Peter Moore, CEO of Lolly the point of sale (PoS) and payments specialist, is warning hospitality providers (of all sizes) to embrace self-serve technology or face being ‘left on the shelf’.
Speaking on a panel debate on the theme of ‘Taking on the Digital Dining Revolution’ at this year’s Restaurant & Bar Tech Live event, he will discuss the role of self-serve in today’s busy hospitality environment. He comments: “Self-serve is the future of hospitality, supporting the entire cashless movement. Those who don’t adopt it will suffer from a decline in footfall, which will ultimately have an impact on their bottom line.
“The technology is designed to empower the end user, to shop as they want and when they want – it’s about individualisation and personalisation. It’s what today’s millennial has come to expect – certainly in their shopping experiences, and very soon within café and food on- the-go outlets. I think it’s only a matter of time before self-serve becomes ‘the norm’, and we begin to see a real step-change in the way we order our food, because there is clearly a need to service millennials – now, but also in the future. Who knows, in years to come, perhaps this demographic will also come to expect this type of service as part of their fine dining experience. Only time will tell.
Moore reflects on the fact that self-serve adoption rates across the sector have – so far – been low, due to primitive technology and associated high costs.
In August 2018, Lolly announced the launch of its first-to-market entry level PoS and self-serve platform – LollyServe, which combines traditional EpoS payments with self serve. Peter Moore adds:
“We have developed a solution to meet all budgets and all requirements from small businesses through to enterprise – to support the movement towards cashless environments. And we’re excited to be debuting the technology at the Restaurant & Bar Tech Live event.”
He goes on to reflect on the impact of Brexit and lower staffing levels within the hospitality sector.
“There will always be a requirement for staff interaction at the point of sale and hospitality providers need a back-up plan for this type of provision. But things are evolving and self-serve will be the future.”