Ten years ago, brothers Edwin and Dorian Kirk set up a food stall in their hometown of Hereford. It was the start of a culinary passion project that has evolved into ART Hospitality Group (formerly A Rule of Tum), which currently operates 10 thriving restaurants across multiple brands.
“We started with not much money, and pan by pan, oven by oven, we’ve built it up slowly over the last decade,” says Edwin, reflecting on the journey from pop-ups in pub kitchens to a restaurant group that’s opening new venues at an impressive rate.
Key to ART’s success is their investment in local talent. They’ve developed a “chefpreneur” model, which provides ambitious chefs with the infrastructure, financing and technical support they need to become business owners. The Kirks trust in the creativity of these chefs to shape their venture and fuel its expansion.
The hunt for future-proof technology
After cycling through four or five different POS providers, ART needed a solution that could scale with its ambitious growth plans and integrate with the existing tech stack. Previous systems either lacked user-friendly interfaces or failed to provide the necessary connectivity with other platforms.
It was crucial that the POS could integrate with their existing analytics platform, Tenzo, which houses all their operational data in one dashboard. Edwin was surprised by how many companies have built software that doesn’t have this integration capability. “[The technology] can be great, but if you can’t link with anything, it becomes null and void,” he says.
Ultimately, ART judges a system on what Edwin calls its “futurebility”: “Are you moving with the times, will you be relevant in the next 5-10 years?” he says. When it comes to choosing a POS, it also needs to be the right fit for their future. “As we grow and there are dozens and eventually hundreds of people trying to use that tech, I want them to be able to do it intuitively, not have to be trained or taught,” says Edwin.
Building a unified restaurant platform
After evaluating various options, ART chose Square’s restaurant POS system because it struck the perfect balance between flexibility, simplicity, and connectivity.
Seamless integration
The integration between Square and Tenzo has created a unified data ecosystem that provides actionable insights across all ART’s venues. Edwin was particularly impressed by how easy it was to switch to Square, and to retain historical data in Tenzo. “It’s plug and play,” he says. “The day we stopped trading with our previous provider and started taking money with Square, you wouldn’t see a difference in Tenzo. It was seamless.”
Slick design
At ART, aesthetics are important for both the staff and customer experience. Employees across the business have taken to Square’s user-friendly interface and clean reporting formats. For diners, the sleek Square hardware complements each restaurant’s unique design. “We wanted a very slick front-of-house, customer-facing experience,” says Edwin. “You don’t want those big old tills sat there.”
“The Square registers look very cool and work well with loyalty and gift cards,” he adds.
Fostering loyalty
Edwin’s mission is to “get customers from a one-time visit to a fourth-time visit” – turning them into “lifetime customers”. With Square Dashboard, the team can track customer return rate and start implementing initiatives to improve performance. They can also gain insights into their most valuable customers. “As soon as a person becomes a loyal member, we’ve got rich data that we can work with,” says Edwin.
Impact: Business growth that shows no sign of slowing
Since implementing Square and integrating it with Tenzo a year ago, ART has grown by approximately 25%, with the transition proving remarkably smooth. “Having clear data means that we make decisions quicker and more accurately,” says Edwin. “And when we combine Square reporting with Tenzo, we get maximum results.”
Looking forward, ART is now implementing tableside ordering and exploring Square’s loyalty and marketing capabilities while continuing to build out its integrated-dashboard with Tenzo.
For this ambitious restaurant group, the right technology partnership isn’t just about supporting current operations – it’s about building a foundation for future expansion. With Square and Tenzo working in tandem, they’ve found partners that can grow alongside them.
