Pub of the Future: How Electric Bar is leading the way with in-house technology

“We’re always trying to get better, always looking for new technology and new ideas”, says Craig Spears, owner of The Electric Bar, “that way, when people come back in, they see we’re investing in the business, which is why I think we get so many return customers”. 

Based outside Glasgow in the dramatic North Lanarkshire landscape, The Electric Bar, or ‘The Leccy’ as it’s fondly known, is a community pub that has won ‘The National Pub & Bar Award’ six times in a row. Run by Craig, he credits his hardworking team, innovative in-house technology methods and the support he receives from HEINEKEN UK, for its continued success and increasing footfall. 

Like many hospitality operators, he was hit hard by Covid, and found they had to adapt and change when reopening. ResDiary was the first technology initiative he implemented. A popular booking system widely used in many pubs and restaurants; he felt it improved kitchen productivity. “It helped things to run more smoothly. If people were looking to come into eat, we didn’t need to update the kitchen on how busy it was going to be, they would be able to just check there.” Many operators would stop there, but Craig was keen to make the customer experience even more seamless.

“Following Covid, when we were trying to open back up, we introduced Ordercube. This was mainly so we could adapt to the changing needs of our customers – make things a little simpler”. Ordercube, thoughtfully designed to look like a candle, sits on tables in the venue, and allows customers to simply tap it to notify their server that they would like to order or pay. “This allowed us to see what customers wanted in real time”, Craig explains. “It lets the staff know what service the customer wants, and changes colour if the customer has been waiting too long, so we are able to see to them immediately”. Notifications from the Ordercube come through an app, and alert staff on a smartwatch or tablet, meaning that customer can get the quickest, and best, service from Craigs team – keeping customers happy and staff on top of operations. Currently operational in 14 countries, venues using Ordercube have reported that guest waiting time is down 80%, whilst service staff have seen tip increases of 40% and restaurants report a rise in revenue of 19%[1].

The operational excellence that the best-in-class tech gave The Electric Bar kept customers coming, allowing Craig to see what his new normal would look like in a post-Covid world. Still, he wanted to keep expanding his operations, making them bigger and better. Sam, one of the front of house team at The Electric Bar, started to research customer loyalty schemes. “Squid was Sam’s idea”, Craig credits. “We found that customers who kept coming back were asking more and more about loyalty schemes. They were really keen to be back together following Covid, so this was the next piece of technology we introduced into the pub”. Squid works to incentive one-time buyers to transform them into returning customers – no mean feat in the current economic climate, but one that Craig and his team have seen huge success with. The app acts as a virtual loyalty card which allows users to collect ‘stamps’, claiming a prize once they obtain a certain amount, and Craig and the team have seen upwards of 8% of customers returning more frequently since implementing the app in-house - with even more coming back when they offer extra promotions, such as ‘double points midweek’. 

Introducing apps and other virtual technology is important, but Craig is quick to state that Point of Sale remains an important factor in driving revenue. “In regard to technology that relates to POS, we have 12-14 television screens dotted around the venue, that we use to update customers on any promotions we’re running or any upcoming events we have”. HEINEKEN UK customers like Craig, can access free POS marketing support via eazle®, allowing customers to personalise POS materials for venues, social media channels and websites. A tried-and-tested approach, he finds it highly effective. “It definitely encourages loyal customers to try new things or book onto events that we’re hosting on a regular basis”. Cocktails, coffees and milkshakes have been shared on these screens and across social media, resulting in an increase from 1% to 3.5% of the total sales of these items weekly. 

The Electric Bar also prides itself on in-house training, and Craig is keen to stress the importance of providing his customer base with a range of offerings alongside a high-tech experience. “We do a lot of cocktails and mocktails. And every time we would develop a new one, we would put it up on the screens and we would hear people saying ‘oh that looks good, I want that one!’. As well as increasing sales, it helps to build better feedback with staff”. The Electric Bar has a big focus on food, which Craig credits as a reason his customers return. “Some of our staff have allergies, so we’ve created a gluten-free menu, which we’re really famous for. People travel to us to try it, and the feedback that we get is that people have never seen so many choices”.

In these trying times where many operators are keen to see how they can be cutting back, Craig is always trying to improve his offering, and ensure his staff are up-to-date with their training and that the pub is looking its best. “Looking to the future, we just need to make sure we’re getting better and better. We know that if people come in and see that we’re investing back into the staff and the business, we’ll keep seeing customers come back”.

With the huge opportunities presented by using technology in-house, pubs and bars working with HEINEKEN UK can use eazle®’ to guarantee their venue is ready for special events and more. Offering exclusive discounts on products and services, including savings on Wireless Social, and Microtill EPOS, discounts with the UK’s leading food wholesale supplier, Brakes, alongside a discount with expert audio-visual equipment company, TVC.  Further benefits include training resources such as free HELLO BEER bar staff training covering all things beer and cider – from great cellar management to perfect pour – and free social media for Publicans online courses.

Find out more at eazle.co.uk/huk/en/.