The Ginger Italian: A community favourite in South London

When Joe was tempted by a salesperson from a competing ePOS system, he explored switching to their tech. But, he found the user experience of that tech disappointing, and he came right back to Lightspeed.

“I could sell Lightspeed to everyone,” says Joe. “I went to a restaurant the other day, and they had Toast. And I said to them ‘how's that system you're using?’ She sang its praises, but if she saw my team take orders the way they do with the upsells popping up on the iPad screen, she'd want to throw that thing away.”

That’s what Joe values about Lightspeed’s ePOS: it’s purpose-built for restaurants, and the features that are right for his business are already available to him.

Before Lightspeed and Tableside, Joe’s team used pen and paper, writing down orders, walking to the bar to deliver the ticket, and then going back to the floor. Now, Tableside is saving them time, and money.

“You don't really need statistics to tell you it’s efficient, right?” Joe says. “You haven't got to make all those trips. During bottomless brunches, for example, I just walk up and down the restaurant taking drink orders effortlessly. That's a time saver all on its own.”

The same goes for streamlining communication with the kitchen. “I've heard it so many times in the kitchen, ‘how is that steak cooked?’” Joe recalls. “And someone’s forgotten to ask. But you won’t forget if it pops up right on the tablet.”

Part of what appeals to Joe about Lightspeed is the fact that it’s super user-friendly, and helps eliminate human errors.

“It's just a no brainer,” he says. “I think you're leaving so much money out there if you don't have a system like [Lightspeed]. You’re not going to make the money unless you've got some absolute superstars that never get tired, never forget anything, and love the business as if it's their own.”

Joe appreciates the aesthetics of the Lightspeed interface, too, and that he can run it on iOS. “When someone's learning a new system, the aesthetics are 80%, 70%,” he explains. “Because if it looks nice, you’ll want to use it.”

Joe’s marketing strategy, with lots of social media posts that keep guests informed about events, specials and competitions, is a big part of The Ginger Italian’s success.

“We are always on top of it,” he explains. “And these places that don't have a good ethos, don't have an online booking system, aren’t always available, I don't know how they're doing it.”

Joe says the trick to making decisions about his business is to focus on the bottom line, and focus on how profits will allow him to do more in his restaurant.

“I’m looking for things that put more money in my pocket,” he says. “It’s not necessarily about more customers. You just need to do even better for the customers you currently have.”