Big data is big news for anyone working in IT, and a real opportunity for pub and restaurant businesses to improve operational efficiency and profitability. But before IT managers can harness their data and help operations and marketing to put it to good use, there are some real challenges to overcome. Right across the industry, technology has often evolved - or even morphed - over time into a “spaghetti soup” of disparate systems that were never designed to talk to each other. In other words, pub and restaurant businesses may hold wonderful servings of data but it’s invariably siloed or fragmented across the organisation. With this week’s slideshare presentation, take a moment to explore the issues further. On the menu today: Six reasons why data means power A ten course tasting meal to help you avoid potential data pitfalls A smorgasbord of reasons why better IT could transform your casual dining business.

1. Big Data DiningGiving IT the tools to improve pub and restaurant businesses

2. OPPORTUNITY / ISSUE
Restaurants generate
enormous quantities of useful data.
This is really useful, but they
can’t always access it.
That’s because data is often
siloed rather than shared with
the people who need it.

3. SPAGHETTI SOUP
Case in point: we spoke to one IT manager charged with
overseeing more than 20 separate, incompatible systems.
Fancy trying to tie all of those together?

4. The good news is you don’t have to.
Cloud-based Software as a Service enables you to get
more from your data without hefty up-front costs.

5. So, how can
data improve a
restaurant
business?

6. THE POWER OF DATA
One:
With the right data, marketing
can target potential
customers more effectively
and operations can be
confident they can handle
the increased volumes.

7. STEP 2
THE POWER OF DATA
Two:
Automated booking reminders
have been proven to reduce
no-shows.

8. THE POWER OF DATA
Three:
Better understanding of
customer behaviour
enables restaurants to be
more aggressive with table
allocations, improving
throughput.

9. THE POWER OF DATA
Four:
Trends analysis can predict
when the restaurant is likely
to be quiet and identify the
most appropriate customers
to market to.

10. THE POWER OF DATA
Five:
Historical data enables you
to accurately identify ROI
on marketing activities
and promotions.

11. THE POWER OF DATA
Six:
Customers aren’t just a
faceless group. You can
identify individual customers’
frequency, preferences and
spend to develop relevant,
personalised marketing that
brings them back again
and again.

12. WHAT’S THE
CATCH?

13. WHAT’S THE CATCH?
That depends on what provider you choose. Some
offer white-label solutions and concentrate solely
on business to business services.

14. WHAT’S THE CATCH?
And some don’t.

15. WHAT’S THE CATCH?
This is important: many restaurant businesses don’t want to
become a cog in someone else’s machine.

16. WHAT’S THE CATCH?
Whose branding accompanies the customer on their
booking journey - yours or the platform provider’s?

17. WHAT’S THE CATCH?
What happens to your costs if you’re trying to maximise
turnover of each table and paying booking fees per cover?

18. WHAT’S THE CATCH?
What happens to all that data if you terminate
your agreement?

19. LOOKING AHEAD
Your competitors may be
considering - or have already
signed up with - an online
restaurant booking service.
But such services differ
dramatically.

20. LOOKING AHEAD
Your competitors may be
considering - or have already
signed up with - an online
restaurant booking service.
But such services differ
dramatically.
Choosing the wrong solution
can have expensive long-term
consequences, especially if the
business wants to move away
from that platform.

21. Food for Thought
SOFTWARE AS A SERVICE FOR
CASUAL DINING BUSINESSES:
WHAT TO WATCH OUT FOR
(a ten course meal)

22. 01. BRANDING
Are you building your own brand,
or funnelling customers from
your website to somebody
else’s platform?

23. 02. CONTROL
What happens to your data should
you decide to take your business
elsewhere?

24. 03. SUPPORT
Are IT support teams available
when you need them?

25. 04. MOTIVATION
Is the platform provider there to
offer personal service, or more
focused on becoming another
Ticketmaster or Amazon?

26. 05. FLEXIBILITY
Is the product a one-size-fits-all
solution, or can it be customised to
meet your exact requirements?

27. 06. COST
Is per-cover the right way to go,
especially if your booking volumes
increase considerably?

28. 07. MORE ON COST
Is the fee structure carved in stone
for the duration of the contract?

29. 08. COMPATIBILITY
Does it work with your existing
EPoS system? Can reservations
talk to marketing?

30. 09. MOBILITY
Mobile booking is the
new online booking, and
many restaurateurs use
mobile devices instead of PCs.
How mobile-friendly is the
platform?

31. 10. EASE OF USE
IT knowledge can vary widely
across teams, and complex
systems can be a pain point at
peak times.

32. I should be able to layer it in no
matter what hardware I’ve got, and
sign a contract for three years or so.
At the end of it, if I don’t like it or we
part ways I can peel it off and put in
A.N. Other. It should be as simple as
that.
J.T., IT Manager

33. Being able to manage the rate at
which your customers arrive, which
we’ve never been able to do before,
actually smooths the whole operation
out. Suddenly you get efficiencies
coming in, and you get the ability to
reuse tables where in the past we
wouldn’t have felt brave enough
K.W., IT Manager

34. BETTER IT CAN
TRANSFORM
CASUAL DINING
The Big Data Restaurant
isn’t just about marketing.
It’s about ensuring that
operations can deliver on
marketing’s promises too.

35. BETTER IT CAN
TRANSFORM
CASUAL DINING
Electronic reservations
enable you to spread your
customers’ bookings more
smoothly, leading to a
steady flow for kitchens
and front of house.

36. BETTER IT CAN
TRANSFORM
CASUAL DINING
Fewer no-shows, better table
utilisation, better occupancy
in quiet periods and less
stress at peak periods deliver
significant, measurable
improvements.

37. BETTER IT CAN
TRANSFORM
CASUAL DINING
The good news keeps on
coming: reduced training and
support costs, predictable
outgoings, effortless
scalability.

38. AND THEN THERE’S
THE FUTURE TO
CONSIDER.
IT can continue to improve the
customer experience and
business efficiency.

39. AND THEN THERE’S
THE FUTURE TO
CONSIDER.
It can deliver added value at the
table, such as nutritional
information, branded content or
loyalty programmes.

40. AND THEN THERE’S
THE FUTURE TO
CONSIDER.
It can deliver automated booking,
making the restaurant experience
even more efficient.

41. AND THEN THERE’S
THE FUTURE TO
CONSIDER.
And it makes the IT manager a
hero in the eyes of everyone.

42. AND THEN THERE’S THE
FUTURE TO CONSIDER.
How delicious does
that sound?

43. • Data isn’t just about marketing. It’s about ensuring operations
can meet marketing’s promises.
• Cloud-based Software as a Service requires minimal
investment and delivers predictable costs.
• Mobile booking is the new online booking. How mobile-friendly
is the platform?
• Beware conflicts of interest: is the provider B2B, or does it
have a B2C offering too?
• The right solution keeps you in control over your brand, your
costs and your data.
KEY POINTS TO REMEMBER:

44. See how modern restaurant businesses are
transforming their technology infrastructures.
Making the Link: How more integrated IT systems are
unifying hospitality businesses
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