Q&A with Tossed: Customisations, branding, and running their restaurant smarter with Vita Mojo

Everything served at Tossed is made fresh-to-order, and their product is fully-customisable to cater to a range of dietary and other preferences. Their hero product is their range of house salads, but they also make delicious wraps, hot food, freshly-scrambled eggs and a wide range of juices, shakes and smoothies.

Tossed is a true early adopter in the hospitality industry. They made kiosks their main in-store ordering method in 2016, way before self-service went mainstream. In the same year, they also became the first cashless restaurant chain in the UK.

They remain fierce advocates of digital innovation and are using their kiosk-led model to build back their business after the impact of COVID-19.

Tossed uses Vita Mojo’s complete restaurant technology platform to:

• • Deliver a consistent omnichannel ordering experience via Click & Collect and self-serve kiosks. 
  • Manage all orders in one place with our Point of Sale and Kitchen Management System.
  • Increase Average Transaction Value (ATV): since introducing Vita Mojo, Click & Collect ATV has increased by 31%, while kiosk ATV has increased by over 21%.

We caught up with Neil Sebba, Managing Director of Tossed, to find out more about their journey with digital.

How did Tossed discover Vita Mojo?

“We visited the Vita Mojo restaurants and were impressed by the slick ordering and collection process. Like Tossed, the experience was built around fresh food, made-to-order, and we could see that digital ordering was being used to enhance the customer experience rather than disrupt it.

There is a lot of synergy between our two organisations and our business values really align. Emotionally and practically, it made a lot of sense for us to explore Vita Mojo.”

What problems were you looking to solve?

“We were looking for a solution that would help us offer a high level of customisation and a consistent guest experience across different channels.

“Managing speed and capacity over peak is a common issue for many operators, but at Tossed this problem is intensified because we make our food fresh-to-order, everything on the menu is customisable and our walk-in footfall is heavily skewed towards a narrow fulfilment window.

“Before digital ordering, the guest experience was often overwhelming, with so many choices on the menu board and little time to make a decision during busy lunchtime periods.

We wanted to simplify the process both for customers and our staff. We had two different queues – one for order and one for collection – and it was pretty team intensive.”

How has Tossed’s labour model changed since introducing kiosks as the main ordering channel?

“We haven’t reduced the size of our workforce since going digital but we’ve redistributed our staff to run our restaurants smarter. Kiosks help us process a high volume of orders during peak, so we had to redeploy most of our front-of-house staff to focus on food preparation. This has increased the speed and quality of our order fulfilment.

“We also created the ‘host’ role. The host is responsible for greeting customers, offering people extra support on kiosks and ensuring delivery drivers collect orders without disrupting the rest of the flow. The host is an incredibly important member of the team – we think of them like the conductor keeping the orchestra in time!

“We’re a digital-first business, but we’ve kept human interaction at the heart of everything. Guests are given a warm welcome and a big thank you when they collect their order. This will never change.”

How has the customer experience improved since working with Vita Mojo?

“The fact that Vita Mojo’s software is device agnostic is very important to us. Whether our customers are on a kiosk or a mobile phone or a tablet, it’s the same menu and the same branding – that’s powerful! 71% of our Click & Collect orders come from repeat customers and this channel is key for building loyalty.

“The other key benefit is how easy it is for customers to browse the menu and personalise their order, without feeling rushed. What sets us apart is our focus on personalisations, and the software really brings this to life. 66% of customers modify their orders and guests love the fact that they are free to play with different options, without feeling rushed. We’ve increased order values significantly since launching with Vita Mojo: ATV is up 31% on Click & Collect, and 21% on kiosks.

What advice do you have for operators thinking about digital transformation?

“Always think of your guests first. Be very clear on your guest journey and what you want to achieve. How might technology enhance the experience for customers, or support you in achieving your goals? Only go with new systems that help you deliver this.

The other piece of advice I have is to choose tech providers that take a real partnership approach. Technology in the hospitality space is evolving at pace and it’s good to find a team that’s innovative and happy to experiment with new features. One of the things I really value from the Vita Mojo partnership is that we can go to them with suggestions and they are always open and receptive.”