The Red Door

The Red Door

The Red Door Country House in Fahan, Co. Donegal is a 4 star country house that has become synonymous for its high class restaurant, accommodation and wedding venue.

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Operated by Shay McCallion and his wife Adele, they installed the CBE EverServe PixelPoint solution to improve efficiencies within their business. CBE carried out a case study on the successful installation:

Case Study – The Red Door Country House, Fahan, Co. Donegal

Background:
The Red Door Country House in Fahan, Co. Donegal is a 4 star country house that has become synonymous for its high class restaurant, accommodation and wedding venue.

Formerly called ‘St. John’s’, the venue was relaunched as ‘The Red Door’ in 2009 by Shay McCallion and his wife Adelle.

It has recently been crowned ‘Best Donegal Wedding Venue 2012’ and has received commendations from Sally and John McKenna (Bridgestone Guide) and Georgina Campbell.

The 18th century house has hosted such well known guests as John Hume, Teddy Kennedy Jr., Tip O’Neill, Seamus Heaney, Brian Friel, Mary Robinson and was formerly owned by the musician Phil Coulter.

Client Requirements:
In 2012, Shay and his team decided they needed to implement a robust EPoS solution that would work in a busy hospitality environment and that would allow for greater customer service and also improve efficiencies. The business offering includes: daytime café, lunchtime dinner, evening fine-dining, group parties, Christmas parties and weddings.

As part of the research of the marketplace, a number of key features were identified:

The system had to be able to offer a mobile handheld solution for taking orders at the tables within the numerous service areas
Option for multiple order printers to handle food, wine, drink and coffee orders
A more efficient ‘Table Management’ solution was required to improve efficiencies and increase speed of service
An integrated electronic reservation and waitlist module would be required to handle the large number of pre-bookings in the restaurant
The system had to be easy to use for the staff to reduce training and minimise operation errors
A comprehensive reports section would be required to allow for greater analysis of sales, stock and margins

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CBE Solution:
CBE undertook a thorough consultative process with Shay and advised him to install their PC based EverServe PixelPoint solution. After looking at a number of systems, staff and management at The Red Door Country House decided to implement the CBE recommendation.

The CBE solution incorporated:

Two PC based touch screens for the bar and restaurant areas

Four Windows handhelds for table ordering

Six order printers for handling the various food and drink offerings

The kitchen printer was configured to receive food orders instantly including preparation options and orders by seat number

A reservations module with full table management for handling pre-bookings and waitlists

Integrated gift cards and vouchers module

Loyalty scheme to handle customer member cards and point retention

Ability to implement an employee contest scheme

Full back-office software module for maintaining the system and running custom built reports designed to suite their business needs

Email reporting capability

Internal POS mail configuration for HR announcements and record keeping

Benefits of the system:
The introduction of the new system has brought many benefits for The Red Door Country House.

Handhelds:
The new handheld ordering terminals have greatly increased efficiencies in the restaurant:

Waiting staff stay on the restaurant floor at all times. This eliminates unnecessary time spent in the kitchen and allows them to provide a better service to customers

At least 10 minutes customer waiting time is saved per order by using this system

It has tightened the whole billing process and ensures that all food and drink products that were ordered are actually paid for

Increased savings as manual order books are no longer required

By introducing these new improved practices, resources are streamlined as approximately one less person per shift is required on the floor. This allows the staff to be utilised more constructively in other areas of the business

Seasonal staff who are employed at peak season can easily become fully versed on the system without having to perform high levels of training

Automatic alerts:
Another key feature of the system is the ‘alert feature’ where floor staff are automatically notified of out-of-stock products, such as ‘specials’, thereby enabling them to inform customers before they order it.

Reservation module:
The Red Door Country House no longer uses a paper diary as all reservations are logged on the system. Staff now use the system to greet customers as they arrive and show them to their pre-assigned table.

Employee contests:
An ‘employee contest’ system has been introduced where staff are awarded points based on their performance at upselling products during their shift. This important marketing tool ensures that all staff are fully aware of all products on offer, it improves customer service and above all, allows for increased sales.

Reports:
With over 250 reports available, The Red Door Country House has all the data necessary to make the right business decisions to allow them increase their profits. The reports have been designed to suit their business needs and with added email reporting functionality all of the management team can be kept informed on all aspects of the business at all times.

What the client says:
“Investing in a new EPoS system was a big decision for us but in hindsight it has been a very worthwhile exercise. It has helped us to greatly improve efficiencies across the board.

The handheld ordering devices have been a phenomenal success. They have transformed the way our floor staff operate resulting in an improved service for our customers. They have also enhanced the accuracy of the order being prepared in the kitchen and ultimately ensuring the customer is served exactly what they ordered. The automatic alert also allows staff to inform customers about out-of-stock items, ensuring that the customers experience is a positive one from the start.

The reservations system is first class and we are delighted with the reports that we are able to get. We have also been extremely impressed with the level of service and support we have received from CBE. Having used a number of other EPoS companies in the past, I am delighted that we made the decision to invest in a CBE solution.”
Shay Mc Callion, Owner