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Go Global with QikServe Payments 

There’s a lot to consider before you venture across borders, and by following a basic strategy and taking a careful and thorough approach, going global

The QR Code Effect: How Tech is Transforming the Restaurant Industry

The restaurant industry has undergone significant transformations in recent years, with one of the most notable changes being the exponential growth of services that enable customers to order food online for collection at a time of their convenience.  While the COVID-19 pandemic was undoubtably the catalyst for this shift, customer demand for convenient ways to order from their favorite restaurants is here to stay.

click-and-collect-system-us

Click & Collect: How to select the best ‘order online for pickup’ system for your restaurant

The restaurant industry has undergone significant transformations in recent years, with one of the most notable changes being the exponential growth of services that enable customers to order food online for collection at a time of their convenience.  While the COVID-19 pandemic was undoubtably the catalyst for this shift, customer demand for convenient ways to order from their favorite restaurants is here to stay.

How Can You Create a Strong Company Culture in Hospitality?

You know your business better than anyone, and you know that company culture plays a vital role in the overall performance and satisfaction of your employees. The personality and character of your organization is one of the significant factors that employees consider when applying for jobs and workplace culture can help you impact an individual’s happiness and improve your employee’s (and therefore your business’) performance. 

Payments Rooted in Technology

As an adaptive business, here’s how you can use payments as a growth tool…

In our increasingly digitised world, seamless and efficient payment processing for digital transactions has become a priority across industries. Traditional payment processing systems no longer suffice as hospitality operators require a comprehensive payment platform to streamline their tech stack, drive sales and unify siloed data. Implementing a new system may seem daunting as budgets are tight and labour is strained, but innovation is the key to remaining competitive and it has never been more vital to provide a quick and painless way to pay.

How Restaurants Can Survive a Recession

We are settling into a new year and a fresh start, and as we plan ahead, we also reflect on how the past few years of disrupt has affected us. Our industry has been hit hard and continues to struggle to a full recovery – as soon as the fallout from one global crisis begins to heal, we are faced with the next. Hospitality operators constantly face a fight or flight decision as your venues must adapt to survive and it can be overwhelming trying to keep up.  

In Conversation with Ethan Martin – QikServe’s Chief Experience Officer

As the QikServe team continues to grow, we are delighted to welcome Ethan Martin to the team as Chief Experience Officer. Ethan has packed in a wealth of experience and success to his career so far as Founder and CEO of ROUND – a UK based table service app. Ethan was featured in Forbes as well as being nominated for TechRound’s 29Under29 and the Great British Entrepreneur Awards in 2021. 

The future of the food and industry

This year, QikServe celebrated 10 years since it first launched its ordering and payment technologies for food and hospitality businesses. The market has come a long way since those early days, indeed, adoption of digital ordering has accelerated in the last 18 months.  

QikServe, the people: David Woodison

As part of QikServe’s 10th anniversary celebrations, we take a closer look at some of the people that have made the company what it is today.

QikServe, the people: Daniel Rodgers

I started my career in the Scottish National Blood Transfusion Service as a trainee scientific officer. Once I qualified, I loved the thrill and excitement of working emergency on-call as well as the satisfaction that I was contributing to life saving efforts. I stayed in medical science for some time before fulfilling a lifetime ambition by starting my first business. Since then, I have started several businesses in ecommerce, consulting and customer service improvement. In 2011, I found myself on vacation in London with two young children. I found it incredibly frustrating trying get service. Not one to stand by and let a problem go unsolved, I started QikServe.

QikServe, the people: Oliver White

As part of QikServe’s 10th anniversary celebrations, we take a closer look at some of the people that have made the company what it is today.

Restaurant ‘at table’ options explained

Restaurant ‘at table’ options explained, Thanks to continuous innovation in technologies such as mobile web applications, digital payments, NFC, chip and pin and so on, operators have several options when it comes to digital ordering and payment at the table.  Here’s a quick overview of what these options are and their pros and cons. 

Kelly Lewis from fish and chip shop, Petrou Brothers, wins food and drink service industry’s Serving Superstar competition

The Serving Superstar competition saw customers and colleagues nominating service professionals they felt provided a consistently excellent guest experience to receive a £1,000 mega tip. Following an intense round of judging, it was Kelly Lewis from Petrou Brothers in Chatteris who claimed the Serving Superstar title. After 18 months in which the food and hospitality markets have suffered tremendously, the event was an opportunity for QikServe and its partners to give back and celebrate staff in this hardworking industry.  

The final countdown to Natasha’s Law has begun

In just a few weeks, Natasha’s Law will be enacted. The new regulations are being brought in after Natasha Ednan-Laperouse died following an allergic reaction to an unknown ingredient in a Pret-A-Manger baguette in 2016. It took another three years for the then Environment Secretary to confirm that legislation would be brought in to strengthen allergen labelling rules. Michael Gove was quoted as saying at the time: 

A recipe for digital loyalty, 5 ways

Contemporary loyalty programmes are all but unrecognisable from the methods retailers first used to promote loyalty and repeat spending. More than 300 years ago businesses realised that handing out tokens (which could be used for future purchases) was an effective strategy for retaining customers. Through the years this method has evolved; in the late 1800s stamps were switched for tokens, and by the 1990s, loyalty cards had been introduced.  

QikServe, the people: Nicola Wee

As part of QikServe’s 10th anniversary celebrations, we take a closer look at some of the people that have made the company what it is today.

Passengers can use Schiphol app to order food and drinks

As of now, passengers can use the Schiphol app to order food and drinks and make contactless payments for these at any time. The orders can be picked up in the food & beverage facilities across the security control at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol. Following the success of a pilot which found the service to be popular with travellers, Amsterdam Airport Schiphol is extending the app’s food and beverage feature in partnership with HMSHost International.

Launch of new report: The Diffusion of Digital Ordering

This week we launched our latest report: The Diffusion of Digital Ordering. The report considers the theory of the Diffusion of Innovation and explores the position of digital ordering within the technology adoption curve; has it yet crossed the adoption chasm? 

How do you counter industry no-shows? 

Pubs and restaurants in England have only just reopened after being closed for months during lockdown. But their efforts to make up for lost time and money are being hampered by booked-in customers not turning up. Again, and again, the press carries stories of beleaguered business owners, struggling with the result of guest no-shows. Is this just a problem of the moment, or are we facing a long-term issue? How can companies counter industry no-shows?

Celebrating National Fish and Chips Day 2021

It’s a fast-food option barely known are partaken of outside the UK. Battered fish (or sausage) and chunky chips with just the right amount of grease. How you eat it depends on your personal taste, but also on where you live within the UK. The further North you are, the more likely it is that you choose haddock, down south, it’s cod. Head to Wales and you might be dipping your chips in curry sauce, while Londoners prefer a dash of ketchup and sometimes some mayonnaise.  

Yes, move on from COVID, but don’t move on from digital dining 

When brands were mandated to close their dining rooms to guests in 2020, many took up digital ordering (online or mobile app) to facilitate off-premise ordering. This technology enabled to them to keep revenue streams open and maintain direct customer communication.  

Making staff and customers feel safe now venues are open for dining in.

Consumers are excited to be released from lockdown and are eagerly making plans to see their friends and enjoy a drink at the pub, but after the initial excitement wears off, a sense of caution and concern will remain. For the hospitality sector to fully recover, brands will need to make their customers feel safe and confident eating and drinking with others inside their premises, as well as outside.

QikServe launches first accessible digital ordering platform  

QikServe has announced the launch of its accessible ordering platform. As part of the company’s commitment to giving all brands and their customers access great digital experiences, the platform has been enhanced to meet the needs of people with visual, auditory, physical and cognitive disabilities. 

Partner spotlight: an interview with iiko

We’ve got some great plans for our partner content in 2021; we’re therefore kicking off Spring with a spotlight on our partner iiko; we recently sat down (virtually) with its Managing Director in the UK, Simon Dadswell, to pose some probing questions.  

QikServe strengthens its global foothold with entry into Czech Republic

Since the start of 2021, QikServe has added three countries to the list of regions in which it provides customers with online ordering and payment technologies. The latest QikServe countries added include the Czech Republic, Romania and Slovakia; other global customers include HMSHost (Vietnam), TGI Fridays (UK), Legoland (USA) and Fafas (Finland).

Can you afford your guest experience to be anything less than the best?

We’ve read it and heard it repeatedly in the last year; COVID-19 has changed the hospitality industry forever. The way that businesses and operations are run, the consumer outlook, their needs and requirements have all switched direction to adapt to what has been termed, the ‘new normal’.

How to do delivery, your way 

Whether it is after gaining confidence with your online ordering and collection solution, or because you feel delivery is the best option for keeping your staff safe through the ongoing pandemic, you may be considering switching your takeout food service to delivery only. With tightening restrictions on click and collect, you might also want to prepare should delivery become the easiest option.

Kerbside collection offering an ideal alternative to click & collect

It’s not as catchy as: ‘When is a door not a door?’ (answer, when it’s a jar) but it speaks to the idea that in-car collection, and the technologies that support it, are flexible enough to bend to the needs of a business and its guests. This is particularly relevant as Scotland heads into a tighter lockdown. With click and collect services restricted, and speculation that England may follow suit, curbside is a strong and viable alternative to click & collect.

Do you agree with our 2021 predictions?

Each year we put forward our predictions for the coming year. This year is no exception, though it will be exceptional! This is a time of mixed emotions and, at the time of writing, there’s no telling how restrictions placed on the food and beverage market might change from one week to the next.  

Will you embrace the drive-thru in 2021? 

In the UK, the word drive-thru was has been almost synonymous with the Golden Arches since the 1970s. Things quietly began to change when Starbucks launched its forecourt drive-thrus in 2010, with Costa following suit at retail parks in 2011. The  drive-thru in 2021 may no longer be associated solely with fast food, but neither is every coffee shop or fast casual brand investing in the solution.  

Three ways to reduce friction in your online ordering service 

A benefit frequently spoken of in relation to the adoption of an online ordering is the impact it has on operations and staff productivity. With shortened queues to manage, a reduction in orders taken by phone and tickets automatically sent to the kitchen, order ahead services save businesses valuable time. That time can be reinvested in other areas of the business, boosting business profitability. Similarly, when online ordering is used on-site, it frees up waiting staff, reduces order errors and streamlines payments. 

A day in the life of our Customer Success team

Christian Milton is a Customer Success Manager at QikServe. What does that mean? Customer Success is about ensuring customers achieve their desired outcomes while using our product or service. Relationship-focused, the team’s objective is to align customer goals with our own for the benefit of everyone involved.

Why you must change your approach to loyalty by 2021

The year 2020 has brought with it many changes, whether social or medical, the happenings of the last few months will have a lasting impact on the food and hospitality industry and the consumers that make use of it. 

Politics + Restaurants = ?

As the election approaches, the restaurant industry is rightly encouraging its staff to hit the polling stations on November 3rd, and vote. Indeed, many brands have incentivized their employees with paid time-off to participate. Some, like &Pizza have gone even further; it’s giving workers three days of paid time off for employees to participate in “activism of their choosing.”

Introducing Generation COVID to the corporate catering industry

Anyone in marketing will be used to the terms: persona, Millennial, Gen X, Y and Z. While they might be less familiar to those in other areas of business, their effect can be felt throughout a company. Who a company’s prospective customer personas are, impacts everything, from the food being served, through to the décor and technology in use.

The practicalities of switching to a collection or delivery service 

It’s all well and good companies like us, QikServe, turning around and saying – there’s a crisis, you need to start using our online ordering solution and offer a collection or delivery service to your customers. The reality for you is more complex – your menu might not be designed to be taken away from the dining room, or your customers might be from a demographic not used to eating/drinking in this way.

The rise and rise of 1-Click Payment or Checkout

Anyone that has an Amazon account will likely be familiar with 1-Click, a fast track through the checkout process to payment with just one click of a confirmation button. The technique, used most often by online retailers, allows customers to make purchases with the payment information needed to complete the purchase without having to re-enter any personal details.  

Is your online ordering solution letting you down?

With the backdrop of COVID, it’s more important than ever operators can rely on an online ordering solution that suits their needs both now and into the future.  From switching on and off different types of customer journeys such as to-go and curbside collection, to having the right pricing model, many operators are finding that not all online ordering solutions are created equal.

Facing a localised lockdown? This is how you survive…

Across the globe, cities, towns and states are in a state of flux, removing and reintroducing restrictions based on localised infection rates for the COVID-19 virus. The lockdown, or ‘stay at home’ orders may be necessary, but they make it difficult for operators to plan for recovery.

The realities of running a cashless business

For years, industry commentators have forecast a time when the high street would go cashless. Most agreed it would happen eventually, however, while consumers continue to carry their bank notes, cashless has been blocked from becoming a reality.

Customer 2020: are you ready? 

For years, salespeople and marketers have been thinking about and planning how to attract the ‘modern consumer’. Naturally, who that consumer is has changed over the years.

The return to hospitality: a first-hand account

And so, the pubs, cafes and restaurants have reopened! While the redtops featured images of drunken revellers falling about in the street, for the vast majority, the reopening of their businesses was a much calmer affair. Some venues chose to delay their opening to see how the first weekend of business was dealt with by their industry colleagues, while others opened but with very limited service times or numbers.  

Welcome Break launches click & collect service

Welcome Break, one of the UK’s leading motorway service operators, has launched its first click-and-collect ordering and payment service at Burger King at its South Mimms (M25) site ahead of a wider roll out across more brands and sites over the summer.

UK turns to ‘pick me up’ deliveries during Lockdown 

We have all adapted our lifestyles to suit our personal living and working situation, whatever they be. Bike stores have seen sales soar (online retailer Wiggle says its UK sales have increased by 192 per cent since the start of lockdown) as people seek fun ways to exercise and spend time with families, while restaurants, pubs, coffeeshops and delis have adopted digital ordering to meet rising consumer demand for takeaway meals, grocery boxes and recipe packs.  

Another motorway first for Moto as QikServe click-and-collect food launched

Moto, Britain’s biggest motorway service operator, is taking another big step on the road to recovery with the launch of a click-and-collect food ordering scheme at 48 of its sites. Powered by QikServe’s Preoday product, the service will include Moto’s on-site brands and will start with the company’s Burger King outlets.

A bus just hit the world, now it’s time to adapt

Last year, our President and Founder, Daniel Rodgers spoke at The Airport Food and Beverage (FAB) Conference and Awards about how to change consumer behavior. In Dan’s example, his favorite bus stop was crashing into. This created a burning platform situation, whereby it drove a change in his behavior.  COVID-19 just set the whole hospitality sector on fire and everyone just had to jump off the platform.  We now need to build a new platform, with a whole new set of service models and behaviors.

QikServe to provide online ordering service for TGI Fridays new Click & Collect service

Fans of TGI Fridays will be excited to learn that from Wednesday 6th May they will be able to get their fix following the launch of its brand-new Click & Collect service at 24 carefully selected restaurants. Digital ordering provider Preoday, a QikServe company, is proud to supply the vital online ordering service which will allow fans to successfully order from a specially tailored menu made up of 22 Fridays favourite dishes.

QikServe launches ‘Curbside Collection’

QikServe has launched Curbside Collection, a new feature for its online and mobile ordering platform. The solution allows customers that have purchased food for takeaway to remain in their car, while operators easily locate them for on-location delivery.

What restaurants can learn from dark kitchens

The events taking place across Britain are unprecedented, and a ‘national effort’ has been called for by economic and scientific minds. Financial help from the government has been announced, but naturally, restaurants are seeking alternative methods for attracting revenue in order to survive.

A note to our valued customers, partners and friends

In response to the worldwide COVID-19 issues, we’re taking the following steps to ensure our service and business operations continue without disruption, but more importantly to protect our team, their families, our customers and partners.

consumer

How changing consumer behaviour and soaring costs are forcing fast casual operators to rethink their digital and operations strategies

The fast-casual sector, much like other areas of the hospitality industry, has been faced with multiple challenges in recent years.  Recovery from the recession, minimum wage rises, increasing ground rent and changing consumer preferences and behaviors have forced operators to rethink not just their digital strategies but also their operations, especially around fulfilment.  We take a deeper dive into the challenges of the fast-casual sector and how digital innovation can help not just minimize their impact, but proactively drive success.

Cashless restaurants: cheaper, faster, more convenient but are they inevitable?

It’s no secret there has been a steep decline in cash payments in the last few years. For the generations that have grown up with mobile in hand, never knowing the inconvenience of a world without internet, cash is being used less and less. As restaurant operators eagerly explore ways to reduce costs, make operational efficiencies and, at the same time, deliver an outstanding customer experience, we consider if cashless restaurants are an inevitability worth preparing for.

Pay at Table

8 surprising benefits of mobile pay at table

As a guest, being able to use your mobile to pay your check the moment you’re ready to leave has the obvious benefit of being super convenient.  In fact, QikServe the company was born out of an experience our Founder and President, Daniel Rodgers, had when he was eating out with his young family.  He had just got settled at the table, on his own with two kids, when he realized he needed to leave them to go to the counter and order.  It was then he thought this whole process of ordering and paying for food should really be available on his mobile.  Quick.  Easy.  No need to leave kids unattended.

Mobile ordering

Seat, Eat, Pay, Repeat

Why removing non-value added steps from the guest journey is key to unlocking your restaurant’s maximum revenue potential

Maintaining momentum with QSR kiosks

Kiosks are taking the quick-service restaurant industry by storm. From McDonald’s to Taco Bell, to Shake Shack, there’s hardly a fast food joint in town that isn’t jumping on the self-ordering bandwagon. And for good reason. Kiosks are proven to drive sales, reduce overheads, increase loyalty and streamline operations in the front and back of house. With clever menu design and strategically placed upsells and cross-sells they typically increase a store’s average transaction value by 20%, rising to 50% with best practice.

Digital menu design and food allergies: a new challenge for operators

Food allergies affect an estimated 15 million people in the U.S and are responsible for around 30,000 hospital admissions and 150-200 fatalities each year. Top allergens responsible for 90% of allergic reactions to food are, in order of prevalence: dairy, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts, fish, shellfish, wheat and soy. Allergies are on the rise worldwide, with the number of reported allergies to peanuts in children doubling between 1997-2002.

How to guide: Motivating staff to fuel mobile ordering success

Your restaurant staff are your biggest asset for onsite marketing and have a significant influence over guests’ use of any in-store digital solution. It is essential that front-of-house teams are properly trained on how to walk customers through the process, and field any questions they might have.

Tableside payments: what if the table was a contactless payment device?

Anyone visiting Europe these days will likely have noticed the differences in the way Europeans and Americans handle card payments in restaurants. Most restaurants in the US still bring your check to the table in a wallet to place your card in, come back later to take your card to the point-of-sale system, swipe it, bring the printed check back to the table and leave it to be signed, and for you to add the tip, of course.

THE BYTE: Digital strategy special edition

Download your copy and check out some of the industry’s hottest topics, curating compelling insights from both in-house experts and valued partners in the payments and loyalty sectors.

Fighting fatigue at work

QikServe has a new face in the office! Eilidh has been working in our Edinburgh HQ as part of her university internship programme. With a keen interest in health and fitness, Eilidh has been sharing hacks on how to keep healthy in the workplace, as well as interviewing staff to find out what they eat to keep their brains fuelled.

What’s in-store for 2019: Five restaurant tech trends to watch this year

Technology aimed at making people’s lives easier is rolling out en masse wherever you look. From asking your car to turn your lights off at home, to paying instantly by tapping your phone against an NFC point, to unlocking your device through facial recognition – 2018 tech trends have been all about stripping friction from every day transactions and providing the ultimate in convenience for time-strapped customers.

how to use UX design to enhance your digital channels

UX design uncovered

For a company developing customer-facing software, the term “User Experience” (UX) is one of the most important in our vocabulary. But what does it mean, how does it work, and how does it ultimately make a difference to the hospitality operators that use our solutions?

Ever wondered how we let our hair down at QikServe?

There’s truth in the old adage that ‘all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.’  With that in mind, here’s how folk at QikServe work very hard at not being dull!  From special effects to mushrooming, and archery to tarot readings, the team have a pretty weird and wonderful mix of special skills.

Team facts & stats

Do you know what tryophobia is? It’s the fear of uneven patterns. And it’s just one of the quirky
traits possessed by the eclectic mix of characters and personalities that make up the QikServe team.

QikServe’s animal magnetism

From a notorious rabbit who thought it was a dog to an uber fluffy Samoyed who’s always in the driving seat, we have some pretty amazing four-legged friends here at QikServe.

Being agile doesn’t involve jumping through hoops

My colleague Mick recently blogged about how staying agile as a company helps us meet the needs of our customers. And how right he is! The agile philosophy extends throughout our business – especially into the way we develop our software.

The evolution of self-service technology

From travel, to retail, to hospitality – self-service technology is everywhere. We are becoming a society that expects to be able to order in our own time and customize products to our liking. And with the increased efficiencies and reduced staff costs that come with self-service technology, operators are all too ready to buy-in, too. But where did it all start? New forms of consumer buying behaviour don’t happen overnight…

How to reduce customer frustration at the self-checkout

We’ve all heard it. There’s nothing worse than feeling flustered at the self-checkout; trying to flag down a member of staff while searching for tomatoes on the vine… (why are they in the vegetable category, they’re a fruit!)

A brand new QikServe…

When QikServe was founded nearly a decade ago, we were a mobile app service and our ‘Waiter in your Pocket’ brand fitted nicely with our position in the market. Skip forward to today, and QikServe is a very different beast to the days of the waiter in your pocket.

pay at table

Why Pay At Table technology isn’t just for quick service restaurants

Order and pay technology – both in store and off premise – is nothing new in the quick service restaurant (QSR) industry. From order, pay and loyalty apps to self-service kiosk, fast food outlets such as McDonald’s, Domino’s and Panera Bread are rolling out customer-facing digital order and pay systems on mass and reaping a myriad of benefits in return. From boosted revenues (up to 20% on average), more loyal customers and reduced staff and operational-associated costs – it’s clear to see why digitising the order and pay process is a no brainer for Hospitality brands focused on customers looking for speed and convenience from their dining experience.

Hospitality tech: 2017 round-up and predictions for 2018

From chatbots to biometrics to VR, 2018 is sure to be a fantastically creative, innovative and progressive year for Hospitality technology. But before we show you the future, let’s start with a quick look back on the past 12 months.

Chart topping apps: Top 3 ASO tips to take your app all the way to the top

QikServe and Waracle take a look at how app store optimization (ASO) can help your mobile ordering app stand out amongst the millions of apps in the store making sure you have top billing for the long term.  Waracle explains what top 3 things Hospitality operators could do to make sure their app ranks well in the app store charts:

Avoid these 4 kiosk ordering worst practices

It’s understandable that some of your staff might look at Hospitality customer self-service kiosks with some trepidation but as we explain in a previous blog, automation isn’t about replacing man with machine. Getting all your employees on board, from floor staff and management to back of house and kitchen staff, is key to making your kiosk deployment a success.

4 ways artificial intelligence is set to change the Hospitality industry

Interest in Artificial Intelligence (AI) has grown in recent years as people revere and debate realistic applications across all industries.  AI activity within both the Retail and Hospitality space has been steadily increasing as brands look at ways to gain that slight advantage over their competitors and innovate, with their success or failure resting on a knife-edge as we emerge from some difficult economic times.

5 ways integration drives smarter, richer customer experiences

As we covered in our last blog (3 reasons why a platform approach is the only answer to your digital strategy dilemmas), brands are recognising the need for a better, simpler way of managing their complex mix of non-integrated back end systems.  In a recent study by Oracle and MCA, having enough time and integration came across as the 2 main frustrations for leaders in the restaurant sector.  By moving to one master integration platform, you’ll be able to harness the power of your POS, existing CRM systems and databases, payment solutions, marketing and loyalty platforms and more.  This allows each system to let their particular, specialized functionality loose on the front end for the customer’s benefit.

3 reasons why a platform approach is the only answer to your digital strategy dilemmas 

CMOs in the Hospitality industry are sitting on a technology systems time bomb.  The past few years have seen brands in the industry go from tentatively considering web ordering as the next stage of their evolution to a full blown omni-channel land grab frantically testing kiosk, mobile and tablet ordering with suppliers of all shapes and sizes.  As lauded as this enthusiasm should be, it has led to many operators facing big digital strategy dilemmas.  Should they focus their efforts on one guest-facing channel?  To integrate or not to integrate?  And indeed, what to integrate?  One digital ordering supplier or separate channel ‘specialists’..

Maximize your food ordering app downloads with app store optimization (ASO)

Operators about to launch their app for ordering food often ask about how to drive engagement and get people to continue to use their app following download rather than rashly deleting it when they need space for photos or music.  Strong engagement and offering real value within the mobile order app is hugely important but unless your guests can find your app, they won’t download it in the first place.  This blog takes a look at how app store optimization (ASO) can help your mobile ordering app stand out amongst the millions of apps in the store making sure you have top billing for the long term.

Are mobile only stores the future of Quick Service?

The widely publicized bottleneck issues Starbucks has suffered from a pile-up of mobile orders have highlighted an interesting dilemma for quick service restaurants and coffee chains looking to embrace digital self-service but concerned about the pressures this places on fulfilment.  So how do you walk the fine line between digital innovation, fulfilment and the human touch?  And can brands really be all things to all people – from the digital native Millennials and Gen Zs right through to the baby boomers and those who prefer or need face-to-face assistance?

5 ways automation in QSRs can make you rich

We’ve all heard about the cost-savings moving to automation promises you but what about the direct ways customer-facing self-service solutions such as mobile, tablet and kiosk can actively drive revenues for you?  Here are our top 5 ways automation in your quick service restaurants can play a direct role in bolstering your bottom line:

How to make sure your order and pay app doesn’t fail straight out the gates

Self-service solutions in general and mobile order and payment in particular, couldn’t be a more perfect antidote to the bustling and often stressful quick service dining environment. From moving customers through stores more efficiently and reducing staff costs to driving greater loyalty from guests, a mobile order and payment app has the potential to transform many areas of the business for the better.

Let’s talk: How conversational systems are set to transform the Hospitality industry

In the raft of obligatory ‘Hospitality Trends to watch out for in 2017’ that we saw at the beginning of the month, one trend seemed to trump all others in terms of popular prediction coverage: Intelligent, conversational systems.  We lift the lid on this emerging trend to find out what it means for hospitality and if it really deserves the top spot for tech-watch this year.

Mobile, web, tablet or kiosk: Have you made the right self-service decision? : QikServe Blog

Are you a restaurant operator looking to dip your toe in the waters of automation but befuddled by the various channels on offer? Struggling to decide whether mobile order and pay is the best way to cut labour costs, if self-service kiosks are the most effective in improving the overall guest experience or if a mix and match of channels is the best way to go? Well, stop ruminating. We compare and contrast mobile, web, tablet and kiosk and how each stack up when it comes to 4 core aspects: 

5 Unmissable Hospitality Technology Trends of 2017 : QikServe Blog

Technology all tied up,2017 will be the year for Hospitality Operators to get their house in order from a technology solutions perspective.  Many in the industry have spent the past few years testing and trialling everything from mobile ordering and payment, self-service kiosks, Bluetooth beacon marketing, digital menus and signage and much more and one of the key learnings that has come to the fore is the need to remove the complexity of underlying disparate databases and systems and for a unification of back-end systems for front-end gains.    

Omni-channel: Lame buzzword or the Holy Grail of customer experience? : QikServe Blog

You can’t go to any restaurant tech trade show or conference or read any hospitality resource nowadays without being bombarded with the words ‘omni-channel’ or ‘multi-channel’ guest experience.  Its overuse by tech suppliers offering an all-singing, all-dancing solution, as well as the media keen to promote an impressive, progressive vision of the industry has, understandably, led to confusion as to what omni-channel and multi-channel really mean, not just for the consumer, but to operators too.

Who really uses mobile order and pay? : QikServe Blog

Smartphones have literally changed the way we view the world in the last decade, as shown by the incredible contrast of these two pictures taken at St Peter’s Square in Rome of crowds gathering to witness the appointment of new Popes in 2005 and 2013.

Redefining Service: Why automation isn’t about replacing man with machine : QikServe Blog

Following recent changes in the UK and US of the National Living Wage and Minimum Wage, many Hospitality and Retail operators have turned to automation to off-set their growing staff costs.  A knee-jerk reaction might be to think that the robots are here to take jobs and ruin lives but there are several very valid reasons why there’s no need for a gun-toting John Conner just yet.

10 things waiters hate dealing with : QikServe Blog

Your wait staff really are the unsung heroes of the hospitality industry.  Often the focus of nefarious customer wrath, less than hygienic table manners and, shall we say, challenging working conditions, yet they’re the human face of your brand and, in most cases, aim to provide service with a smile. Here are some of the top things servers hate dealing with:

5 viral social media campaigns your restaurant needs to learn from : QikServe Blog

From the ALS Ice bucket challenge to WWF’s Last Selfie Snapchat campaign, the potential for a clever idea to go viral promises huge returns for brands and causes.  And the market responsible for spreading this social content at such efficient pace?  Millennials and Gen Z.  They’re a large, diverse market with significant spending power.  Pretty much born and raised with smartphone-in-hand and web at their fingertips, restaurant marketers shouldn’t underestimate their relationship with technology and social.  With that in mind, here are 5 viral social media campaigns you can take inspiration from making it easy for guests to share what they love about you online and via apps:

Closing the customer cycle : Engage Me [Video]

QikServe’s Head of Sales, Gillian Jones explains how mobile order and pay apps can help restaurants, cafés, bars and other Hospitality operators engage guests to foster greater levels of loyalty.

How mobile maximizes your restaurant’s Al Fresco dining success this Summer

During the summer months, there’s nothing better than adding a dollop of sun worshipping to a platter of your favorite food and a glass of chilled rosé – presenting you with some sizzling sales opportunities.  But outside dining also poses some real operational challenges.  When 70% of people would increase their dwell time if al fresco table service was available and 48% say slow or poor service most puts them off eating outside, let mobile pick up the slack to make sure your sun worshipping diners never leave early because of bad service.

Closing the customer cycle : Know Me [Video]

QikServe’s Head of Sales, Gillian Jones explains how restaurant food ordering apps can be used to really get to know your guests with automatic data capture that informs preferences and drives personalisation.

Closing the customer cycle : Attract Me [Video]

QikServe’s Head of Sales, Gillian Jones explains how Restaurants, Bars, Cafes, Casinos and other Hospitality operators can use mobile apps to attract guests to their venues. From personalised offers, smart mobile loyalty to location based alerts – here’s how you can use mobile get ahead in a highly competitive market.

Why your loyalty program is failing and how to fix it (Part 3)

Welcome to the final installment of our short blog series on loyalty in the restaurant sector. In our last blogs, we uncovered five key areas for loyalty improvement, and today we want to round things off by covering the final five points to help you make the most of your program.

Integrate to Innovate

Is your guest-facing technology plagued by silos of information, disparate databases and a spaghetti junction of separate systems that don’t talk to each other?  Are you failing to get the most from your data and CRM systems and overwhelmed by where to start to fix this situation?

Technology offers critical lifeline in wake of minimum wage hikes

This year, some of the lowest paid workers (mostly in the retail and hospitality industries) will receive a basic pay rise on both sides of the Atlantic. In the US, wages are set to raise to $15/hour from a federal minimum of $7.25 and in the UK a national living wage of £7.20/hour (up from £6.70) come into force this month for anyone 25 years or over.

15 Important Hospitality mobile stats and why they matter

Prolific, global smartphone adoption matters because if you’re a restaurant, hotel, casino or stadium and you don’t have a mobile strategy, it’s time you got one! Whether operators are ready for it or not, smartphone penetration will only grow along with consumer expectation for mobile self-service.

EMV storm has Hospitality industry diving for cover

An EMV storm is brewing in the US and has got many hospitality operators battening down the hatches. In short, EuroPay, MasterCard and Visa have clubbed together to set the standards for chip card payment.

Room service gone wrong: have you left your guests in the pre-mobile dark ages?

Room service revenues have dropped 9.5% from 2007 to 2012 according to Market Watch, prompting some hotels to ditch the service altogether. If your room service sales in need of resuscitation and you want to modernise this legacy service but unsure of how to do it affordably, well, forget little white linened trolleys and Downton-style silver cloched dishes.

Trigger happy with the check? Why turning a table too early is hurting your bottom line.

Is your restaurant striving for lighting fast service and high speed turnaround but not willing to compromise the customer experience? Are your staff efficient but sometimes find they’re jumping the gun on bringing the bill? We take a look at how over-eager staff might mean losing out on some last minute profits and how mobile might be the answer to getting your timing just right.

Do your fans love their cellphones more than their teams?

Millennials’ love of mobile is nothing new but the level of that addiction might surprise you.  A Cisco report revealed that the internet is as important as air, water, food and shelter to 1 in 3 college students and young professionals and the way they access it is through their phones.

Love/Hate relationship: the secret between your customers’ emotions and their loyalty

Loyalty is unquestioning trust but restaurant owners and hospitality operators need more than that to keep their customers coming back. Emotional sentiment is the secret sauce to consumer loyalty, and when a dollop of positive emotional feeling is added to trust, it can elicit more than just repeat business – you may even have gained a valuable social brand ambassador.

QikServe’s app wins deal with HMSHost International

Edinburgh, April 8, 2015 – QikServe, which provides technology to the hospitality industry allowing customers to order and pay directly by mobile phone, has announced a deal with HMSHost International, the world’s leading provider of food and beverage services to travellers at over 100 airport locations worldwide.

Generation Y (Gen-Y)

Go digital, seriously digital Gen-Y expect connectivity and instantaneousness in where they live, work and play. Make sure your website is informative, accessible on any

QikServe at Oracle Micros Users Global Conference 2014

The 2014 Oracle’s MICROS Users Conference is designed to strengthen
your knowledge and open a dialogue with your peers, with our MICROS
team as well as with our business partners, as we discuss current trends
in our industry. We are confident that the coming days will allow you to
deep dive into all areas of modern hospitality, to share stories and your
passion of our day-to-day opportunities and challenges.

QikServe integrates with MICROS

It won’t be a surprise to those attending @Hotelympia as you have probably seen us on the MICROS stand but for some time now we

100 Days to go. Are you ready?

In exactly 100 days from now,  the world cup begins, and this year is set to be a massive year for sport and hospitality. Without

QikServe® Open Check

Introduction Don’t just pay, have it all your own way! As a tech business dedicated to helping hospitality consumers access service through their smartphone the

Portsmouth FC – Mobile First

Portsmouth FC is pushing the boundaries of fan engagement with innovative technology solutions. Augmented reality programmes, Ticketing via social media and large screens all there

Something To Cheer About

Pompey’s innovative partnership with QikServe takes another massive step forward at the Exeter game on Saturday. Fans in the Fratton End will be able to

Pompey Embrace QikServe Technology

Get merchandise delivered to your seat Portsmouth Football Club is delighted to announce an innovative partnership with the mobile technology company ‘QikServe’ to provide fans

QikServe® at Edinburgh International Airport

QikServe has partnered with Delaware North Companies (UK) to bring mobile self-ordering to the passengers at Edinburgh International Airport. The Fringe Bar is the first venue in

So, Mobile!

So, a new year is always a good time for a bit of reflection. One word springs to mind about 2012, WOW! It is clear

QikServe Big In Hospitality

Mobile restaurant ordering app using customer’s own smartphone launched in UK by Peter Ruddick Click on the link to read the articlehttp://www.bighospitality.co.uk/Business/Mobile-restaurant-ordering-app-using-customer-s-own-smartphone-launched-in-UK

The Complete Service

The benefits of customers self ordering in reducing costs are actually really obvious. It is the other stuff that can really impact your bottom line.

QikServe and Be Social

QikServe is not just about business efficiency and customer convenience.  We want to see more people eating out and being social.  QikServe is designed from

The Results Are In!!

So, we haven’t let up and are still moving at pace! Working hard to get a QikServe restaurant near you. We have also been finding

QikServe™

Well, today was a big day!! Our website went live, as did all our social media. This is a massive milestone for the QikServe™ business