How Crepeaffaire got rid of errors, inefficiencies and overtime with tech

Ever since then, they’ve been pioneering the creperie cafe movement from Brighton to Newcastle, and Netherlands to Kuwait!

We caught up with Crepeaffaire’s Founder, Daniel Spinath and Richard Gilliatt, Digital Brand Manager to get an insight into how things have changed since running their digital ordering, EPOS, kitchen management and third-party delivery platforms with Vita Mojo.

The problem

Long before the pandemic, Crepeaffaire were driving towards digital ordering with the goal of giving their digital savvy guests a speedier and more modern experience. They were looking for a system that made the ordering experience branded, slicker for the customer and  one that would help drive ATV. Finding a way to stay in touch with guests and offer loyalty incentives to encourage repeat visits was another key factor in their drive towards tech.

COVID forced Crepeaffaire to accelerate this whole process, and they had to move to a digital system ASAP. They created a tech stack that consisted of separate providers for POS, online ordering and delivery integrations, which quickly became time-consuming and difficult to manage:

“These fragmented integrations meant that there were multiple touch points which complicated diagnostics.” – Ric

The use of multiple platforms meant that changing and updating menus was a laborious task. Updates needed to be made several times, across multiple platforms:

“We used to work through the night to make menu updates because there was no way to update everything in a simple way during trading hours. We would have to wait until the last store was closed, update every menu, store by store with new pricing or amends and then push everything out to our different platforms.” – Ric

The other issue? Crepeaffaire’s agile and fast-moving team were being held back by the lack of speed of their tech stack:

“We couldn’t react quickly with new deals or promotions to fit trends in the market. If we wanted to do something new we’d have to plan it way in advance, which just isn’t fit for purpose for a fast-moving hospitality business.” – Daniel

The one platform solution

The Vita Mojo Order Management System offered Crepeaffaire a solution that combined digital ordering, EPOS, kitchen management and third-party delivery platforms in a single platform.

Transforming back-of-house

Since launching with Vita Mojo, the kitchens at Crepeaffaire have seen significant transformation. Ric tells us that previously, some stores had Kitchen Display Screens while others had printed tickets, leaving them with a messy workflow. Printed tickets would sometimes get lost and the integrations to their POS meant that orders wouldn’t always come through to the KDS correctly.

“Vita Mojo’s kitchen stations have been a blessing for us. We’re able to have separate food and drink stations but still monitor them from one FOH screen. We have a much cleaner layout and calmer environment. Orders are organised clearly on the screen so we’re able to fulfil them more accurately.” – Ric

Vita Mojo’s pricing zones and scheduling features let Crepeaffaire alter pricing between different store regions, put new meal deals or bundles together for delivery. The best part: they can set them live across all channels in the click of a button!

“It’s a much more responsive experience. We get everything planned and set up in the system once and then can schedule it to go live whenever and wherever we want it to.” – Ric

To cater to Crepeaffaire’s wide customer base, the solution to finding this balance has been to keep up the host function and communicate the choice customers have between digital or traditional ordering at both the door and the table.

“We don’t want to just be highly automated. Our tech is there to improve our guest experience and make it as convenient and comfortable as possible. We’re high-tech, but will still always be high-touch.” – Daniel

Since launching with Vita Mojo, Crepeaffaire have seen a good number of customers embracing tech, with around 25% of customers spontaneously using digital ordering channels. For customers opting to use digital ordering channels, Crepeaffaire focused on making the order and payment process as easy and painless as possible. Touches like offering guest checkout rather than a longer login process had big impacts on customer satisfaction.

Navigating the ever-changing landscape

As the hospitality industry battles challenges like the cost of living crisis and the labour shortage, Crepeaffaire’s early drive towards digital ordering has helped them better cope during this time. Even staff training has become a much simpler task. Having one provider means there are fewer moving parts and the simple and intuitive interface means the team can get up and running in no time.

“We’ve really struggled with labour and staffing recently but kiosks have been great for stores hit with labour shortages. If we didn’t have digital ordering during this time, I think it would have been harder to cope.” – Ric

Crepeaffaire’s digital transformation has made a world of change to their operations but their digital journey is far from over. Their newly launched concept, Crepe & Roll targets a younger audience and focuses on grab and go coffee, crepe rolls, ice creams and shakes.

“Its small footprint and fast turnaround means tech will play a much larger role in these sites. Up to 80% of orders are expected to come through digital platforms. We’re excited to be on this journey and see where tech can take us!” – Daniel

A platform that performs

Now, for any operators out there thinking about taking the big leap and moving to one platform for their restaurant tech, just take it from Ric…

“It was terrifying but it’s a no-brainer. Initially, it was difficult for us to visualise how all the fragmented parts could work together in one place. When you’ve been working with multiple systems for so long it’s hard to believe that one system could do it all.”

The kind words about Vita Mojo don’t stop there! Here’s a few more that have got us blushing:

“The Vita Mojo team is fantastic! We are a small business and with other providers, we sometimes found it difficult to get a response when we raised issues. 

The team is always extremely responsive and supportive. We’ve been able to change a lot of things alongside them. When we’ve voiced that there’s a feature that we feel we need, they take it on board and make it happen for us which is incredible.” – Ric