How can technology help F&B in Sport and Leisure venues? | Kitchen CUT

We asked Michelin Starred chef John Wood how technology can help manage F&B in sport and leisure venues, from recipe creation to allergen management and GP reporting….

It goes without saying that allergen tracking and management is a key focus of the entire F&B industry at the moment.  The Sport and Leisure sector is no exception, and technology has a huge part to play in keeping customers safe and informed and businesses protected.  TopGolf, a global sports entertainment community have been using Kitchen CUT technology for their recipe creation, nutritional information and more specifically for allergen management since November 2017.  Speaking about the implementation of the technology, James Ringsell, Head of U.K. Food & Beverage for Topgolf said,

“The implementation of Kitchen CUT into Topgolf has revolutionised the process of managing allergens within our F&B operation. We are now able to make changes to our supply chain in real time which allows our venues & associates to have accurate and correct information as soon as we make changes. This has removed the necessity to print & update paper versions of our allergens data.  The associates are able to clearly communicate these to our guests using the guest facing sections of Kitchen CUT with confidence that the information they are giving is accurate. The ability to refine the menu removing any dishes which contain a particular allergen is also a very useful tool.”

However, the benefits of technology aren’t limited to allergens, nutritional information and recipe creation.  Typically, F&B in sport and leisure venues is a service that is offered in addition to their main business focus. Many operations find it difficult to drive traffic and spend in this area of their business and as a result they struggle to make F&B profitable. Research into customer demand has shown that people are looking for higher quality, healthier options at these venues, both of which come at a cost in addition to the requirement for a higher skilled labour to deliver a suitable offering. Using technology to assist in managing costs, reducing waste, managing stock and inventory levels, driving consistency and portion control, purchasing and receiving of products and showing daily theoretical and actual margins allows operations to have instant transparency of their operations and financial performances, live and at any given time.

Kitchen CUT manages all of the above requirements and more, allowing Sport and Leisure businesses to have far better control over their entire operation, with considerably reduced administrative work.

  • How much importance should catering venues place in developing their tablet or smartphone collaboration? Should they develop apps or provide smart menus and service advancing tech?

Using tablets and smart phones in operations is the future, from an operator and also a customer point of view. There is growing demand for intuitive, simple, easy access menus with allergen and nutritional data all at the click of a button. Those companies that do not embrace this form of operational and customer facing technology will be left behind.

  • What new electronic point of sale (EPOS) technology or Digital Apps are available on the market?

There are the big legacy EPOS systems on the market, some of which of which are developing their offering to be more mobile and tablet based. However, there are now hundreds of new cutting edge EPOS systems that have open API’s allowing them to easily integrate into other systems. The future doesn’t lie in finding one complete system that does everything, but instead identifying the best in class systems with open API’s, allowing them to all connect and communicate together to create one system that does everything extremely well.

  • How important is it to have cashless payment options?

Any modern day business that does not have cashless payment options will start to frustrate their customers. Whether in the format of a card that can pre-loaded and used instead of using cash, or just a simple contactless payment system, cashless payment is a fundamental necessity for any business in today’s F&B marketplace as people are using cards, smart phones and wearable devices use as watches to pay for F&B on a regular basis.

  • If you could offer one tip to catering managers deciding on their EPOS and technology choices, what would it be?

Avoid the temptation to waste time and money searching for an EPOS system that promises to do everything, as inevitably it will do certain things well and other things not very well. It’s much better to look for the best component parts that can all be integrated to create a bespoke system that is tailored to all of your particular requirements. Remember a sofa bed is not particularly a good sofa or a good bed!



You can get more information about Kitchen CUT or a free online demo by emailing sales@kitchencut.com or calling +44 (0) 330 113 0050

You can register for a free trial here

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