Consider your bar on a busy weekend night: long lines, impatient guests checking their watches, and unaccounted sales. It surely isn't a pleasant sight, right? Do you know that UK retailers lose approximately £12 billion a year because of long queues and slow service? In fact, almost 25% of drink lovers report that they have left a bar due to a long queue. Both these statistics are eye-opening for businesses. Without a doubt, a delay in service doesn't just ruin an ambience - it also hits your bottom line. But, a drinks pre-order system that allows guests to pre-order club drinks online and pay upfront is not just tech; it is a great saviour for your business. Let's take a look at how pre-ordering implemented at events can be a solution to wait-time nightmares and help generate revenue.
Step 1: Choose the Right Platform
Choose a pre-ordering platform or app, such as QueueFront, that can reduce the waiting time for guests at your bar who want to order drinks. To implement this app smoothly, ensure you understand its key features, including payment gateways, guest registration, and how to introduce guests to discounts, as well as promote upcoming events, for seamless functioning. Whether you want to register your club for a large event, or simply streamline orders, the right platform will help you scale without stress.
Step 2: Capture Guest Data
Encourage all walk-in and regular customers to register through your system. Capturing emails or phone numbers allows you to provide personalised deals, event updates, and build your relationship with your customers. Think of the power of sending a discount code to someone who regularly visits or an email promoting an upcoming event that can create a personal connection which helps to increase both order volumes and loyalty.
Step 3: Engage Guests with Offers & Events
Once you've created a database, you can use a pre-order drinks app for parties to promote activities, happy hours, and seasonal offerings. These pre-order systems can also notify customers about limited-edition cocktails or upcoming downtown festivals, making them feel like insiders.
Step 4: Streamline Service & Reduce Errors
A pre-order system helps bartenders manage volume effectively, with fewer chances for miscommunication or missed orders due to loud music or drinks. Bartenders can prepare orders of pre-ordered cocktails or pre-packaged drinks, which reduces customer wait time and the potential for product waste that can occur due to miscommunication.
Step 5: Monetise Menus & Partnerships
Your digital menu is a new revenue stream. The opportunities are endless, too! Highlighting brands, cocktail specials, or featured promotions can allow you to charge for placement for advertising. By partnering with local businesses or liquor brands, your bar gains another revenue source while offering your guests fun and exciting new options.
Step 6: Drive Additional Revenue
Add a VIP and/or priority ordering option for a small fee. Guests who want to avoid waiting will gladly pay this cost, eventually adding revenue to your business without increasing drink prices. Furthermore, with an app to offer promotions and cashless payment options, you serve premium service to those guests while improving your bottom line.
Conclusion
Implementing a drinks pre-order system in your bar isn’t just about reducing queues, but it’s about creating a more innovative, more profitable business model. That is where QueueFront steps in. We support bars, clubs, and event organisers across the UK to transform their online drinks ordering system with our seamless mobile ordering app. From white-labelled solutions and onboarding support to flexible licensing models, we make the transition simple and scalable. If you're ready to turn queues into revenue and want your guests to pre-order club drinks online, you can register your pub with QueueFront. Also, visit our website to fill out our Contact Us page so we can enhance your bar experience!
