When Stephen, David, and Gary Moran wanted to attract more weeknight customers to maximise their investment in the 8,000-square foot nightclub they owned in Navan, County Meath, they added theyre own burger concept to the space. The three brothers were floored by its success.
”We were open for one month when we knew we would open a second one,” Stephen Moran recalls. “The demand was absolutely insane.”
The Navan location became the flagship of their fast-casual chain Yeah! Burgr., which uses high-quality, locally sourced ingredients for their gourmet burgers, chicken wings, and other menu items. The second location opened in Maynooth a year later, followed by franchises in two other cities over the next year and a half. During the pandemic, the business pivoted to meet the demand for more takeaway orders and to meet customer expectations for convenient and speedy service. It soon became clear that Yeah! Burgr. would have to evolve to keep up.
Contactless ordering was like giving servers an extra pair of hands
Moran realised QR-code ordering would be a great way to keep Yeah! Burgr. growing and, after reviewing options, he made the switch to Square.
“The first thing we noticed was just how easy to use and pretty the hardware was,” Moran remembers. “Then you start using it and really see the benefits.”
Yeah! Burgr. immediately implemented QR-code ordering in the Maynooth location, which typically does 250-300 lunchtime covers. Customer wait times dropped as orders were sent digitally directly from the table to the kitchen, and two servers could handle the entire floor. QR-code orders soon accounted for 70 percent of the daytime service, and labour costs dropped from 30 to 19 percent.
Cost savings were one reason Moran says he chose Square, but another was how easily the system adapted to fit the needs of each restaurant – and its dayparts. For dinner service in Maynooth, for example, servers use the handheld POS to take orders tableside, rather than relying on QR-code orders. That means customers received warm hospitality from servers who were able to be more attentive, spending less time running back and forth to the kitchen or till. Moran notes that better service leads to an increase in sales.
“There’s two ways to look at Square: If you do need to cut costs, it works, but if you want to improve your actual operation, it works as well,” says Moran.
A game-changing way to make data-driven decisions
On the back end, Moran found new ways to use the data available in his dashboard to improve how he was tracking costs and margins. He calls the seamless integration between Square and BevSpot a game changer for giving him full confidence in making decisions with reporting and inventory data.
“The two of them side by side, it’s completely changed how I do my audits,” he says. “Square really helps with the cost of labour reporting, and BevSpot helps control the cost of goods sold.”
The detailed reporting also helps Moran keep his finger on the pulse of the restaurants no matter where he is. Managers can track data to hit targets, and inventory controls hold employees accountable. And thanks to more organised data, Moran says his accounting fees have decreased. The staff love the Square Team Management app, where they can check schedules and their expected payroll.
Built to enhance your hospitality
Keeping more of their margins with an online ordering site
With the surge in online ordering during the pandemic, Yeah! Burgr.’s margins were taking a hit from third-party transaction fees. Adding Square Online and prompting customers to place their orders directly from Yeah! Burgr.’s website is saving money and time.
“It’s a better service,” Moran explains. “It’s completely integrated into our system – I don’t need additional staff to print it off and re-enter it.”
Moran is in the process of dropping all third-party deliveries. “If we can transfer even 50 percent of those sales directly to us, I’ll be saving money,” he points out. “I have to keep prices down for customers. I can’t do that using third-party services, but I can do it using Square.”
Yeah! Burgr. continues to expand, with a fifth location now in the works. “Square has made me rethink my model because of its capabilities,” he says. “We’ve developed a lot of business over the last six months, and Square has been paramount to that.”