Next-Gen Restaurant Models in the Numbers
As the hospitality industry begins to reemerge, we explore 3 critical performance metrics of the players adapting to change with the sole aim of winning.
Across North America
We’ve canvassed Ready’s top five performers across 3 performance metrics: table turns, tip sizes, and average checks.
These five companies are full-service multi-location operators with over 100 locations across Canada, California, Michigan, and Florida. They’ve all adopted next-gen technology, flows, and mentality and the stats show a significant advantage.
GUESTS IN CONTROL
Table Turns
Table Turns is the term used for the time a party spends at a table from when they sit down, to the moment they leave.
With guest-facing appless technologies like Ready that seamlessly bridge operators’ POS systems and guest personal mobile devices, we see a new level of time management - mostly driven by guests themselves. On their phones guests can check the menu as soon as they sit down, review it anytime, they can make the initial or additional orders without waiving down the server and pay for their check whenever they want
All of that shaves off a significant number of minutes, especially in peak hours. An additional benefit is guest satisfaction: they are now fully in control of their time and not held hostage by the server running around to try and accommodate other tables. The bill/cash out experience also once had the power to leave the guest disenchanted, but instead, having remote control - they leave delighted.
“I waited like 20 mins for a coffee refill and just got frustrated. I paid using the online system using my phone and left.”
MORE VALUE TO STAFF
Tips + Satisfaction
Happier and more satisfied guests deliver more value to servers.
Guests want to have as much control over their dining experience as possible. With the pain points of waiting for a menu or check now removed, the server can be more attentive to the touchpoints that are meaningful and that add real value to the guests’ experience.
This trend of the server role transformation elevates servers into a role that is less frantic, more rewarding and creates more satisfaction for all parties involved in the transaction, which can lead to a reduction in the cost of hiring and retaining staff.
The featured numbers here cover averages of all locations within companies. However, some individual locations see up to 26% consistently higher tips when payments are completed through Ready compared to non-Ready.
Operators can save tens of thousands of dollars annually when server issues are addressed. The increased tips servers can earn is one of the factors, but the direct guest feedback Ready collects via a short post payment survey can also be communicated to the servers to provide great training and improvement resources.
“Our server was FANTASTIC! Very attentive and love the mobile payment option!”
Guest impulse drives more spend.
In a traditional dining scenario, guests would review the paper menu (often without images) at the very beginning of the experience, wait for the server to place their order who’d promptly take the menu away. Although that flow has been accepted as the norm in most cases it limits opportunities for additional spend per visit. Eg. the guest may want to have a specialty cocktail during the meal from the original menu, or the “wait” for the desert menu can make the guest to become fickle and skip dessert - thus missing the opportunity for increased revenue altogether.
Things change substantially with digital always present menus, rich imagery and ample details that enhance menu items appeal, ability to filter items for dietary reasons, suggested items for currently selected ones, and ability to order anytime on their phones - even when the server is not around!
The average check size rises accordingly.
HIGHER SPEND
Average Check Size
1+1+1 is more than 3
These three factors can be assessed individually as the singular functions they perform; which is compelling on its own - but true peace of mind comes when operators remove the noise and pain points that are invaluable to a guest’s dining experience.
When you combine all three it means a win for guest control and satisfaction, higher tips that lead to more engaged and happier staff and contactless payment at the table means a checkout experience that is completely intuitive, simple and surprisingly delightful. Turning the pain points into strengths allows operators to focus on all of the other factors that allow them to deliver phenomenal hospitality.
So, 1+1+1 does equal more than three in the “360-degree dining experience” of a guest, staff member and operator.
“Enhanced Contactless Service” was a primary driver and goal of our partnership with Ready. Our service is faster, and our guests and staff are safer as a result. The timing of service for our guests as always been a challenge – with Ready we give our guests options and they can order, dine, pay, and leave on their own timetable putting them in the driver’s seat instead of us.”