With restaurant revival comes a table-service revolution

As much of Canada enters a new phase of re-opening, restaurants face increased demand and a need to streamline operations, which point-of-sale platforms such as Clover® enable

By Brian Green, country head of Canada, Fiserv

As vaccination rates continue to climb and a “return to normal” feels closer than ever, it’s clear post-pandemic dining might be less of a return to the same and more of a new beginning.

For restaurant owners, many of whom are grappling with occupancy limits, staffing challenges, rising demand for touchless commerce and the threat of a fourth wave, a new set of tools has emerged to enhance both the dining experience and diner safety.

One of those tools is Clover from Fiserv, which is a cloud-based point-of sale (POS) business-management platform that enables a modern approach to managing restaurant operations on the go. For table-service restaurants, Clover recently launched innovative software that is tailor-made to help increase revenue, engage customers and streamline operations.

Table turnover and sales boost

Canadians are already flocking back to restaurants across the country. According to data from Clover, on Canada Day weekend last month, restaurants nation-wide saw a 207-per-cent boost in spending compared to Canada Day weekend in 2020, the most significant spending lift across any Canadian industry.

As restaurants experience a revival, they have also developed new protocols aligned to continued public-health measures. Beyond hygiene and sanitization, some restaurateurs have set time limits on guests to ensure the business sees as many customers as possible under occupancy limits set by provincial governments. To keep up with the need for speedier service, Clover is putting efficiency in the palm of the servers’ hands. Among a variety of innovative functions, Clover offers a dynamic table map to manage reservations and party sizes, bar-tab management to simplify drink orders and advanced table-order management that allows servers to move and combine orders with ease. Servers can quickly and securely accept all payments at the table, through a handheld Clover Flex device.

Contactless experience diners want

Even as pandemic restrictions loosen up across the country, personal comfort levels of diners may vary. For many Canadians, the ease and distance of a contactless ordering and payment experience may be preferred going forward. According to a 2021 survey from Clover, 57 per cent of Gen Z and millennial respondents (ages 18 to 34) said they’d prefer to order and pay at the table using their own mobile device, rather than through a server. Restaurants need tools that allow them to adapt to these needs. With Clover, table-service restaurants can provide diners with a range of contactless ordering and payment options, including tableside order functionality that allows guests to scan a QR-code to access a menu on their personal device. Guests then place their order, and eventually pay their tab via the same digital interface. 

Simplify operations

In an increasingly complicated industry, restaurant owners and employees need to simplify their operations so that the focus can remain on ensuring the safety, accuracy and enjoyability of the customer experience. By using Clover, table-service restaurants can manage everything from order fulfillment, employee scheduling, loyalty programs, reporting and analytics and third-party applications all within a single dashboard — avoiding the headaches of managing their business through multiple channels and devices. 

The platform’s powerful data also provides deep insights on how to maximize sales and profits, with the ability to anticipate seasonality to forecast effectively and track sales by margin to understand what menu items are driving profit. This data can also provide employee insights, allowing managers to see which team members are upselling, applying discounts and more.

To learn more about Clover and how it can help Canadian restaurants make the return to normal a seamless experience for both guests and staff alike, visit www.clover.com/ca.