App-based orders – a natural fit for the future of Sobi
“Sobi represents our love for Asian cuisine and its culture”
With a focus on food and conviviality, the restaurant Sobi has gone from strength to strength. In Örebro, at the Orvar Bergmark square right next to Behrn Arena, Bibbi Kesenci and her team have managed to create a relaxed environment where people can meet, have great food and socialize. However, as with many others in the industry, the past few years have been challenging.
Changing times have prompted Swedish restaurants to think differently. With customers being urged to avoid public spaces, the restaurant industry simply had to look for new solutions and sales channels. Being able to still offer customers a range of offerings via app and web platforms became a trend here to stay.
”Simplicity is a major benefit for both our restaurant and our customers”
Against all odds, for Bibbi, Manager at Sobi in Örebro, and her staff, the adjustment was not nearly as dramatic. Granted, the popular restaurant had fewer customers than usual. However, owing to an already well-established app concept, takeaway orders surged during the pandemic.
”At the beginning of the pandemic, the volume of orders through our app was huge, even though almost no customers showed up on site. All in all, we still had high levels of sales, despite significant fluctuations from day to day.”
Bibbi Kesenci, Sobi
In the wake of the pandemic, physical presence increased once more as people were keen to finally get together. Of course, having to remind your restaurant customers to keep their distance and follow guidelines and recommendations has been quite distressing and, at first, we had a lot of canceled bookings. However, Bibbi believes that a lot of people have realized how convenient it is to pick up their food. At present, Sobi reports a constant high level of orders placed through the app, while the number of in-person customers at the restaurant is also increasing.
An efficient workflow – app orders are here to stay
Since its launch in 2018, Sobi has been relying on an app solution from PubQ for takeaway orders. Both before and during the pandemic, they have benefited from being able to allocate parts of their business to self-service via app. This has of course facilitated their day-to-day activities. Since Sobi had already been running the app, it only made sense to keep going, with our solution being appreciated by customers and employees alike.
– We really enjoy the PubQ app. It cuts down on a lot of our time. The alternative is having to spend a lot of time on the phone to take an order. On our app, our customer orders exactly what they want and that’s done, Bibbi explains.
Clearly, this makes things easier even for our customers. When they get to our restaurant to pick up their food, they don’t have to wait in line to pay. All they have to do is walk in and collect their food, or just wait outside for Bibbi and her staff to deliver it outside. Many customers place a preorder while they’re still at work and later swing by to pick up their dinner on their way home.
– A customer was on a business trip in Norway and ordered food for their children at home in Örebro. She called us afterwards and was so pleased! , Bibbi tells.
How does it work?
Having the app allow you to manage all your content to your liking is a great advantage. Products, menus and push notifications – it’s all very straightforward.
Here’s how it works:
- An order comes in to Sobi
- The customer pays on the app
- Sobi sets a pick-up time
- Sobi’s kitchen staff prepares the ordered food
- The order is put together
- Sobi confirms completion of order
- A push notification signals that the food is ready
- The customer can pick up their order
Customers often sit in the car while waiting for the push notification so they can be sure their order is ready. A few just stand outside and wait. It’s all very convenient and it saves everyone time, Bibbi adds.
Strengthened presence and improved service
A common misconception about digital restaurant ordering is that it lowers service standards and removes the personal touch. In fact, it may very well be the exact opposite – as Bibbi and her colleagues at Sobi bear witness to on a daily basis. On the contrary, they maintain that they save time and can allocate resources in a much better way. For example, they’re able to have one staff member at the cash register while takeout orders keep coming in. Otherwise, a minimum of two would have been necessary.
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Now we can focus on making sure our restaurant customers have a good time and we can also spend more time greeting and welcoming new ones. After all, that’s the most important thing, Bibbi concludes.
Tools of the future for restaurants
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