Situated within the vibrant London borough of Hackney, Wilton Way is home to numerous charming shops, restaurants, bars and cafes. Among them is Wilton Way Deli and Wines. Owner Francesca D’Agostino has spent her whole working life within the service industry but longed for the opportunity to go into business for herself. Upon finding that her local coffee shop was going out of business, she offered to take it on.
Wilton Way Deli and Wines celebrates D’Agostino’s culinary heritage while also providing a social hub for Hackney’s diverse population. “Since day one, I wanted it to be a community place”, she told us. “I always visualise this place to be like an Italian square where everybody can just turn up by themselves. I particularly love being inclusive and making everyone feel part of the community.”
The deli proved so successful that she opened a new cafe on the same street just a few doors down, aptly named Fran’s. We talked about the role Square played in her business growth.
Key challenges and how Square offered solutions
- Cashless operations: “When I first set up my business, I knew I didn’t want to take cash”, Francesca admits. Cashless operations created more opportunities for her business, including faster and more convenient customer service. However, she needed to find the right payment partner. With a suite of business solutions built to suit her operational needs and modest transaction fees, Francesca told us that Square was her only choice.
- Customer management: Like many popular eateries, Francesca’s businesses get extremely busy during peak hours. Long wait times can not only frustrate customers but potentially reduce revenues as customers choose to walk away rather than brave a long queue. Square’s simple and reliable interface and contactless payment capabilities help to keep operations running seamlessly, keep queues moving quickly and help increase revenues by optimising customer turnover.
- Growth and capital expenditure: Expanding to a second location often means taking on debts that can impinge on cash flow. Square was able to provide Francesca with a loan to cover the capital expenditure needed for growth. Flexible repayment terms ensured that her repayments were taken from her profits, rather than her operating capital, so they could expand and contract alongside her revenues. This ensured that she was able to grow her business while also maintaining a healthy cash flow.
- Diversification: Managing restaurant, bar and retail operations can be challenging. Fortunately, Square’s suite of business solutions is fully integrated, with each solution communicating with Square’s POS in real-time. “The way my business is set up is a bit challenging as I have a café and a deli and wine bar and shop”, she told us. “So for them to communicate I need to use a different system. Square helps a lot as we can send an order through the register from the deli to the Square KDS in the cafe.” This ensures that operations remain harmonious across the business and Francesca can see how every facet of her business performs on her Square dashboard.
Wilton Way Deli’s implementation and training journey
Across both Wilton Way Deli and Fran’s, D’Agostino needs to ensure that her team is operating at peak efficiency. Fortunately, Square’s simple and intuitive interface has made it easy for her staff to pick up and use. So they can take care of the customers with little, if any, training.
“I don’t even think I contacted anyone else”, D’Agostino confessed to us. “Since then I’ve had many providers approaching me but I always turned them down quite quickly as I have no intention of moving away from Square.”
Square’s impact on business operations
Francesca’s love of tasty food, delicious wine and, of course, her customers has been the driving force behind Wilton Way Deli’s phenomenal popularity. That said, she was very enthusiastic about how Square has helped her and her team on the path to success.
“I have recommended Square to many other businesses. A lot of my neighbouring businesses and friends are actually using Square because I have recommended it and I would continue to do so.””
Francesca D'Agostino → Wilton Way Deli owner
Let’s take a look at some of the ways Square has impacted Wilton Way Deli’s operations.
Improved customer service
Wilton Way Deli and Fran’s both place the highest importance on the customer experience. With Square, Francesca has been able to simplify the customer experience, leading to faster and smoother ordering.
What’s more, Square’s robust suite of reporting tools gives her a holistic view of her customers’ purchasing habits in real time. This allows her to track which dishes or bottles of wine are the most popular with customers, see which products are popular at specific times, respond to customer trends, and attune her offering to their needs and tastes. In a fast-changing sector, Square’s reporting gives Francesca the data she needs to stay a step ahead.
Simplified operations
Meaningful customer interactions are at the heart of creating the communal atmosphere that is so intrinsic to the Wilton Way experience. By her own admission, D’Agostino’s personality and rapport with customers are her USP. As her business expands, she runs the risk of spending more time on administrative processes and less with her customers.
Square’s restaurant and retail solutions keep everything simple, accessible and centralised. So she is free to spend more time doing what she does best – enriching the customer experience.
Diversification
Although both Wilton Way Deli and Fran’s are infused with D’Agostino’s unique personality and vision, their operational models are very different. There was a time when this operational diversification would create problems for business owners, with discrete business solutions for different operations that did not always interface or interact with each other.
Square’s versatile suite of business solutions is fully integrated, empowering Francesca to manage deli, restaurant and retail operations and revenues through her dashboard.
**Feeling inspired by Francesca’s story? Want to see what more your POS solutions could do for you and your business? Why not join the thousands of businesses that we have helped to save money and grow their operations without compromising their cash flow? [Talk to a member of our team today]
