Prepare for Summer

Prepare for Summer – Reopen with Excitement and Energy

As summer approaches and states who have been in lockdown emerge from restrictions, venues are preparing to welcome guests back in droves. Here are some challenges and crucial elements to get the summer season off to a great start.

Major Challenges for Venues

Though there are still unknowns, we are aware of some of key challenges such as:

Health & Safety: What can you do to stop the spread of the virus, keeping your guests and team safe and stay open? Though venues have always prioritised cleanliness and food safety, keeping the public and staff safe has become more crucial than ever before.

Bentobox surveyed a representative sample of 500 patrons to gain insight into what venues should implement in their reopening plans. When asked what would be most appealing when dining out, the top three responses were:

  1. Seeing a written statement about cleaning procedures
  2. Having sanitiser at the table
  3. Offering a contactless menu and ordering process in-venue

By adhering to best practices, venues can create more loyal customers and provide peace of mind.

Government Rules & Regulations: As restrictions ease for some states and venues prepare to reopen, it is expected that capacity limits and social distancing rules will remain. Visiting COVID 19 Public Health Orders for links to enforceable government directions and changing guidelines is essential.

Consumer Behaviour: Consumer confidence is a largely unknown variable at present, with some patrons eager to return to venues, others will be much more cautious. Respondents from the survey provided recommendations for venues (as they reopen). From the diverse range of answers, the word safe came up often.

Hospitality Technology

The shift in consumer expectations and behaviour has left venues with no choice but to adopt technology that improves economic and safety viability. For instance, contactless in-venue ordering has changed from a nice to have to a need – customers are demanding secure and seamless ordering experiences, which are as close to contactless as possible while still being able to enjoy the hospitality experience. With customised QR codes, guests can order at the touch of a button, reducing the health risk associated with traditional menus and interactions.

Hospitality venues are under pressure to improve the customer experience whilst keeping a lid on rising costs, in a period of rapid change in technology and shifting customer behaviour. A combined approach of traditional POS terminals and tableside or handheld ordering will allow you to provide the customised experience your guests desire.

With all the innovative, flashy technology (such as contactless ordering apps), it is often forgotten that hospitality technology starts and ends at one central point: the POS system.

SwiftPOS is a feature-rich and robust POS system, ensuring you can continue to evolve your business over time by using more of the ‘out of the box’ functionality as you expand. SwiftPOS seamlessly connects front-of-house to back-office, offering an end-to-end guest management platform that provides actionable insights on key success metrics to venues of all sizes to deliver better experiences.

Coupled with MSL’s self-ordering solution, OrderAway is a native extension of SwiftPOS. Unlike other online ordering platforms and 3rd party applications, OrderAway maintains the POS as the single source of truth for menu management, pricing, transactions, and inventory across your whole enterprise, saving you time and money

Make the most of the summer season by getting your venue ready to serve your guests. MSL is a trusted solution provider to approximately 8,000+ clients in over 45 countries, spanning 5 continents. We help some of the world’s most iconic venues around the world – stadiums & arenas, pubs & member clubs, sporting organisations, golf federations and more – to deliver outstanding customer experiences during every engagement.