trends by year

Insights into the customer journey

Fact Sheet: Delivery

Zonal Delivery is our cost-effective and user-friendly platform for managing
delivery service providers, offering seamless integrations with the three
major online ordering and delivery services, and simplifying multi-channel
and multi-unit menu management. Easily manage your online deliveries
and streamline your operations, making it an ideal solution for efficient and
hassle-free order handling.

    Get in touch

    Contact our sales team to discover how Zonal products can help improve your bottom line

    Fact Sheet: Order and Pay

    Available as both a fully branded app and web ordering platform, Zonal’s
    Order & Pay solution allows you to offer increased convenience and
    flexibility for guests, whilst increasing spend-per-head and saving staff
    time. Tight integration with our EPoS eliminates the need for your team to
    spend time re-keying orders, or updating product availability when items go
    out of stock, eliminating additional operational overhead.

      Get in touch

      Contact our sales team to discover how Zonal products can help improve your bottom line

      The top 5 latest Order & Pay features to help you reduce overhead and boost efficiency

      Written by Natalie Millington

      28th March 2025

      With the upcoming National Insurance Contribution (NIC) increase, we understand the growing pressure on hospitality businesses to manage overhead and reduce operational costs. To help your team focus more delivering exceptional guest experiences — and less on manual tasks — our Customer Success Team has highlighted the latest key features released for our Order & Pay solution designed to streamline workflows, reduce staff intervention and drive efficiency across your operation.

      Enhance the guest experience with table-specific QR codes

      Our GO Technology research revealed that payment experiences are among the top 10 consumer frustrations. The key bugbears include having to wait to receive and settle the bill (77%) and being unable to split the bill (64%).

      Traditionally, this stage of the customer journey required staff involvement, however with table-specific QR codes that link to an ordering journey, this process becomes effortless. Each code is pre-configured with the correct venue and table number, allowing guests to access a seamless ordering and payment journey directly from their smartphones.

      A quick scan gives guests two simple options:

      1. Order & Pay: Instantly browse the menu and place orders without needing to select the venue or table. Fast, intuitive, and hassle-free.
      2. Pay My Bill: View and settle the bill in just a few taps, no staff assistance needed.

      The table-specific QR code eliminates friction, reduces staff workload, and keeps service flowing — ideal for high-traffic, fast-paced venues. By empowering guests to manage their own orders and payments, operators can boost efficiency, improve table turnover, and deliver a smoother, more enjoyable experience for every guest.

      Enable guest checkout to provide a frictionless guest journey

      Perfect for guests who prefer not to create an account, log in, or download an app, our web-based interface enables quick and easy ordering in just a few taps without requiring guests to sign up for an account which can sometimes be time consuming or require additional staff support. This streamlined approach is ideal for fast-paced, quick-service environments — allowing guests to place their orders quickly and easily while still receiving an email receipt.

      The result? A frictionless experience for your guests and reduced operational complexity for your team.

      Effortless bill splitting for a smoother payment experience

      Splitting the bill at the end of a meal can often be time-consuming and prone to mistakes when done manually. Our Order & Pay solution simplifies the process, offering guests flexible, easy-to-use bill-splitting options — all from their own device.

      With just a few taps, guests can choose how they’d like to settle the bill:

      1. Pay in full: Instantly cover the outstanding balance and proceed straight to payment.
      2. Split evenly: Divide the total bill between 2 to 99 guests, with automatic rounding for any tricky pennies.
      3. Pay a custom amount: Contribute a specific amount toward the bill, perfect for groups or shared orders.

      This feature helps to remove some of the hassle of manual calculations, eliminates errors, and gives guests complete flexibility — ensuring a seamless end to their dining experience.

      This flexibility reduces the need for staff involvement in calculating and processing payments, thus lowering overheads. Additionally, guests can opt to add a tip before completing their payment, streamlining the entire transaction process. Once the payment is made, a confirmation message is displayed, and an email receipt is sent to the guest.

      Mobile order manager enhancements

      The latest update to our mobile ordering manager platform offers several features to enhance operational flexibility and reduce overheads:

      1. Order mode control: Specific order modes can now be enabled or disabled (e.g., Click & Collect) at the site or sales area level, streamlining the process of managing different service options without requiring manual intervention from multiple teams.
      2. Menu category control: Specific menu categories can now be enabled or disabled, offering greater control over menu availability and reducing unnecessary labour costs.
      3. Snooze functionality: Order modes or menu categories can now be ‘snoozed’ for a set period (e.g., during peak times), automatically reverting to normal operation after the snooze period ends. This reduces the need for constant manual adjustments and minimises disruptions in service.
      4. Sales area-level wait times:  Custom wait times for specific sales areas can now be set, helping manage customer expectations and ensuring smoother operations during busy periods.

      Improved reporting and user management

      Several enhancements have been introduced to streamline the process for managing team member permissions and auditing changes made within Mobile Ordering Manager. These include:

      Increased Reporting Frequency & Scope: Mobile Ordering Manager’s interaction reports are now run daily, providing head office staff with more timely insights into site-level operations. This enables quicker action to address any negative behaviours, such as disabling online ordering during peak times.

      Self-Management of Users: Create, edit, and delete users directly within the platform. This accelerates user management tasks and empowers site managers to operate more efficiently.

      By implementing these innovative features and functionalities, Order & Pay can significantly reduce overhead costs and improve operational efficiency. These solutions not only enhance guest experiences but also minimise manual interventions, automate processes, and provide greater control over day-to-day operations. As a result, operators can reduce labour costs, optimise workflows, and improve overall profitability.

        Related resources

        research icon

        research

        GO Technology: Consumers and hospitality: 2024 in review

        Discover the key industry issues identified in our consumer research series this year in this in-depth 2024 review.
        Download the report

        Get in touch

        Chat with our sales team to learn about how Zonal products could benefit you.

        Fixing people's hospitality bugbears

        What are consumers' top frustrations in hospitality, and how can hospitality operators address them? Find out in this exclusive consumer research report in partnership with CGA by NIQ

        Our previous GO Technology research revealed that hospitality still plays an important role in people’s social lives despite cost pressures, but with 49% of consumers saying they’d become less loyal to a brand after a few bad experiences, it’s incredibly important for hospitality businesses to deliver frictionless experiences that meet guests’ expectations, without any frustration during the journey.

        This exclusive research of 5,000 hospitality consumers reveals the biggest frustrations guests encounter when engaging with venues, both in-venue and pre-visit, how these frustrations differ between demographics, and what actions they are likely to take following a frustrating experience.

        What's in the report?

        • Top 5 biggest bugbears
        • Frustrations by stage in the customer journey
        • How do these frustrations differ between demographics?
        • Where and when consumers vent their frustrations about their hospitality experiences

        Discover more useful content

        blog icon

        blog

        What makes people loyal to hospitality and how venues can maintain their loyalty

        Discover the top reasons consumers choose to go out, the role hospitality plays in local communities, and what hospitality businesses can do to build and maintain customer loyalty in this blog – based on the findings from our recent ‘GO Technology: The value of hospitality’ research!
        Read more
        insight icon

        insight

        Explore our virtual venues through the eyes of your customers

        Visit our virtual pub, restaurant and hotel to discover how Zonal’s ecosystem of hospitality technology works behind the scenes to provide you with the intelligence and insights you need to improve customer experiences, boost loyalty, and drive revenue.
        Learn more
        tools icon

        tools

        Hospitality Tech Assessment: Improving the guest experience & driving loyalty

        Answer a few short questions to identify how well your tech helps you to deliver incredible guest experiences that keep your customers coming back time and time again. At the end you’ll get personalised guidance which explains how you can leverage your customer data to offer personalised customer experiences.
        Start the assessment

        Making the business case to Finance for hospitality technology

        Learn more about how specialist hospitality technology can benefit wider stakeholders in your business, such as finance

        As an operator working day-in, day-out with your front- and back-of-house teams, you may already be acutely aware of the tangible benefits your technology can offer to your business. However, it can be difficult to “sell” those benefits across for stakeholders within the business that may not be direct users of the technology on a daily basis.

        In this guide, we explore how hospitality technology can also meet the needs of your finance team, how the operational improvements it brings can have a positive impact on the wider business, as well as how it can help to deliver more accurate, data-driven insights that facilitate better decision-making to drive the business forward.

        Download this guide to discover:

        • The benefits of hospitality technology to your wider business
        • What key areas will your Finance team consider when implementing new hospitality tech?
        • How specialist hospitality technology can meet your head of Finance’s priorities
        • How to address any concerns they may have around integration and implementation

        Discover more useful resources

        tools icon

        tools

        Hospitality Tech Assessment: Maximising margins

        Answer a few short questions to identify whether your tech helps you squeeze every percentage of profit from your operations. At the end you’ll get personalised guidance to help you maximise your margins.
        Start the assessment
        insight icon

        insight

        Zonal EPoS Profit & Cost-savings Calculator

        Find out how much extra profit and the cost savings opportunities you can expect to uncover by using Zonal’s EPoS with this free online tool.
        Calculate savings
        research icon

        research

        GO Technology: The value of hospitality

        Discover why consumers choose to go out to pubs, bars and restaurants over staying in; why hospitality matters to them; and what keeps them coming back for more.
        Download research

        Guide: Transform your hotel's back-of-house operations with hospitality tech

        Discover how a suite of connected hospitality technology can help build an efficient back-of-house operation in your hotel

        With cutting costs and maximising margins front-of-mind for many hoteliers, ensuring you have the right technology in place to collect, capture and report on operational data from your bar & restaurant is integral to making better, more informed decisions.

        Discover how specialist hospitality technology can transform your hotel’s back-of-house F&B operations, from automated and streamlined processes that result in frictionless experiences for guests, to real-time, reliable data collected at every touchpoint within the restaurant that increases reporting accuracy for stock management and business performance to help you cut costs and boost profits.

        Download this guide to discover:

        • The benefits of specialist hospitality technology in hotels
        • How centralised product management improves control
        • How stock & ordering technology can help you manage costs and reduce waste
        • The role of accurate data in improving back-of-house operations

        Discover more resources for hoteliers

        blog icon

        blog

        8 things to consider when choosing a hotel property management system (PMS)

        To help you choose the right property management system (PMS) for your hotel, we’ve listed the top 8 features and bits of functionality you should look out for!
        Read blog
        insight icon

        insight

        10 Ways to Successfully Manage and Promote your Hotel Restaurant

        Zonal’s expert advice to help you increase visits and spend in your hotel restaurant, and why tech integration is so important.
        Download Guide
        tools icon

        tools

        Hospitality Tech Assessment: Improving the guest experience & driving loyalty

        Answer a few short questions to identify how well your tech helps you to deliver incredible guest experiences that keep your customers coming back time and time again. At the end you’ll get personalised guidance which explains how you can leverage your customer data to offer personalised customer experiences.
        Start the assessment

        The Hotelier's Guide to Increasing F&B Revenue

        Discover how industry-specific technology can help hoteliers maximise their F&B offering and boost revenue

        With 57% of consumers stating that an on-site restaurant or bar as a ‘must-have’ amenity when looking to book a stay in a hotel, F&B presents a significant opportunity for hoteliers to drive revenue and increase guest spend. But it’s not just about having F&B on-site, it’s also about delivering great experiences and high-quality food and drink.

        In this guide, we explore how you can maximise the appeal of your hotel’s F&B offering and drive revenue, including making the most of the booking journey to increase upselling, catering to guests’ demands for speed and convenience, and leveraging social media as a method of driving footfall.

        Download this guide to discover:

        • Current hotel hotel consumer trends
        • How hoteliers can put F&B on guests’ radar during the booking journey
        • The importance of room service and accommodating digital-savvy guests
        • How industry-specific hospitality technology can help hoteliers streamline operations and maximise F&B revenues

        Discover more resources for hoteliers

        blog icon

        blog

        8 things to consider when choosing a hotel property management system (PMS)

        To help you choose the right property management system (PMS) for your hotel, we’ve listed the top 8 features and bits of functionality you should look out for!
        Read blog
        insight icon

        insight

        10 Ways to Successfully Manage and Promote your Hotel Restaurant

        Zonal’s expert advice to help you increase visits and spend in your hotel restaurant, and why tech integration is so important.
        Download Guide
        research icon

        research

        GO Technology: The value of hospitality

        Discover why consumers choose to go out to pubs, bars and restaurants over staying in; why hospitality matters to them; and what keeps them coming back for more.
        Download research

        See our connected technology in action

        It can be hard to visualise all the different ways connected technology can improve both operations and guest experiences, so we thought we’d show you instead. Click below to explore our connected solutions through the eyes of your customers in our virtual pub, restaurant and hotel, and discover the benefits of integrated hospitality technology at every stage of the customer journey.

        Get in touch

        Contact our sales team to discover how Zonal products can help improve your bottom line

        Influence, loyalty and technology: Key guest trends from 2023

        An in-depth end-of-year review of the key findings from our 2023 GO Technology consumer research series

        Consumer expectations of the pubs, bars and restaurants they visit are ever-changing, and 2023 has proven to be no exception to the rule. This year, consumers have been quick to change their behaviours to match the tightening of budgets brought on by the cost-of-living crisis, and as more and more consumers become digital natives, the shift towards more digital-led touchpoints has continued to grow.

        In this in-depth review of our 2023 consumer research series, we explore the three key themes identified from our surveys of 5,000 hospitality consumers; from the influential consumers who make the decisions on where to eat and drink, to when guests prefer digital touchpoints to human interaction during the customer journey, and how guest loyalty has changed as a result of the cost of living crisis.

        Download this report to discover:

        • 2023’s key hospitality consumer trends
        • What factors most influence consumers’ decisions on when and where to go out to eat and drink
        • What makes consumers loyal to a brand or venue
        • How technology can help enhance the guest experience

        Explore our 2023 consumer research in full

        research icon

        research

        GO Technology: The New Loyalty Landscape - How the cost-of-living crisis impacts hospitality

        Discover how guest loyalty has changed as a result of the cost-of-living crisis, what builds loyalty amongst consumers, and the role of loyalty schemes in maintaining loyalty.
        Download research
        research icon

        research

        GO Technology: People vs Tech - What guests want in 2023

        Exclusive research identifying consumers’ latest attitudes to using technology in hospitality, and how venues can strike the right balance between tech and personal interaction.
        Download research
        research icon

        research

        GO Technology: Identifying the Influencer - Reaching hospitality's decision makers

        Discover what factors are influencing where guests choose to eat and drink out in 2023, and who the decision-makers are, in this exclusive consumer research.
        Download research
        research icon

        research

        GO Technology: What guests want from hotels in 2023

        Discover what people are looking for from hotel stays in 2023, and what can be done to enhance guest satisfaction and increase revenues.
        Download research