All systems go

For many licensees, food is becoming an obvious way of making up lost sales when the smoking ban comes into force next summer.

Martin Ruble, senior sales engineer at EPoS (electronic point of sale) provider Radiant Systems, says that to sell food efficiently, licensees must install the right technology, as food sales can be more complex to monitor than drink sales.

"Food really is the only passage to growth as the smoking ban approaches. Licensees can't rely on the same technology that manages beer, where it is relatively easy to measure cost against volume. There are more variables with food, so calculating profit margins is more tricky. More technology is required."

From notepad to chip and PIN

Radiant's EPoS systems manage both drinks and food, using a different set of measurements for each. The technology is designed to be easy to use and to handle complex decisions for the pub - for example, to calculate numbers of prawn starters a chef needs for a particular day, the system would look at the pub's sales history during similar trading periods. It is even capable of working out numbers required during unpredictable trading periods such as a busy Mother's Day.

The system also has the capacity to calculate products' profitability, as Ruble explains: "If a pub has a two-dinner offer at £5.99 that suddenly isn't making any money, the technology can tell which product is losing sales and identify which meal would be a more profitable replacement."

Ruble argues that the right technology can also assist in improving standards of service - special features, such as till prompts, help to ensure that a waitress will ask a customer how they prefer their steak to be cooked, or if they want to order salad or chips on the side.

As pubs become more food-led, consumers will increasingly compare them to restaurants and expect a similar level of care, including table service.

Zonal Retail Data Systems sales manager Mark Isaac says: "People dining out want to have the convenience of being able to order from their table, and pubs providing that extra service will see the benefits."

Hand-held portable technology is becoming increasingly important, allowing waitresses to visit the tables in the same way as in a restaurant. This method allows licensees to exploit garden and outdoor areas fully - customers are likely to spend more when a waitress is standing nearby, ready to take their order.

Zonal provides two hand-held chip and PIN systems : the first terminal (around £1,000) sends orders straight through to the kitchen and automatically posts the value through to the second terminal (about £450), which registers payments.

Isaac says two systems are essential, as the functions of ordering and paying cannot be provided by the same terminal because of chip and PIN security measures.

A waitress usually carries the ordering system in a belt, and brings the payment terminal to the table when customers finish their meal. The terminals can split bills among any number of people and allow for tabs or "floating" tabs for someone who doesn't yet have a table number. All these functions help to boost the quality of customer service.

Don't call us - we'll call you

If taking staff away from the bar area is not an option, pagers offer an alternative to table service and have various applications.

Call Systems Technology has launched its third pager, designed with the smoking ban and al fresco dining in mind. The "Easy Call" system (from £75 per table) allows customers to request service by pressing a button on their table. A panel point flashes up behind the bar, alerting staff to the table requiring service.

Other devices include the "Customer Call" pager (from £500 per package), given to a customer ordering food from the bar. When the meal is ready, the pager alerts the customer.

The "Table Call" (from £750 per package) device allows customers to press a button on their table, which sends an alert to a pager carried by the waitresses.

With user-friendly technology, pubs should be able to continue expanding their food offer and minimise the smoking ban's impact.

rewarding loyal customers

Radiant Systems' Martin Rubles says that loyalty cards will be the next big thing in pub technology. "Tills already have the capacity to offer loyalty cards - and as soon as one pub company launches them, everyone else will follow. We'll start to see them within two years."

A customer loyalty scheme is also a way of collecting a customer database for use in future promotions. By asking customers to register for a loyalty card, a licensee can also collect email addresses and mobile numbers. Cards can also be used to enhance customer service, as staff can acknowledge a regular by the name that appears on the card.

Electronic cards work in two ways:

customers can credit the card and use it like a debit card, or collect points in a way similar to Sainsbury's Nectar card system.

Mitchells & Butler launched a loyalty card scheme about five years ago - a

cardboard card featuring the image of a pint. Customers gave the bar staff their cards as they paid; the more pints they bought, the higher the level of beer on their pictures. While this encouraged

customers to buy more beer, it wasn't so popular with married male customers, who sometimes risked arriving home after a night out with the boys to find their cards being monitored by their wives.