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Case study: Three Cheers Pub Co
Operating some of south London’s most popular pubs, the Three Cheers Pub Co now boasts a selection of 9 venues, each offering a range of food, drink and live entertainment. After a competitive trial, they introduced OrderPay to give their guests the flexibility to pay how they want – whether that’s using Order & Pay in the beer garden, or Pay & Go in the restaurant.
Why spoke to some key members of the Three Cheers team to find out why they chose OrderPay, and how they’ve found it so far.
Why OrderPay?
We asked Andrea Solinas, Operations Manager at Three Cheers why they chose OrderPay over the other provider they had trialled. His answer was simple: ‘OrderPay just ticked all the boxes.’
One of the boxes we were able to tick was flexibility – Three Cheers were looking for a solution that could work across all of their 9 venues, each with different areas, customers, and requirements. The Bedford, for example, has 7 different areas, where a one-size-fits-all approach wouldn’t work. Customers in the dining area can receive the personal service they’re accustomed to by ordering via waiting staff but paying in seconds with our Pay & Go service, whilst customers at events such as the weekly pub quiz can order and pay in a tap without leaving their seat and risk missing a question.
Supporting staff and customers in the group’s large garden areas was also a priority. As Reanne Bolah, Assistant GM at The Avalon told us, large groups in the beer garden don’t want to miss out on conversations by going to the bar but also want ‘the flexibility to order and pay as they wish without the worry of a big tab or splitting the bill.’
“The 3 key benefits at The Bedford are an increase in service charge, spend per head is increasing in areas that it wasn’t before, and staff are being more productive and able to focus on serving customers better.”
Ethan Glackin-McColgan, General Manager, The Bedford
The results
Three Cheers have seen an immediate impact on key operational aspects of their business. Andrea told us that he has seen an increase in spend per head, with people keen to eat and drink more because they don’t have to queue.
He also pointed out that the ability to upsell certain items has led to an increase in ordering side dishes. This was echoed by Ethan Glackin-McColgan, the GM at The Bedford, who has found that being able to surface products in the order he chooses has prompted customers to order more premium items. As he puts it: ‘most people don’t know what type of gin they want when they go to the bar, it’s just pot luck. So the app has helped us reorder items and push certain lines.’
How have your staff found it?
Ethan told us that some staff were initially wary of adding technology to service, and that even he was very against introducing an ordering app, but they soon found that they received more tips, and started to view it as a staff aid rather than a replacement.
Andrea echoed this, explaining how during busy shifts staff are able to serve more tables with less effort on their part. It’s the same story for Reanne at The Bedford, where staff find it reassuring that they can save time and not have to panic about missing anyone out when working a busy section.
“It’s been a great addition, and it’s now an integral part of our pubs.”
Andrea Solinas, Operations Manager, Three Cheers Pub Co
How have your customers found it?
The Three Cheers team have seen a largely positive reaction, with guests enjoying the option of ordering either from their phone or by going to the bar. Ethan at The Bedford has even found that it’s encouraged customers to spend time in areas they hadn’t previously. He told us that they’ve seen a massive increase in spend per head on the pavement areas outside the pub. Whereas people used to use it as an area to ‘stand around, finish their pints and leave,’ groups are now ordering large amounts of drinks and snacks.
“I viewed apps as replacements… but actually I found that I’m not cutting staff but using staff in different areas, and in doing that we’re being more productive.”
Ethan Glackin-McColgan, General Manager, The Bedford