As the saying goes, start as you mean to go on. Our goal with any hospitality business partnering with Slerp is to set them up so they can have the most successful D2C ordering experience possible. That means not only providing you with a great online ordering system, but also giving you the necessary tools to make sure both you and your customers can get the most out of it. With that in mind, we’ve been busy improving our onboarding process…
Meet our amazing activations team, Dora Takacs and Murat Yorulmaz aka Dorat! With over 18 years of experience in hospitality between them, they know exactly what you need to succeed and they understand exactly what it’s like to be in your shoes.
Every single business that goes through the onboarding process with Slerp will have one-to-one contact with the activations team. They are here to answer any questions and ensure you have the confidence and capabilities to smash online ordering out of the park.
Starting in the pre launch phase, the team guides partners through launch and right up to the point they feel comfortable and confident. We work with all kinds of hospitality venues no matter their size or experience with online ordering. They can flex with your needs, providing product training, marketing tips, and guidance with your customer user journey.
We sat down with the team to find out a little more about what makes each of them tick. From their first jobs to their favourite restaurants.
Dora:
When I told my mum that I work in sales she pictured me as a travelling vacuum cleaner sales person and when I went into detail about hospitality e-commerce she added the image of a delivery driver to this. So in my mum’s eyes I am basically delivering hoovers on a bike.
Murat:
They think I sit in the office and sell computers and relevant equipment. When I started working in the hospitality sector they thought that I was sitting and working on my computer, now they are back to thinking I am selling computers.
Dora:
I was making pancakes for a week at Sziget festival in Budapest just so I had a free wristband and could go to see Faithless live. I was 14. Every blister was totally worth it.
This was quickly followed by my first barista job, which I had to get because I managed to rack up an exceptionally large phone bill on the landline. So I was doing some shifts to pay the bill back to my dad. The takeaway of the story is that I was a dream teenager.
Murat:
My first job was in Accounts Receivables at Siemens Turkey, I reported information back to the top management. I created a dashboard and a blacklist to show which customers weren’t meeting their payment terms. This was important info that they needed but, naturally they didn’t much like seeing a blacklist, because it showed they had a problem!
Dora:
I did a Masters in Social Entrepreneurship. Reading case studies about Jamie Oliver’s Fifteen made me very determined to work in the industry and one day set up a restaurant that does something similar to Fifteen.
Even though I come from a hospitality family, the industry in the UK is very different from Hungary, so I decided to work my way through the ranks. I started as a chef de rang and worked my way up. Probably one of the best things about this is that I actually worked for Jamie at Fifteen for 4 years as Assistant Restaurant Manager and later as Restaurant Manager.
Following this, I had the chance to work at a Michelin starred restaurant as Assistant General Manager, we retained the Michelin star during my time there. I then worked as an opening general manager before leaving the floor behind.
As the resident geek in every restaurant I worked in, I was in charge of EPOS, stock softwares and genuinely anything tech. I never thought this would come in so handy.
Murat:
I am the co-owner of my own restaurant and takeaway based in Brightlingsea, Essex. During the pandemic I signed up to Slerp and launched D2C online ordering. We have a really good Share of Wallet with an average of 30% of our orders going through the platform, and our conversion is very strong with 1 in every 2 customers to the site placing an order.
When I am setting up partners, I understand exactly what it is like because I have been on the other side! This gives me an excellent understanding of what they need. I know first hand the challenges of navigating this industry and how busy operators are because I am one.
Dora:
Cycling around London / Helping restaurants grow
Murat:
Share of Wallet
“When I am setting up partners, I understand exactly what it is like because I have been on the other side!”
Murat Yorulmaz
Dora:
It is the toughest question because I love food and I love all sorts.
But it’s Italian… It will always be Italian, although not necessarily what comes to most people’s mind when they hear Italian food. I love cucina povera (peasant food). Needless to say, if you add some shaved truffle and a nice bottle of Barolo to the dinner, even better 🙂
Murat:
I love Turkish food and meat is my priority. I especially like preparing and seasoning my own meat and inviting friends to have a barbeque. Cooking for them and having a good time… I l always love company!
Dora:
Does Crosstown count?
Murat:
Lovely home cooked food from my wife – it’s so good it’s like having my own private chef.
Dora:
Passione Vino in Shoreditch is the best wine bar in the city without question for me and their amazing daily changing Venetian food menu is just something else. Absolutely love it.
Murat:
Meze Ocakbasi in Woodford Green, it’s the best tender Shish Kebab you can eat.
Dora:
It has to be Pavilion Bakery in the morning, Dom’s Subs for lunch and Willy’s Pies for dinner
Murat:
B Bagel…. I’ve had bagel cravings for weeks
Keen to work with them in person? Get in contact with us today and start your D2C journey, you won’t regret it.
We understand that choosing the right online ordering system for your business is not only an important decision but a difficult one too! It can be hard to see through some of the sales chat and identify the really important aspects.
The fact is though, if you’re not yet offering online ordering, you should be. Research undertaken by KPMG in the spring of 2021 found that over the past two years, Brits had increased their spending on takeaways by almost half (42%). Customers are used to and demand high speed, convenient online ordering systems.
But this is not a decision you want to commit to half heartedly. Because take it from us, it won’t work! Once you choose to have an up-to-date online ordering system, it needs to be a long-term commitment for your restaurant business. First things first though, you need to choose the right one for you. Here are some things we recommend considering.
If you’ve ordered online before you’ll know that buying something on a desktop can be a very different experience to your phone. The consumer is tired of having to waste time on a platform that is designed for a pc/laptop. We want to be able to order anywhere, anytime, with ease.
In response to this, many restaurants today have gone above and beyond just putting together a smartphone-optimised website, by having a complete branded iOS or Android app built. Such apps can make excellent use of the smaller screens of smartphones to give those ordering an intuitive and slick experience.
So, you might want to consider whether the online ordering system you’re considering includes the option of a tailored app… hint Slerp does!
Pre pandemic, about a fifth of customers in the country had used a ‘click and collect’ service for restaurant orders. So, it shouldn’t be revolutionary in 2022 to suggest that the online ordering system you invest in for your restaurant allows for this way of ordering.
The past few years have seen a definite shift from physical menus to digital menus. And with this came the emergence of ‘order at table’ technology. Again, this is something that your chosen online ordering system should allow for, so that your team can receive and process orders efficiently, minimise wait times, and turn tables quickly. Again…Slerp has you covered.
You also want to consider those customers who want their food to arrive directly to the comfort of their own home. You should be able to choose the delivery area, the delivery methods, and even the courier partners you work with. Slerp is well-integrated with trusted delivery partners that serve the local area, an entire city, or the whole of the UK.
No matter how impressive your chosen online ordering system may sound, you will want the company providing it to be constantly available to help you make the most of it.
Here at Slerp, for instance, our support team can be reached 7am to 11pm, seven days a week. We know you might not have the luxury of waiting until Monday to resolve unanticipated problems with your online ordering system and so we’re here to make sure that doesn’t happen.
To sum up, the best online ordering system provider shouldn’t dictate or micromanage everything. Instead, they should work alongside you or even simply operate in the background, giving you the resources and freedom to build your restaurant’s delivery services in the best way for you and your customers.
We may be a little biassed, but Slerp offers a fantastic online ordering system perfect for restaurants, for all of these reasons and more. So if you want to hear more about our system, and how it could support your restaurant, get in touch today!
We could sit here and compare ourselves to third party ordering platforms all day but we’d rather focus on why Slerp is a great partner when it comes to your online business. We could tell you all about the financial savings of direct ordering compared to a market place (but you already know that). But as operators ourselves, we understand the importance of building and maintaining customer relationships. It’s what our industry is built on. And let’s be honest, loyalty is tried and tested when it comes to building customer relationships. After all these years, if there’s one thing we’ve learned, it’s that everyone loves a freebie.
Introducing Slerp Loyalty… your very own personalised, dynamic, digital loyalty programme. Here’s why our latest launch is going to be a game changer for you and your hospitality business.
A digital loyalty programme will enable you to focus on what hospitality is really about – giving your customers the best experience possible. Unlike market places, we give you full access to your data so you know exactly who your most loyal customers are. This will give you the scope to focus on building the relationships that are key to your business, rewarding them as a thank you for their support. Something that is entirely in your interest considering that on average, 70% of orders come from just 30% of your customers. And if that wasn’t enough to persuade you, loyal customers actually spend more. An average of 67% more!
A digital loyalty programme essentially combines the flexibility of online ordering with the personal touch of face to face service. For those of you who might have worried about how digital ordering might detract from the customer experience, loyalty could be the answer to your problem.
70% of orders come from 30% of your customers
How many times have you been given a paper stamp card by a restaurant and put it in your pocket or bag with the good intention of using it… only to discover it crumpled and unused months later? Yeah us too. So free up space in your customers’ wallet and join the 21st century. Not only is digital more convenient, it’s more eco friendly too! It may not seem like much, but think of all of the paper that could be saved if you transferred your loyalty programme online. Not to mention the expense of printing which we’re all painfully familiar with.
I know we said we weren’t going to talk about the savings gained from direct ordering compared to market places, but loyalty is a great way to incentivise direct ordering. Direct orders have lower commissions than marketplace orders, thank your customers for their support and they’ll order again and again.
It doesn’t matter how your customer orders, they can gain loyalty stamps or points every time they order with you. Slerp loyalty is seamless, easy and flexible. This addition will only heighten their experience and keep them coming back for more.
📸: @koinonia_inthe_kitchen
📸: @tofufoodie
Convinced yet? Get started on creating your own loyalty card today in your dashboard. Not a Slerp customer? Get in touch and become one.
For more information just head to our website or our help centre.
Last month, the Government brought in new legislation on calorie labelling for restaurants, takeaways and other hospitality venues. Any establishment in England (with more than 250 employees) must now provide the following information on both their online and offline menus:
The idea is that calorie information will be available to consumers at the point of purchase to help them stay informed and make healthier choices.
The government has long been looking at ways to help tackle the rising number of adults who are overweight, a figure that according to the NHS, currently sits at 1 in 4. Furthermore, the number of people in the UK with diabetes has doubled in the last 15 years, with a further 3.6 million people now at increased risk of type 2 diabetes.
Calories must be visible to the consumer at the point of order
Displaying this kind of information will theoretically help those who eat out frequently to lower their calorie intake and make it easier to lose weight if needed or desired. Many people may have simply been shocked (and probably a bit gutted) to discover the number of calories in their favourite takeaway. Now customers can make an informed choice that tingles their taste buds without blowing their calorie intake for the day.
Some hospitality business owners might be worried that some calorific dishes might slide off the best sellers. If customers choose to take the labelling seriously, will there be a shift in menus with more lower calorie options available?
The question is… is this really the best way to help people? Many are worried that it will fail to help those who really need the guidance whilst also spoiling the experience of eating out. Sometimes we just want to go out and treat ourselves to all the carbs or something greasy! On top of that many are worried having calorie information front and centre could be triggering to people with eating disorders.
There is also a clear focus on the kcals in the dish as well as the recommended intake, rather than the actual nutritional value of the meal. If the government is trying to encourage healthier eating then surely the number of calories is not the only thing customers should be considering when they choose to eat out?
It does however help people to stay more informed when it comes to what they are putting in their bodies when dining out or ordering takeaway (something that isn’t as straightforward as it sounds).
Customers can make an informed choice that tingles their taste buds without blowing their calorie intake for the day
Unfortunately whether you’re for or against it, calorie labelling is here to stay. The government don’t plan to review it for at least five years, and have not ruled out the possibility of enforcing it for smaller businesses at a later date. With the regulation in full swing, all large hospitality venues in England should already be complying. Any business failing to could be handed penalties and or improvement notices.
Debate aside, calorie labelling hopes to put the needs and demands of the customer first allowing them to make informed decisions. Being honest and transparent as a brand is always a positive thing and remember, Slerp are always here to support through any changes.