1 Lombard Street: Where tech meets white tablecloths

“I've got a very strong philosophy of adapt or die,” says Elliot. “We are an independent business with one owner, and at every point, he's been at the forefront of new tech.” He says that’s what made it easy to convince him about Lightspeed, because they could see the efficiencies so clearly.

With his chef, it was a slightly different story. “I said, ‘this [technology] is going in, and you can adopt it, or it can sit there and you do nothing with it.’ And guess what? When something's easier, you start adopting it, you have fun, and you invariably want to learn from it as well.”

“If I were to sell it to anyone, my whole ethos would be: you get more time at a table which gives your customers a better experience,” he says of Lightspeed. “I know it feels a bit intimidating, and not many white tablecloth restaurants are [using tech in this way] yet, but they will. And they'll have to.”

Elliot’s mission to stay on top of the best tech tools available to him and his team has also brought 1 Lombard Street financial success.


“We've gone from £3.2 million annually when I first started to £4.9 million last year,” he says. “Having that level of growth highlights that having a strong tech stack and a strong ethos focused on minimising wasted time works.”

He attributes those earnings partially to the fact that his servers are able to spend more time at tables and create a better rapport with guests. Elliot has seen those changes reflected in climbing feedback scores, and also in the time savings his kitchen staff have experienced.

“Chefs are getting through tickets about 3 to 4 minutes quicker because there wasn't that input time,” he explains. “So our service score and our service speed went up, and invariably, the customer gets a better experience. When the customer has a better experience, they leave a tip, and everyone is happy. It's a win-win for everyone.”

1 Lombard Street is a white tablecloth restaurant, and Elliot says more and more restaurants like his are (and should) be moving toward using tableside devices.

“What you're able to do with it is create an environment where there are no missed journeys,” he says of Tableside. “Our servers can go to the table, take the order, and they've got more time because they don't have to go back to the kitchen.”

This gives customers more time to ask questions. “If you already have that information on the handhelds, you're stopping trips to go chat to the manager or the kitchen about what’s available and possible,” Elliot explains. The servers are able to stay at the table, and that's the key thing for Elliot.

Over the course of his three years at 1 Lombard Street, Elliot has focused on creating both a customer and staff-centric experience. He’s all about using tech to create the best environment possible for everyone who comes through their doors.

At 1 Lombard Street, the team uses a combination of paper tickets and Lightspeed’s Kitchen Display System. Having both means their chefs can concentrate on what’s in front of him, but he can also see the flow of the restaurant.

“If he sees a load of coffees or drinks coming through, he knows he's going to get absolutely battered in a minute,” Elliot says. “It's all about communication. The more systems communicate with each other, the better they work together, the better everything works together. We can fix all the world’s problems with it.”

Along with communication, it’s also about speed. “The quicker the chef gets the order, the quicker they can make it,” says Elliot. “Any delays impact how quickly a customer can be served. So the efficiencies that have been found from the handheld straight through to KDS tickets, probably saves us two or three minutes a table, which is huge. That's two or three minutes more the chef didn't have before we used the KDS.”

Elliot was careful to reassure his team that new tech would enhance their human skills, not replace them. “When we started with Lightspeed, I told my team it would not take away from their jobs,” he recalls. “The point is, you are the stars of the show. You're not just serving, you're creating an experience.”

Elliot understands that a warm environment and the experience of being served by people who are great at their jobs is what he is selling. He knows having tech like handhelds and using them to create efficiencies allows his team to enhance the experience, and he’s been able to get them on board.

“It really does work, and now everyone's an adopter,” Elliot says. “There is normally a week where we have to help them out a bit. But once they get it and they understand it, they're off. They're flying.”

“The hospitality industry has to make sure it survives next year,” Elliot predicts. “We're very lucky because we're not struggling for footfall.” He says the biggest challenge 1 Lombard Street will face is the rising costs that come with inflation. So Elliot and his team will be focused on maintaining that footfall, and making sure the environment is fun and inviting.

“People don't come because we've suddenly got the best tech,” he explains. “They come for food, service and drinks. So my goal is to be at the forefront of tech, and be the best restaurant at our price point. But also, a great place for people to learn and work.”

Elliot and the team at 1 Lombard Street still see a lot of opportunity for the year ahead, and they know they’ve set themselves up for success. “I think it's one of these real finite times where you have to be quick with it,” Elliot reflects. “And if you're not quick with it, you're going to get left behind.”