Drives 50% Increase in Loyalty Registrations
Opened in Dallas, TX in 1986
31 restaurants across 7 states serving made from -scratch Mexican favourites created from highest quality ingredients
Increased membership drive boosts participation
As the members of Uncle Julio’s Amigo Especial Loyalty Programme were spending more than unregistered guests, increasing membership in the program led to more satisfied guests redeeming rewards and increased incremental sales for Uncle Julio’s.
The Solution:
Leveraging the high-traffic holiday season, Uncle Julio’s launched a loyalty registration drive to increase membership. The new campaign focused on employees—with built-in incentives to nudge the behaviour of servers who weren’t talking about the programme. The employee-focused Registration Drive incentivised servers with prizes for signing up new loyalty programme members.
On average, 31 stores registered 2,000 people each to significantly increase Uncle Julio’s loyalty base!
- 54,000 new guests signed up during the three-month campaign – a more than 50% increase to the 100,000 guests already enrolled.
- 47,000 of those new loyalty members completed a full registration for a registration rate above 90% during this drive.
NEW MEMBER
SIGN UPS
54,000
MEMBERSHIPS PRIOR TO CAMPAIGN
10,000
Weekly cash bonuses were awarded to those who finished 1st, 2nd and 3rd in loyalty signups by store/location. Staff also earned raffle tickets for bigger, global prizes across the entire Uncle Julio’s chain, such as Apple smartwatches and big-screen TVs, which was a very effective motivator. Uncle Julio’s gave away $15,000 in total prizes. Manager prizes were given for the store that had the highest number of signups.
Drives 50% Increase in Loyalty Registrations
Founded in Colorado in
2007
A fast-casual operator serving a better burger
Famous for certified Angus beef
burgers smashed on the grill
236
corporate and franchise restaurants in
36 states and 8 countries.
Data-Driven Smash Club Rewards
An innovative company which is always seeking new and exciting ways to motivate guests, Smashburger leveraged its loyalty data and Paytronix’s AI and machine learning to create personalised, one-to-one marketing campaigns. These initiatives played a major role in helping the company meet its sales-growth objectives amid a challenging economic climate.
In light of such success, the burger brand perfectly exemplifies the benefits of AI to IA – the practice of using artificial intelligence to drive individual action. As a Data Insights client, Smashburger enlisted Paytronix’s AI to IA services to “micro-segment” its customer base and create a powerful, data-driven loyalty program. Through personalised, one-to-one marketing campaigns, it has steadily driven additional sales.
In 2020, the loyalty program accounted for at least $1.9 million in incremental sales, which represents an incredible 6.5% of the brand’s overall sales growth for the year. Smashburger hopes to smash that number in 2021 by nearly doubling the brand impact of the program.
Last year’s relaunch saw Smashburger replace its old rewards programme with a new improved one designed to enhance insight and increase brand agility. Whereas all Smashburger guests had previously received the same rewards and messaging, they are now laser targeted based on preferences and behaviour.
“Through the SmashClub Rewards program, we utilized the Paytronix tools to tailor communications in a way targeted to what guests enjoy,” said Loyalty Manager Lexi Ryan.
With its data-driven and AI-powered campaigns, Smashburger was able to achieve a far more profitable campaign structure while also providing rewards that align with the individual preferences of its guests. Clustering algorithms were used to send out segmented campaigns that generated a greatly improved level of engagement.
Tactics deployed include:
- Small tests to boost visit frequency
- Reengagement campaigns
- Segmentation of members based on purchase behaviour to create a personalised guest experience:
- A veggie burger promotion that targeted guests who typically don’t buy beef
- LTO that rewarded frequent purchasers of fries with a free order if they tried a new menu offering
- Refined member benefits (double and triple points for Gold and Platinum members; preferred birthday rewards)
- Order-and-delivery incentives (triple points for ordering online)
“Offers are tied to core behavior so that guests get what they love. We want them to make their experience personal.”
– LEXI RYAN, LOYALTY MANAGER, SMASHBURGER
The challenge
The multinational craft brewery and pub chain BrewDog has become a huge hit around the world in recent years – and its well-deserved reputation is built on providing the best in customer service.
When the company planned its biggest-ever UK venue – a fantastic fun venue in Waterloo, London – it required an epos system up to the job of satisfying all the requirements of a huge number of highly demanding customers.
The solution
BrewDog turned once again to its longstanding partner NFS Technology, who stepped up to the challenge.
Chris Cartmell, Chief Operations Officer for restaurant technology at NFS, said: “We’ve partnered BrewDog over many years and are delighted to have played our part in their amazing success.
“Our Aloha epos technology supports 97 BrewDogs across the UK, India, Australia, Germany, Shanghai and Tokyo, so we were more than ready to provide everything the company needed for the amazing new Waterloo development.”
The biggest BrewDog was one of the expert NFS team’s biggest installations to date.
Chris said: “The Waterloo bar has no fewer than 16 Aloha tills, and our team made sure everything was perfectly in place for the grand opening. It was a great job for a truly great client!”
The results
On its Waterloo website, BrewDog describes the new venue: “Two floors and 27,500ft of craft beer joy inside Waterloo station, next to the iconic London Southbank.
“With a restaurant, an on-site microbrewery and 60 taps of draft beer over two bars, we’re serving some of the freshest beer in London and some of the greatest food that’s ever graced the inside of a train station.
“But why stop there? With our Grind Cafe for your brunch and caffeinated needs, a cocktail hideaway, a co-working space, a podcast recording studio, duckpin bowling and AN ACTUAL SLIDE, there’s plenty to keep you occupied while they clear the leaves off the line.”
Discover how two hospitality businesses are building international businesses with technology
Döner Shack was born out of a desire the bring the best in Berlin street food to Britain, and opened its first UK franchised site – a 2,800 sq ft unit in Manchester Arndale Centre – in 2021. It has also run its own pioneering restaurant in Leeds’ Trinity Kitchen since 2019, and is now seeking to open a further 15 UK sites within 12 months.
The company is fuelled by the ambition to be the no 1 kebab franchise in the £2.8bn UK market and also worldwide. Their recipe for success is to offer unrivalled products with the service, convenience and speed that customers demand.
Döner Shack CEO Suj Legha says his business is changing the entire perception of the kebab, so they are becoming an option for everyday eating out. The group is achieving this by using the highest quality products from ethical sources, affordable and executed brilliantly with high grade meats and fresh ingredients.
Döner Shack offer more than 15 signature dishes with a German theme including Kebaps, Tellers and Currywurst, plus Germany’s top-selling soft drinks range Fritz Cola.
The restaurants are designed and developed with a unique contemporary look and feel that amply reflect and reinforce their cool branding.
They have implemented the latest Aloha EPOS from NFS providing rapid self-service ordering and payment, integrated with state-of-the-art kitchen operations to reduce preparation time, reduce food waste and the need for extensive staff training.
How are they utilizing new ways to cater to the consumer?
Döner Shack is an innovative and forward-thinking company when it comes to customer service. Technological advances are at the heart of its pursuit of customer satisfaction.
The company’s restaurants benefit from an extremely systemised operating structure developed over four years with the help of NFS. “What we’ve got is an operating system that is equivalent to a business with 1000 restaurants. We’ve invested an absolute fortune,” says Suj.
The system delivers excellent consistency in food preparation – serving guests on average in five minutes.
The operating structure does not need skilled chefs, making recruitment easier, and uses advanced robotic kebab cutters that slice meat finely and ensure consistency, while also keeping staff costs down. Wastage is also kept to a minimum.
Suj Legha says this operating system provided the perfect foundations for expansion, and as well as growing across the UK, Döner Shack is seeking site franchisees in the USA.
* Discover how Aloha EPOS can benefit your restaurant:
Marugame Udon is the world’s largest udon noodle chain, with more 800 fast casual restaurants in Japan and 250 across Asia. It opened its first European restaurant in London in 2021 with a noticeably QSR-style low price point, with freshly-made noodles from £3.45.
Four further London sites were lined up before the first opened, with the restaurant in the O2 also now open, and the company has big plans for a speedy further expansion.
Marugame Udon has a global audience on social platforms ranging from Tiktok to Facebook and Instagram, and is leveraging this presence – and the power of the Muragame Loyalty Scheme – to extend brand awareness and position the offering perfectly in its new market.
Marugame Udon Chief Executive Keith Bird says: “It’s crucial to get the values and culture right.” Helping customers to feel part of the Marugame Udon community is crucial – for example, in the run-up to opening, visitors were invited to take pictures of themselves in front of a special screen to share worldwide on social media.
The innovative use of digital technology is helping Marugame Udon to establish and grow its community of enthusiasts across the UK and beyond. A unique level of integration is enabling the company to gain an extraordinarily deep insight into its customers, enabling better customer service and engagement.
The loyalty system, implemented via Aloha EPOS from NFS, is so well integrated that important customer information is automatically shared across all platforms ranging from the till to wifi and email marketing.
It means Marugame Udon has a 360 degree view of the customer’s requirements and preferences – what the company calls a ‘single point of truth’ – and it eliminates the need to repeatedly input data into different systems.
The integration makes the customer journey effortless. It enables Marugame Udon to send highly-targeted marketing emails that are sure to hit the mark – and when the customer pays, the till automatically applies any discounts. On opening, members who had already signed up to the loyalty programme were given popular offers including free noodles.
Further integration means customers are never disappointed when ordering. When a menu change is made on the till it is instantly reflected across all menu screens and collection screens, and the company is now working with NFS to extend this to delivery channels.
Customer safety is also a priority, and as well as providing allergen alerts, the Aloha EPOS system deployed by Marugame Udon offers diners the ability to input an allergen and see an online menu of dishes they can eat safely. Calorie counts are also updated through the system.
* Discover how Aloha EPOS can benefit your restaurant:
Following a stylish renovation, the Rose and Crown at Essendon in Hertfordshire is enjoying its reputation as a venue that offers local people London quality without having to travel into the capital.
With a new Head Chef with Michelin stars under his belt, the pub and restaurant has roared back from the pandemic with a fantastic offering for guests – and a new tablet EPOS system from NFS.
It’s all paying off brilliantly, according to General Manager Rebecca Starling.
“Our owners Debbie and Charles Davis found our Head Chef Alex Parker, who came out of Claude Bosi at Bibendum at Chelsea, and he has created a fabulous a la carte menu,” she said.
“We’ve completely revamped and stay true to the ideology of being a country pub. We have the pub side and the restaurant side, so we need an epos system that can handle both.”
NFS Tablet EPOS
A highly flexible and capable system was needed – and the answer came in the shape of the tablet EPOS from NFS, leading providers of hospitality technology across the UK.
Rebecca said: “Our heavy footfall means we need to be speedy on the till on the pub side when people want to come up to the bar and pay for a single drink.
“On the restaurant side, you need to be able to really hone things down if people are having a drink in a certain way or the food in a certain way.
“You need to be able to add different options – even in areas such as the coffee menu where we have three different coffees to choose from. So we’ve had to create almost two separate sites and two separate approaches.”
Stringent selection process
Debbie and Charles’ son Glenn, the company Director, decided on the NFS tablet EPOS after a stringent selection process.
“He didn’t want to go for a huge system, he wanted something that was a little smaller and more intimate,” said Rebecca. “We wanted one-on-one time with people, rather than just telephone helplines or a company based in America.
“The whole ethos of this place is growing more intimate relationships with businesses, and that’s one of the big reasons we chose NFS.
“We were also pleased with the option NFS offers to have 4G back-up in case our wi-fi goes down. I’ve worked in so many placed where the wi-fi packs up and the whole till system goes down – so the 4G offering really stood out for us.”
Next steps for the Rose and Crown
NFS swiftly carried out the deployment of the tablet EPOS system and trained up the Rose and Crown team to make the most of it. The new system is working well at the busy venue, and the leadership team are now considering further developments with the NFS tablet EPOS.
“We’re very pleased with the way everything has gone, and particularly with the direct support we’ve received from the NFS team – it’s been really good,” said Rebecca.
Executive summary
The famous Balans Soho Society group of restaurants and bars was about to open its seventh restaurant, in Ealing, London.
With a particularly demanding clientele – its slogan is: “A haven for the convivial” and the group numbers many celebrity guests – Balans decided to continue its relationship with NFS and deploy the Aloha restaurant management system that has already proved its worth at their other branches.
The deployment has paid off – and the group is particularly impressed with the loyalty programme it has been able to set up, with loyalty customers spending more than 40% more than non-loyalty guests.
At a glanceWho? Balans Soho Society’s new Ealing restaurant
Where? London
What? Aloha Table service EPOS software from NFS
Why? Operational efficiency and great customer service, loyalty
When? 2019 at the new Ealing branch
Balans Soho Society
Balans has always been ahead of trends. First started by business partners David Taylor and Prady Balan in the 1970s as a sandwich outlet, the group has become famous for hosting celebrity hangouts and delicious late-night dining.
Balans (now run by David Taylor) now has no fewer than seven restaurants across London and beyond, from Soho to Stratford City. Attracting the most up-to-date and savvy clientele, its menu is big on breath-taking brunches, quintessentially Balans mains and fabulous cocktails.
The challenge
Opening a new restaurant in Ealing – in the extraordinarily competitive London market – this famed group bills itself as a “haven for the convivial”.
So it knew it was crucial to deliver the same impeccable standards of operational efficiency and delicious customer service that have made its other six restaurants and bars such a celebrated three-decade success.
The results
The Ealing restaurant got off to a great start and is proving a real hit with customers with the help of its Aloha EPOS software.
“The system does exactly what we need – we find working with NFS very smooth thanks to having a key account person allocated.” – Kieran Crosby, Operations Director, Balans Soho Society
The benefits for Balans
As well as keeping operations streamlined and customer service moving effortlessly, Balans has had great success using its Aloha EPOS software to create targeted loyalty schemes and offer gift cards to enhance the customer experience.
The company believes the restaurant management software has created a big uplift – loyalty customers on average spend up to 42% more than non-loyalty customers.
“We’ve created an online loyalty programme where our customers are in control of how they use it, and that’s really helping to drive repeat visits,” says Kieran.
Balan’s staff also use Aloha Mobile to take customer orders and payments at tableside, using iPads. It means orders go directly to the kitchen for swift delivery, without any chance of human error.
Aloha EPOS software can integrate with kitchen automation to streamline food production, and the intuitive interface means it’s simple to get staff up and running on the system.
“Our FOH staff find Aloha very easy to use – the system is common in the restaurant industry and many have used it before, so they have familiarity with it.” – Kieran Crosby
Aloha has moved well beyond simple EPOS, and now creates a better-connected workflow within the restaurant and throughout the customer journey from online reservations through seating, dining, paying and loyalty – it even monitors social media reputation.
Like other users of Aloha, Balans also benefits from the business insight provided by the system. For restaurant groups, it gives an unprecedented end-to-end view of operations, with comprehensive reports including sales, labour and stock control, and accurate forecasting.
Why NFS?
NFS has a long-standing relationship with this prestigious restaurant chain, which made Aloha a natural choice when Balans was getting ready to open the new Ealing branch.
“We chose NFS because Aloha is working well in the rest of our estate,” says Kieran.
“Aloha does exactly what it needs to do – and we find it very reliable. We’d recommend it.”
What’s next?
Balans anticipates that using Aloha Mobile will increase efficiency, table turn and revenue during the coming summer months.
* Find out more about Aloha epos software
Coyote Ugly General Manager Chris Young
After a highly-successful first UK opening in Cardiff, Coyote Ugly has just opened its first bar in England in Liverpool. With venues across the US from Las Vegas to New Orleans, the bar’s eyecatching saloon concept is based on the real New York bar made famous by the movie of the same name.
Customer service is naturally high on Coyote Ugly’s agenda, and the company is using restaurant technology including the Aloha EPOS management system from UK-based NFS Technology to keep operations at peak efficiency.
Coyote Ugly General Manager Chris Young, said: “EPOS is vital for everything from stock control, employee performance, incentive monitoring and cost control.
“We like the way live data gives us an overview of multiple sites with up-to-the-minute analysis of sales, wages, like-for-like data versus last week and last year. It helps streamline the business by using data.”
NFS Technology is an international provider of software including EPOS management systems and hotel PMS. It’s currently Gold Sponsor of the Restaurant Association’s 50th birthday celebrations.
Coyote Ugly finds Aloha EPOS has helped them improve speed of service, keeping customers happy, and NFS’s 24-hour support desk is crucial for a late-night operator.
“The flexibility of the software, which has with tabs / tables service functions, allows us to provide a better customer experience,” said Chris.
And Coyote Ugly also uses its Aloha EPOS management system to encourage customers to come back again and again.
“We’ve an excellent loyalty card scheme in place via the integrated EPOS software that encourages repeat business,” said Chris.
“There’s huge flexibility to run bespoke offers for loyalty card holders – and the excellent data capture by the system gives me the opportunity to direct market effectively to my regular customers.”
Luis De Souza, CEO of NFS Technology, said Coyote Ugly is not alone in discovering great benefits from using an EPOS management system.
“In a highly competitive and challenging trading environment, the bars and restaurants who have the edge are those that make great use of the advanced technology at their disposal to make operations seamless,” he said.
“Coyote Ugly has a fantastic reputation for customer service, and we’re proud that Aloha from NFS is helping them with their expansion in the UK.”
CLICK HERE to find out more about Aloha EPOS!
How Gloucester Rugby Club is making the most of its fabulous conference facilities with the help of the latest technology.
At the Kingsholm Stadium, home of Gloucester Rugby Club, they think not. Here, the Kingsholm Business Conference Centre and banqueting facilities have become one of the most important conference venues in the Cotswolds and the Southwest of England. To manage their extensive facilities, the centre have, on a hosted basis, installed Rendezvous, the advanced browser-based meeting room, conference and catering management solution.
With 38 meeting rooms to manage at the Stadium, the software handles a conference and events business worth in the region of £700,000 a year with only two members of administration staff.
Rendezvous comes from NFS Hospitality, the Hertfordshire-based technology group. So when Gloucester Rugby needed a system to manage 45 cash registers turning over £800,000 worth of beer sales in a single season, they stayed loyal to the NFS brand and installed the company’s Aloha point of sale software.
“I have massive faith in NFS, said Patrick Morris, the club’s Head of Events.
Aloha Point of Sale software optimises restaurant or bar management and actively increases revenues. In one complete solution it offers seamless integration between stock control, labour management, loyalty and gift cards, head office management, table reservations, guest management, tableside ordering and mobile payment systems.
It also helps to spot scams, something for which anyone in the service industry needs to keep a wary eye, whether it involves bar staff, customers or a little of both.
“We employ up to 120 staff on match days, said Patrick. When you are dealing with cash and vast levels of stock, you need an effective control, otherwise the potential for scams and mistakes is prolific. Once you have a system in place, you can police the business, tighten up controls and manage your business with greater informed decisions.
“Aloha allows us to monitor bar sales in 15-minute windows, and look for business patterns. According to the pattern presented, we can manage our staffing and stock levels more effectively.
But lets get back to brand loyalty. It is paying off for Gloucester Rugby because Aloha isn’t just a cash management system, it is also a revenue generator and for this particular business that could mean a potential income stream of £25,000 a year.
“Most of the money in the world of sport is made from sponsorship, Patrick explained. So we aim to sell advertising space to sponsors and local business on Aloha-operated customer-facing screens at each till.
Our business plan originally showed that it would take around five years to pay back the cost of installing Aloha. With the revenue from the sponsorship advertising, we aim to pay for the system within two years.
Anyone who uses any kind of software knows the value of effective back-up and after sales services, and here too Patrick is pleased that he was loyal to the NFS brand.
The NFS helpdesk staff have a full technical know-how, and the ability to give advice in a non-technical way, he said. They are much better than other helpdesks I have used, which were little more than messaging services.
Gloucester Rugby have learned the real value of brand loyalty. Following their success with Rendezvous, they have gone on to discover that Aloha point of sale software is much more than a replacement for a till or cash register. It has evolved into a powerful solution that optimises restaurant or bar management and actively increases revenues.
How classic contemporary Indian restaurant The Tamarind Tree streamlined operations and freed up staff to spend more time with customers.
The cuisine combines old favourites and authentic dishes with exotic spices, fruits and herbs. Drinks range from Babu Lychee vodka with lychee juice, fresh ginger, lemon grass and lychee, to a Coriander Cooler Gin and Benedictine with coriander and cucumber
Recently refurbished, the 150-seat restaurant had a manual front of house system which did not meet its needs. According to Mr. Shobbir Ahmed, the owner, too much staff time was spent taking orders, running to the kitchen and writing bills, instead of improving customer service and potentially increasing revenue. Also, without cash controls or management information easily available, management could not judge which menu item was performing well or badly
Aloha to the rescue
To streamline service and release staff for customer service, in July 2008 the restaurant installed Aloha, the leading EPOS system from NFS Hospitality. The three-terminal Aloha system includes kitchen printing, which has given the Tamarind Tree the great benefit of accuracy. Chefs now get accurate information printed directly in the kitchen, rather than trying to read handwritten orders. This is faster and avoids waste. And as all food and drinks orders are recorded accurately, customer service is improved and sales value increased.
Delivery Module speeding takeaway orders
NFS also installed the Delivery Module as part of Aloha. This allows the restaurant to track client information and speed up the order process as customers are identified by either postcode or phone number. Capture of preferences and previous orders helps to improve service, speed order taking and boost the up-selling process, as customers are reminded of the dishes they ordered the last time.
“We are pleased that the Delivery Module will help us build a valuable source of client information and give our customers better service and more accurate order capture,” comments Mr Ahmed.
Special praise for NFS implementation and training
“The NFS service was excellent and the trainer stayed in contact after the installation, making sure we were able to get to grips with some of the finer aspects of the EPOS system,” continues Mr Ahmed. “Even simple things like the quality of the cabling, which was completely hidden, make a big difference. It all reflected a high level of care and attention to detail.”
Going forward, Mr Ahmed plans to take advantage of further functionality within Aloha. “We are happy to recommend NFS Hospitality,” he says.
