How eatPOS can help in the event of Boris’ plan B
With 40,000 people testing positive for the fourth consecutive day, government ministers have decided to create a contingency plan labelled “Plan B”. According to the office of national statistics in the week ending 16th of October, one in fifty-five people are said to have had COVID of any variant. This is level with the peak of the second wave the country faced in January, pressuring the government to take action. One of the main reasons for this sudden increase in positive tests, is the new delta plus variant. That’s right, its mutated again! This new variant is said to spread even faster than its predecessor. Currently there is no evidence to suggest this new variant causes more severe effects or makes the current vaccines ineffective.
So, what is this “Plan B”, many have questioned the government if there was even a “Plan A”.
Plan B is:
- Reintroducing social distancing
- Making facemasks required again
- Introducing compulsory COVID passports
- Advising people work from home
There is no date for “Plan B” but it will be communicated “clearly and urgently” if it is to come into effect.
During the pandemic and several lockdowns, the hospitality industry has had to shift away from its traditional brick and mortar operation, to comply with the new social distancing rules. This has meant that companies have started to introduce QR codes and online ordering web apps to ensure that their business can minimise high risk touch points. This change has split opinions amongst customers, with some wanting traditional methods returned for a more human interaction and experience. While others describe it as more efficient and allowing for less mistakes to be made in the order process.
While these new methods have customers and owners split, one thing we can all agree on is the impact the pandemic has had on the hospitality industry. With consumer spending having dropped and never fully recovered since the first lockdown. This has led to many redundancies as a Chef and Restaurateur Tom Kerridge explained in a recent BBC interview he has “throughout the group, lost quite a few”, this is due to many of his staff being EU nationals and along with a pandemic they are being hit with BREXIT, meaning it’s much harder for the workers to find their way back. As consumers are beginning to spend again, the chief executive of the British Retail Consortium (BRC) Helen Dickinson, has stated “it is vital that retail sales bounce back as we near the festive season”.
With the uncertainty that awaits, eatPOS is here to help grow and transform your business to be ready for “Plan B”. eatPOS’s online ordering platform is designed to reach customers for click and collect along with delivery and can be hosted through smartphones and webapps.
Benefits include:
- Let your customers order/pre-order 24/7
- Allows for you to control the flow of orders with having the flexibility to set maximum orders per timed slot
- Never miss orders with our smart auto-printing technology
- Retain customer information in your own database, where you can easily send promotions via email or SMS
- Configure meal deals easily and efficiently
- Complete integration with your eatPOS till, accept online collection/delivery orders with the touch of a button!
Our online ordering also comes with no commission fees unlike other third-party apps such has just eat, Deliveroo and uber eats who can charge 15%-35% commission. We don’t eat into your profits like the other third party platforms do. No commission also means there is no need to inflate prices to balance out the percentage a third-party app would charge you, making your business more attractive to a customer.
Our Order & Pay Apps will also allow you to comply with the proposed Plan B as key benefits include:
- Reducing queues and congestion within the business
- Minimise high-risk touchpoints during COVID-19
- Minimise waiting times in restaurants
- Free up staff from taking orders to focus on service
- Speed up order taking
- Maintains social distance between staff and customers
This system allows the customer to feel safe and keep inline with the new proposed rules.
With cases rising everyday and death rates increasing the government is being pressured to act quickly as possible, something they have been criticised in the past for not doing. This means that “Plan B” could be sprung upon us at any moment.
However, our EPOS systems area designed to help navigate these uncertain waters with ease. Fill out our contact form to find out more about how we can tailor our approaches to suit your business goals. One of our friendly consultants will be in-touch.