Introducing Rockfish
Group of 9 seafood restaurants, based along the coasts of Devon and Dorset
Aim to get the freshest fish as quickly as possible to their restaurants
Founded and ran by best friends Mitch Tonks and Mat Prowse
Won ‘Best Independent Restaurant’ twice at the National Fish & Chip Awards
“Zonal has played its part in our growth and our success of the business, because it has really helped us deliver. It’s been a really solid platform to work with”Mat Prowse, Operations Director & Co-founder, Rockfish
The solution
Having worked together for a number of years, Zonal’s solution has helped Rockfish create an overall picture of how the business is built, and will continue to help shape the business moving forward.
Supporting Rockfish with a wide range of technology, such as our EPoS, Zonal provides a robust and reliable suite of solutions to help the team at Rockfish manage every aspect of their business – both front of house and operationally. In particular, Rockfish have benefitted from data capture and reporting functionality, providing them with detailed oversight of a number of areas within the business, such as stock levels and sales reports, enabling them to fine tune their business.
For Rockfish, technology that simply works in the background and doesn’t interfere with their overall guest experience is incredibly important, as it allows their staff to provide excellent customer service and ensures their guests have a great experience in-venue.
The addition of an Order and Pay app helped Rockfish adapt to the challenges faced during the pandemic, but has also added a valuable new ordering channel, responding to the needs of the digital diner.
“The app, which has been really useful in recent times through people paying and reordering orders very simply. I feel smaller independents can really use this technology as well.”Mat Prowse, Operations Director & Co-founder, Rockfish
Results
“Technology for any business in this day and age is a really important factor to consider. In restaurants especially, it’s all about the guest experience.”Mat Prowse, Operations Director & Co-founder, Rockfish
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Hoburne Leisure Group: gains full visibility over stock management and reduces costs by 11%
Introducing Hoburne Leisure Group
8 coastal and countryside holiday parks across the UK
Family business established in 1912
Accommodation includes a selection of luxury lodges and caravans
Offers the perfect holiday experience for all the family
“We wanted one true source of data so that everything was speaking without the need for human intervention.”Ben Dalton, Group Retail Manager, Hoburne Leisure Group
The business challenge
The Hoburne Leisure Group were looking for an integrated purchasing solution that would give them visibility of live data across multiple sites, specifically what products were being bought, being sold, and at what price. They were faced with discrepancies between data, resulting in conversations being based on anecdotal information. Additionally, their staff were spending too much time on admin which could be spent elsewhere in the company.
Integration to the EPoS and central access to data was essential
Needed a solution that could help them manage their expanding supplier directory, track prices and volumes purchased
Needed a solution that would allow them to keep up to date with allergen data in order to comply with legislation
The solution
To improve their understanding of their purchasing and stock levels, The Hoburne Group selected Zonal’s Purchase to Pay solution Acquire.
- A fully integrated Stock and Order solution
- Real-time visibility over the whole supply chain
- Tighter control over purchasing, eliminating the risk of over-ordering
- Easy to manage and control product lists, pricing, and preferred suppliers
- Full reporting capabilities to help make smarter financial decisions
“Historically we were reliant on suppliers telling us the volumes that we’d purchased from them. I can now be proactive knowing the volumes we’ve had.”Ben Dalton, Group Retail Manager, Hoburne Leisure Group
Results
“We have seen an 11% reduction in costs, in both and food and beverage over the past three years”Ben Dalton, Group Retail Manager, Hoburne Leisure Group
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Introducing the TBC Pub Company
Three sites: The Bridge Inn, Ratho, The Crusoe, Largo and The Ship Inn, Elie – Scotland
10 beautiful, boutique guest bedrooms
Winners of Scotland’s AA Pub of the Year
Each with a unique venue, vibe and flavour
“We were facing inefficiencies with checks being missed and walkouts – the whole solution was complicated for staff.”Graham Bucknall, Director, The TBC Pub Company
The business challenge
As champions of quality local and seasonal produce, the TBC Pub Company were looking to invest in a high-quality, integrated technology suite to match – to improve efficiencies and maximise revenues across their three sites and deliver an even better customer experience.
- Searching for a user-friendly solution to replace their existing basic POS
- Needed an effective booking solution to manage capacity, and reduce wait times
- Were looking for a system to effectively manage room bookings and view customer accounts in one place.
“Zonal’s back-office system is simple and intuitive for our front-of-house staff to use and has brought in tighter cash control – exactly what you’re looking for as owners of the business.”Graham Bucknall, Director, The TBC Pub Company
The solution
TBC Pubs invested in Zonal’s core EPoS solution to begin with. Having heard good things from previous users, they trialled a few systems and settled on Zonal. Since then, they have also adopted Zonal’s integrated payment solution, Order & Pay, Click & Collect, online bookings and table management, and our property management system, High Level Software.
- A powerful EPoS with a good back-office system and a simple front of house user experience
- Insightful reporting and business analytics
- A centralised, cloud-based reservations diary, giving customers the ability to book quickly
- Food and drink bills seamlessly integrated with room bookings
- Quick and convenient ordering from tables
- An intuitive property management system that seamlessly integrates food and drink bills with room bookings.
- Greater visibility over customer transactions and reduced mistakes
- A safe and superior customer experience across both their sites
“When compared to other apps, we found Zonal’s to be much cleaner and easier to navigate; we found the cheaper apps didn’t look as professional, with only basic branding and customisation options. Our customers often say it looks like we built it ourselves, it looks and feels expensive!”Graham Bucknall, Director, The TBC Pub Company
Results
Implementing Zonal’s integrated solutions has given TBC Pubs a huge range of benefits across every level of the business.
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Introducing Butcher & Catch
An independent restaurant based in Sheffield
Founded in 2017 by business partners, Liam Ridge and Adam Pearce
Born from a desire to create a space where the experience is just as important as the food
Provenance, quality and sustainability are the values that underpin the business
“Our restaurant is not located on a highly trafficked road, it’s a destination restaurant, so immediacy and live availability to a reservations diary was key.”Adam Ridge, Co-owner and Founder, Butcher & Catch
The business challenge
Butcher & Catch knew that the ability to manage and control the volume and flow of bookings was vital for a successful launch and wanted to avoid any potential negative customer experiences due to overbooking.
The restaurant is not located on a highly trafficked road
Live availability within a reservations diary was vital
Wanted full control of over volume and flow of bookings
Risk of overbooking on launch
The solution
Choosing Zonal’s all-in-one online booking and table management system, Zonal Bookings, meant they could open with confidence, knowing that they had full control over volume and flow of bookings. They were also able to protect the business from any potential negative customer experiences due to overbooking, which in turn led to a totally successful launch.
- An all-in-one online booking and table management system – Zonal Bookings
- A seamless, mobile-friendly reservations system that allows customers to book with confidence
- A user-friendly system which means staff training is quick and painless
“Using Zonal Bookings meant we could open with confidence, knowing that we had full control over volume and flow of bookings. We could protect ourselves from any potential negative customer experiences due to overbooking, which in turn led to a totally successful launch.”Adam Pearce, Co-owner and Founder, Butcher & Catch
Results
Butcher & Catch now have greater table visibility and EPoS integration means that moving tables and juggling customers and tabs in-session is fast and simple. By managing available booking times, they can fit in extra sittings, and therefore increase yield and revenue.
100%Control of volume and flow of bookings
100%Insight into trends and busy times to strategically plan available slots
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Black Ivy hotel transforms guest experience with integrated technology solution
Black Ivy is a stylish neighbourhood bar and boutique hotel, located in the leafy Edinburgh suburb of Bruntsfield.
Having undergone a significant investment by Caledonia Inns, Revenue Manager John Mustard also wanted to upgrade Black Ivy’s outdated technology to support the hotel’s focus on delivering exceptional customer service.
Zonal was the only solution to go for according to John. Having worked with Zonal throughout his 30 year hospitality career, John had never found a technology partner that could match the range of solutions offered by Zonal and the 24/7 support service.
“I have worked with other technology providers over the years, but Zonal always stands out for its intuitive, smart design and reliability. Zonal spent 40 years perfecting the technology, which always keeps up to speed with advancements, so you know it’s going to work, be relevant and not let you down. Also, the support is excellent; the help desk is quick to respond any time, even at weekends,” says John.
Following its refurbishment, Black Ivy has fast become popular with locals, as well as with visitors to Edinburgh. The hotel boasts 22 uniquely designed bedrooms and two busy bars and a popular food offer, dishing up classics with a twist, averaging 1,000 covers a week.
The Drafthouse, specialises in offering a range of lagers, craft creations and guest taps on rotation and is renowned for its Tank Beer. Also featuring a stage area, regular live entertainment is a big hit. Outside, there is a 60-seater al fresco Terrace, which overlooks Bruntsfield Links Park. Featuring fire pits, customers enjoy a campfire vibe outside and with two full-size table tennis tables inside, the venue is a great place to mix business with pleasure.
For John and his Black Ivy team, Zonal technology has made managing all the different elements of the business seamless. Zonal’s EPoS system connects with the hotel’s property management system (PMS), Rezlynx, so residential guests can bill any drinks and food directly to their room tab.
John explains: “For us this is a big plus of Zonal; its technology is incredibly flexible so can integrate with other technology solutions that we may have, such as Rezlynx. This means that our Zonal EPoS is the single reporting vehicle for our accounts team, giving them real-time data that allows us to keep a handle on sales and overheads.”
But it’s not just about operations, the customer journey is also key to Black Ivy’s success. Zonal’s kitchen management system, Kitchen iQ, has been a game changer along with iServe, a handheld electronic order pad that offers access to EPoS functionality on an iPod or iPad from anywhere in the venue.
John adds: “With two bars, including our popular Terrace, switching to iServe has been a winner for our team. They no longer have to run back and forth to the bar to process orders, giving them more time to focus on our customers. Food orders are also fed directly into Aztec and sent through to the kitchen, again saving time and the risk of mistakes.
“Our chefs really liked Kitchen iQ as the system makes their lives easier and less stressful. Now if you ask them would they go back to paper, the answer is a resounding no!”
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Introducing The Big Table Group
One of the UK’s largest independent restaurant companies
Brands include Bella Italia, Café Rouge and Las Iguanas
260 sites across the country
Locations include leisure parks, shopping centres, airports and high streets
Serving over 20 million meals each year
“With a commitment to creating fantastic and memorable customer experiences, and recognising the growing importance of technology, we are keen to be at the forefront of technological innovation. We needed a solution that would future proof our business, give us new tools to engage with our customers, whilst providing robust management information.”The Big Table Group
The business challenge
On the back of a seismic period of change, The Big Table Group, which operates some of the UK’s favourite dining brands including Bella Italia, Cafe Rouge and Las Iguanas, recognised an opportunity to review and upgrade its current EPoS provision across the full restaurant estate.
Significant period of change revealed a need to review and upgrade their EPoS system
Were looking for a best-in-class, cutting-edge solution to future-proof the business
Needed a restaurant EPoS solution that could deliver real-time insights to its operators
“In the past two years, the business has been transformed. We’ve expanded significantly, investing in our existing restaurants, opening new sites and acquiring two businesses. As a result of this ambitious expansion, we chose Zonal to affect a step-change, providing us with a best-in-class solution and real-time management information on performance across our restaurants.”The Big Table Group
The solution
Following an extensive procurement process and evaluation, The Big Table Group selected Zonal to provide its entire solution. This included EPoS software used in over 16,000 hospitality businesses throughout the UK.
- Award-winning EPoS solution rolled out to full estate
- Pilot programme completed before rolling out to full portfolio
- Best-in-class technology providing robust, real-time management information across the entire estate
Results
Zonal’s EPoS solution for restaurants provides The Big Table Group with real-time management information on performance across their entire estate, enabling them to plan effectively and make improvements that enhance the overall customer experience.
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Introducing The Restaurant Group
Operates more than 650 restaurants and pubs across the UK
Major brands including Frankie and Benny’s, Chiquito, and Garfunkel’s
Operates a concessions business which trades in more than 70 outlets across 30 brands
Multiple award winners for innovation
The business challenge
The Restaurant Group wanted to give their customers choice and convenience through an integrated click and collect solution that did not put extra burden on venues.
“EPoS integration is the key to click and collect success. It means we can manage the flow of orders we receive, and seamlessly process each with the minimum of fuss.”Director of Operational Excellence, The Restaurant Group
The solution
Zonal worked with The Restaurant Group’s internal web team to develop a unique, fully EPoS-integrated click and collect solution with a bespoke user interface and user journey.
- Menus are updated in real-time; reducing risk of disappointing customers if dishes are unavailable
- Venues can limit the amount of orders they accept at any given time, easing the strain on kitchen staff
- Future orders are stored in the system and only processed when it’s time for food to be prepared
- EPoS integration means no rekeying is needed
“Customer convenience is a crucial component of our click and collect service. Diners can securely order and pay for the food they want, when they want it, without putting any additional strain on our kitchen staff.”Director of Operational Excellence, The Restaurant Group
Results
Click and collect has proved immensely popular with customers, and The Restaurant Group has since launched Click and Collect for sister brand Coast to Coast.
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Introducing Pizza Express
PizzaExpress is one of the leading casual dining operators in the UK & Ireland
More than 490 restaurants
First restaurant opened in Wardour St, London, in 1965
More than 100 international sites trading from 14 different territories
“In the hospitality industry, it is important to make sure all channels have the same availability, so a premium service is available no matter how the customer would like to book”Siobhán Fagan, IT Director, PizzaExpress
The business challenge
PizzaExpress wanted to give customers a simple and seamless booking experience. The existing system was a mixture of separate online and telephone reservations, with staff required to pick up phone reservations and manually input the details. Without an integrated booking system, the chain also had limited customer data and so found it difficult to offer personalised messages and experiences.
Separate phone and online reservations
Staff had to manually input reservation details
Limited customer data due to lack of integration
Difficulty in offering personalised communications
The solution
To make it easy for their customers to make reservations 24/7 by phone or online, PizzaExpress chose Zonal’s integrated Bookings by Phone solution.
- Telephone reservations are processed through an automated system
- Customers have a choice of how to book
- Bookings can be made for any restaurant by phone or online 24 hours a day
- EPoS integration allows PizzaExpress to track the entire customer journey
“Significant, intelligence-led customer insights enable us to further improve the customer experience.”Siobhán Fagan, IT Director, PizzaExpress
Results
PizzaExpress has seen an increase in bookings since launching the new 24/7 phone reservation system with no reservation requests slipping through the net due to unanswered phone calls. Staff no longer have to drop what they are doing to pick up the phones, and can focus on delivering great service.
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Introducing Stonegate
Established in 2010
The largest privately held managed pub operator in the UK
12,000 employees
772 pubs and bars
Brands include Slug & Lettuce, Walkabout and Yates
“We were looking for a partner that was able to implement a new system quickly and effectively with minimal impact on our dynamic business and training was key.”Dave Ross, Chief Financial Officer, Stonegate
The business challenge
Stonegate was looking for a new EPoS system that fully integrated into its existing Loyalty scheme and sought a provider that could install and roll out the technology as quickly as possible with minimal disruption to the business.
Needed EPoS software that integrated into Loyalty scheme
Wanted a quick, pain-free rollout across the entire estate
Required no disruption to the business
Required peace of mind from comprehensive training provider
The solution
Zonal’s EPoS solution was installed into Stonegate’s existing terminals, together with the introduction of Zonal’s system in both back and head office and the complete integration of the Stonegate’s loyalty scheme and app.
- The ambitious rollout programme included a 40 site trial
- A rapid implementation phase converting 60+ sites per week
- To ensure all sites were installed and ready for trading, Zonal hosted bespoke training sessions prior to going live
- Zonal provided onsite support on the day of switchover
“This was a major investment for us, which required minimum disruption to the business. Having a Zonal representative on site on day one was extremely important to make sure that the pub could continue to trade and that the team were supported through this important change. The Zonal helpline was key to ensuring our team had the right back-up and support”Dave Ross, Chief Financial Officer, Stonegate
Results
Zonal’s unique approach to training and support throughout the installation and rollout process gave Stonegate confidence and peace of mind that the switchover to Zonal technology would be completed as quickly as possible.
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McManus Pub Company evolves from tech dinosaur to cutting-edge operator
Introducing McManus Pubs
Founded in over 40 years ago
Operates 17 venues across Northampton, Middlesex and Leigh-on-Sea
Offer a diverse range of venues, from wet-led pubs to snooker clubs
Pubs are bursting with character, real ale and great pub food
“We’ve gone from an old till and spreadsheet system to a modern day, integrated system. It’s made a fundamental difference in improving our business. Overnight it’s changed the way we do business.”Chris Wright, Financial & Commercial Director, McManus Pub Company
The business challenge
McManus were using outdated systems that relied on a lot of manual tasks and Excel spreadsheets. This meant that core tasks took much longer than necessary.
Bookings were being manually added to a spreadsheet
McManus wanted greater access to business data to enable them to make more informed strategic commercial decisions
Stock taking was a slow, laborious effort
“I don’t want a portfolio of systems that don’t talk to each other. I want a frictionless system, where communication flows like a river, no dams, no obstacles. And Zonal is the bedrock of that.”Chris Wright, Financial & Commercial Director, McManus Pub Company
The solution
McManus Pub Company chose Zonal as its new technology partner, with Zonal’s Aztec EPoS system at the heart of operations. Acquire, Zonal’s integrated purchase to pay solution that gives end-to-end, real-time visibility over every aspect of stock management, was also implemented across the business. By partnering with Zonal, McManus benefits from:
- A powerful EPoS that integrates with other existing systems
- Insightful reporting and business analytics
- Quick and convenient ordering from tables
- A centralised, cloud-based reservations diary, giving customers the ability to book quickly 24/7 from any connected device
- An integrated stock and order solution
- Complete control and visibility over ordering requirements and status
- Automated reconciliation between goods in and stock levels
“The future for us is exploring modules around the EPoS system further. Now we have the bedrock and it’s part of our infrastructure we can extract the value out of it. One of our shareholders says it’s like driving a Porsche – we know there’s a lot more under the hood, now it’s time to get out of 1st gear!”Chris Wright, Financial & Commercial Director, McManus Pub Company
Results
Upgrading to Zonal has given McManus a huge range of benefits across every level of the business.
90%of wet and dry purchases now processed through Acquire, reducing waste and optimising order process time
