Finally, after the turmoil of the last year or so, the delayed UEFA Euros 2020 will kick off at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome on June the 11th with the final match scheduled to be played at Wembley Stadium on the 11th of July 2021.
No doubt that many hospitality operators are seeing the tournament as a fantastic opportunity to attract much needed customers through their doors. The fact that the matches are to be played across twelve different European countries does not matter. With England, Scotland and Wales all competing and a London based final there will undoubtably be pent up demand for football fans to watch the match in their pub or bar of choice, more so than ever before.
However, as we are all too aware, restrictions are still in place. From May 17th indoor hospitality re-opened in England. As the tournament kicks off, we will be at the governments planned easements Step 3 of the roadmap. With Step 4 easing of restrictions to take place no earlier than June 21 games will be shown in pubs and bars, potentially with different and changing restrictions depending on when and where in the UK the game is played.
It is another hurdle and changing landscape for hospitality businesses to consider. However, as the sector has already proved, it is more than capable of being able to adapt and provide a safe and enjoyable environment for both staff and customers.
Without doubt, the hospitality sector and consumers have taken advantage of the new breed of self-ordering systems that many operators have adopted. One of many recent reports has found that since summer 2020, three quarters of consumers have used a restaurant self ordering system to pre-book food and drink in a hospitality venue and more than 40% of pub and restaurant goers have ordered using their mobile devices when eating or drinking out. A trend that is set to continue.
From the operators point of view, self service pos presents a great opportunity, not just over the coming months, but way into the future.
In the short term though, a growing number of football fans will be scanning QR codes, loading digital menus, ordering and paying for drinks on their mobile phones and enjoying the added benefit of being waited on with drinks delivered to their table.
Venues are finding new ways of working and staff have new operating processes that allow them to serve more customers in a safe and efficient manner. The traditional bottle neck at the epos till can be overcome in a completely new way.
When self service pos is integrated with the epos system, the whole process becomes more efficient. It is effectively mobile pos with card payments. Where food or specific drinks orders are required, the system may be set to kitchen printing. The back office and management information system incorporating inventory management software completes the loop to delivering an efficient service.
Let’s hope for a great Euro 2020 tournament and one whereby our great UK hospitality industry enjoys the return of many customers.