The festive season is a prime opportunity for the hospitality sector to drive revenue; and pubs, bars, restaurants and coffee shops typically thrive during this time of year.
However, can the same be said for front of house (FOH) and back of house (BOH) teams, who are responsible for driving operations forward? Their aim is to provide guests an experience that brings them back for more. But for many, this isn’t always the case, as many operators are unable to manage the influx of orders and footfall productively. In many situations, there is a failure to effectively connect FOH and BOH teams. This is often, in part, down to many teams using manual pen and paper processes to take orders and execute them.
But, it’s not just the process of taking orders that causes problems to arise. During the final hurdle at the POS, or the end of an evening meal or drink, receipt printing problems or failures often present issues for hospitality businesses. These various kinds of issues can completely erode the guest experience. Stuart Colverd, Head of Sales POS Northern Europe, BIXOLON explains…
The festive season pressure cooker
A lot can go wrong behind the scenes in hospitality, that guests are generally unaware of. Although festive footfall to venues is welcomed by operators, an increase in visits (or online orders), puts pressure on FOH teams to meet customer expectations and serve guests’ needs. And, in the case of many fast-food chains, pubs or coffee shops, can the waiting staff, bartenders and baristas take the orders quickly and accurately enough in order to execute and fulfil them for customers efficiently and productively?
In many cases, paper-based processes are used to take orders during counter-based POS situations. For example, an order is taken and written down on a piece of paper. This is often passed down the process chain to the kitchen or BOH team to execute. Often, the hand writing on paper notes is illegible and the paper used is not of a high-enough quality to withstand the challenges of many hospitality environments. The result: order slips that are illegible and damaged, with the end result being orders that do not get fulfilled accurately – they risk going missing, or are just completely wrong.
Worse, yet, what if allergen information is poorly communicated with kitchens? The outcome could be fatal in some cases. Miscommunication and poor operational process is the enemy of productivity, damaging customer experience and eroding peak season revenues. An effective more modern approach involves introducing the use of lineless labelling. Labels can be printed without a backing on them, that convey all the necessary order information from customers, including allergens. These can be passed onto kitchens to use to prepare orders; they can be stuck to coffee cups or take away packaging, for instance. What is more, labelling technologies can be integrated into ordering systems, table management systems and support POS systems effectively.
Receipts and kiosks can support loyalty
When the time comes for guests and consumers to pay for their fast-food, drink, coffee or sit-down meal it is a legal requirement to provide them with a receipt for their purchase.
During this part of the guest experience process, it is important for receipt printers to be able to print receipts without errors, and fast. Ideally printers should be able to facilitate printing marketing offers too; as these can drive the next loyal purchase or reservation; but the key point here is that these printers function consistently and do not breakdown. Especially over the festive period. Therefore, these pieces of equipment must be prepared for the Christmas season. They must also be able to withstand long working hours. This means not overheating and enabling till rolls to be changed fast. Moreover, they must integrate effectively with POS.
Conclusion
As restaurants head into the festive season, the focus naturally falls on menus, staffing issues and customer experience. But, behind the scenes, it’s the clarity of communication between front and back of house that determines how well everything comes together.
Effective labelling and printing are silent enablers of success. They help staff perform confidently. They support accuracy during busy periods, and they ensure customers receive exactly what they ordered. They also extend the dining experience beyond the table. Through printed receipts, offers, and loyalty prompts, repeat business from guests is encouraged.
During a season that often has high expectations, reliable label and receipt printing solutions can keep operators’ teams coordinated, connected and on track to meet both the revenue expectations of the business, along with the personal expectations of guests.
Photo by krakenimages on Unsplash
