Hospitality operators are increasingly embracing new technology, as a result of the pandemic. A combination of covid-related operational demands, and resource shortages, has meant more people have been forced to look to technology to make their business more streamlined and efficient.
Pelican Procurement Manager Stuart Chapman confirms: “Particularly in the last two years, tech has been a big thing for hospitality. The pandemic forced food operators to streamline their processes and look to app-based systems. Many businesses are finding that both their staff and their customers are in favour of using technology.”
Finding ways to work smarter
“Reviving business after government-mandated closure has been a new challenge for many, and it seems the lockdown period gave owners and managers time to reflect on how they could work smarter. This shift has created a surge in interest for the Pi system, as Pi supports operations, finance, purchasing and management teams – it covers everything from ordering, invoice payments to menu & allergen management, stock management, reporting and so much more.”
Reaping the benefits of Pi
“Many hospitality operators come to understand the value of using it – though few exploit its true full potential. We just want people to enjoy all the benefits of Pi modules – as it will make a massive difference to their resources, waste and the bottom line!”
“One module that’s important is stock control. What smart operators really need to consider, is having the ability to immediately see if they have the right products in stock. This helps control costs as it stops over-ordering and waste.”
“The online ordering module helps to prevent costly mistakes – and saves time. From an operational point of view, you might not want your chef having a long chat with the telesales team. Also, you might want them to only buy from an agreed products list to keep control on costings and ensure the right gross profit is delivered into the business. That’s not to stop a chef from being creative, but they can be in a more controlled way.”
“Profit is either lost on the plate, in the bin – or into the back of someone’s car! Pi enables you to keep a close eye on that, in a relatively simple way. The Pi system also helpfully highlights alternative products. That’s particularly important with the supply chain stresses we are seeing at the moment – there are very few surprises.”
“One of the latest additions to the Pi suite, the Food Checker, is another smart use of technology. Operators are able to share menu and dish details digitally with customers, such as allergens, nutrition information including calories and even meal cost via a QR code.”
Business size does not matter
“The majority of our hospitality clients are medium to small groups – above a certain size, they may have their own procurement team internally. That doesn’t stop us from working with big groups – in fact, Pi is scalable and fully switchable, so that individuals within an organisation can be given restricted authority to parts of the system.”
“Many Pelican clients start small by using a couple of Pi modules, and then progress to others as they realise the cost and time it can save them! A typical example would be one of our clients, Urban Village Pubs, who started by using Pi for their ordering, then they moved to use stock management and now they are moving towards full till integration. Although they’ve been using the system for a while, they’ve been taking gentle steps. They’ve a strong desire to expand their business, and it will be much easier for them, with strong systems and processes in place.”
Make technology work for you
If you would like to learn more about Pi, email us at hello@pelicanprocurement.co.uk to book your personalised demo and see for yourself how Pi can transform your work-life!
