The results seen from our trial with Shoko have proven that our solution delivers on the promise that our system can support to improve operational efficiencies, customer experience and overall grow the company’s profits. Since we started we have seen the following numbers being delivered consistently. This has been replicated as we have extended our trials to more locations within the Shoko business and we are also seeing this success replicated with new clients we are working with. 

What we delivered:

• Up to 10% increase in restaurant profit
• Up to 20% increase in staff tips
• Up to 30% increase in table turn (peak hours)
• Up to 30% increase in extra drinks and desserts
• Up to 10% increase in average bill
• Up to 30% decrease in serving staff numbers required
• Up to 90% of non-cash transactions go through Kate Tablet terminals

Our first client was Shoko Coffee Chain – the largest coffee chain in Russia with over 500 locations and 400 locations in the city of Moscow alone. Shoko provided their customers with several ways to order and experience dining with them. From ordering at the counter and ordering at the table via the waiting staff or through the QR ordering app/web.

The challenges faced by Shoko especially with the Covid-19 pandemic are similar to many casual dining and restaurant chains. The challenge of hiring the right amount of staff, with hospitality seeing a decline in securing employees as the business becomes busy again. This is something that continues to affect such hospitality businesses. There are also challenges around profitability, operational efficiencies and increasing their ability to upsell and cross-sell their products to customers in new and more revenue-generating ways.

Our solution is Europe’s only digital service kiosk enabling guests to order, play and pay at the table. Fully integrated into POS systems, Kate gives easy access to menus, a wide range of the best short-form content to keep everyone entertained and PCI-secure card payment on the device to complete a wonderful new guest experience.

Our first installed location was in the centre of Moscow where Shoko operates one of their busiest locations within the central shopping mall. Our devices were placed on each table, fully integrated with the iiko POS system of Shoko. As part of our trials with Shoko, we did not look to replace any of their existing payment terminals or even the QR ordering system they had in place. Our goal was simple, run alongside existing systems and prove our ability to deliver better performance. Working closely with the staff and team at Shoko over 3 months we started to see some incredible performance and numbers coming from our solution.

Three years ago, the co-founders of KateMedia traveled to the United States. They were so inspired by Ziosk and Presto pay-at-table terminals, which were very popular in such well-known restaurant chains as Olive Garden and Denny’s. So they decided to create their own device.

This is how the Kate Tablet came into this world.

The Kate Tablet is the first and the only payment terminal for the restaurant and hotel business in Europe and the CIS. Visitors can browse through the menu, make orders and payments, and in addition enjoy the great entertainment with one click only.

Now we can hold our Kate device in the hands, and proudly tell our customers about its unique and most convenient functionality, forgetting a huge amount of work in recent years! After all, everything was created from scratch, starting with hardware and ending with software. Which, by the way, is continuously improved and updated. Then we had a series of long, complex, and very expensive certifications, without which the launch of the Kate system would have been impossible.

 We have undergone all the necessary certifications and received the following documents: EMV L1, L2, PCI PTS, Common.SECC. That means that the Kate Tablet device supports all types of transactions: Contact and Contactless, including VISA and Mastercard.

• We integrated successfully with the MIR payment system and Russian Standard Bank, one of the first acquiring partners. In the near future, we plan to introduce Contactless Payment System, because this will become a mandatory rule on the Russian market, and in addition, it will help to reduce the cost of the acquisition commission for our clients.
• The Kate Tablet is also fully integrated with the following POS systems: iiko, r-keeper, UnTill, Hypersoft, and Expert Solution.
• We have partnered with gaming companies to provide more than 30 games in our entertainment module.
• And we signed free testing agreements with the first restaurants.

So we made everything possible to be sure that Kate’s terminals finally get on the stage and live up to their trust.

***

The official launch of the Kate Tablet system in Russia!

At the beginning of 2020, we had great plans for the launch. But life is moving on, and sometimes it makes unexpected changes.

At first, the world went crazy because of the Covid-19 pandemic and pushed back all the deadlines. Restaurants were forced to close, and employees of many partner companies were either quarantined or fired. But then Coronavirus played the other way and made the Kate terminals almost perfect for the restaurant business under the new conditions. Kate Tablet:

•       leads to cost savings in terms of staffing
•       reduces communication with waiters
•       reduces the number of cash payments

As a result of negotiations, we met friendly guys from Black Star Burger, who not only agreed to test Kate devices in their restaurant but were also very helpful throughout the pre-launch phase.

The first restaurant, where 20 devices were installed, was Black Star Burger, which is located at Novy Arbat, 15, Moscow.

By happy fortune, the day of the Kate system launch coincided with the birthday of the Black Star Burger restaurant. So the owners of the chain, Timati and Yuri Levitas managed to visit the restaurant and also personally tested Kate Tablets.

***

Features of Black Star Burger Restaurant (BSB) automation.

The process was as follows:

1. Our internal server was first installed in the BSB server room. This server receives and sends commands to r-keeper from our tablets, synchronizes the menu, and gives order numbers. This server is also used to communicate with our development office. So we can remotely update the information on the tablets, look at the logs, the events that happen on them, and quickly solve problems if they appear. In fact, the server is a kind of mediator and the main actor in the integration process with the POS of the restaurant. The installation of the server allowed us to put the Kate devices into service the very next day.
2. Waiters place the Kate terminals every morning and remove them in the evening. There is also a charging station (our own development) for charging batteries in the restaurant, which allows charging devices right at the place. Unlike casual dining restaurants, which have a separate terminal at each table, Black Star Burger and other fast-food restaurants can place Kate Tablets anywhere. It is worth mentioning that there is a system that protects our devices from theft. The Kate Tablet terminals are PCI PTS-proof.
3. In the BSB restaurant, each order accepted at the cash desk is assigned a sequence number in the following format: A-00, C-15, etc. To avoid confusion and separate orders made by the Kate terminals, a special “@” symbol was introduced. For example, the number looks like @-07.
4. In the first days we faced the following peculiarities: the evening Z-report from r-keeper did not provide information on the number of orders made through the Kate terminals. They were grouped in the same category as the ordinary non-cash payments. After a discussion, the developers of r-keeper offered to link our payments to a separate “currency”.  Now there is a separate category in a report, which is called KateMedia.
5. The next step was the development of a solution for stop positions and their exclusion from the main menu. When adding any position to the Kate Cart, the server sends instantly a request to r-keeper. If a r-keeper response indicates that the dish is unavailable, the tablet activates the menu synchronization on a specific device. After that, the missing position disappears from the menu.
6. The Kate system (like any other payment terminal) has an option to cancel transactions. In case of cancellation, r-keeper receives up-to-date information about the number of payments made to complete an evening Z-report.

It is also worth noting that the Kate devices are a completely safe solution in COVID conditions:

• The Kate Tablet has a flat and splash-proof screen which is very easy to clean and disinfect unlike push-button and rubber ones.
• Each device will show a pop-up window where you can find information that your table and device are disinfected and ready for use.

Since the quarantine measures are not expected to be eased in the near future, the service staff at Black Star Burger continues to carefully monitor the cleanliness of the devices and disinfects them several times a day.

***

How can you increase the revenue of a fast-food restaurant by 10% in 2 weeks?

• The key objective of the Kate terminals is to increase the restaurant’s revenue by increasing the number of orders. This is especially true during peak hours when the speed of order processing is crucial for a customer by choosing a restaurant. The results of the test period showed that the Kate system allows you to accept the maximum number of orders during the busiest hours, which, in turn, leads to an increase in the profit of the restaurant.
• For example, in the first days after the official Kate launch, the number of orders increased significantly and no longer fit on the delivery screen. The company Carbis, which represents r-keeper services and is a reliable partner of our project, helped us with this issue. Therefore, the area on the screen was expanded to make it easier for guests to view and track their orders.
• Kate terminals allowed us to partially reduce the load from the cash register of the restaurant and accept a larger number of orders per unit of time at the same time.
• The increase in the number of orders was from 8 to 11% on weekends, and from 24 to 72% on weekdays.

As a result, the total revenue of the Black Star Burger restaurant on Arbat increased by 10-38% in the first two weeks of testing, depending on the day of the week.

It should be mentioned that at first, we faced some limitations, which prevented us from using the full potential of the Kate Tablets.

For instance:

After installing the Kate terminals, the number of orders increased dramatically. This led to an additional load on the kitchen, which was not ready for such volumes. Therefore, they decided to send cashiers to help with order processing and assembling during peak hours. Now the restaurant has changed the processes, and the speed of order issuing has increased significantly.

Moreover, an extra flow of people was so great over the weekend that the restaurant administration had to reduce for a while the number of the Kate terminals used. This, in turn, allowed the kitchen to cope with current orders but excluded additional profit for the restaurant. After that, the restaurant management decided to increase the number of staff in the kitchen during peak hours to cope with the increased number of orders.

We are currently working to remove those limitations, most of which have already been removed. The Black Star Burger team quickly adapted to new performance measures (number of orders and revenue growth) and helped us to improve our system.

There were some more positive changes during this period:

1. Our team has installed an automated day-end closing system on all devices in the restaurant. At the moment this solution is unique because it is not available at usual payment terminals.
2. We work on adding a new interface to offer our guests extra dishes (for example, French fries, sauces, a variety of burger patties, etc.)
3. We are also going to add an option “Takeaway” or “Dine-in“.
4. We also consider the introduction of analytics, marketing tools, and customer loyalty.

We would like to express our gratitude to Black Star Burger for such a great opportunity to implement the ambitious idea and present our product to the world.

Stay tuned!

Sincerely,

Kate Media Team

The modern daily routine seems impossible without being able to interact with different kinds of gadgets. Its active development affects not only the way we think, but also the way we perceive the world around us. With the ever-growing pace of life, speed and simplicity have become the cornerstones of our well-being. The fewer questions we have, the faster they decide to act, buy, sell make, etc. However, many businesses still fail to accommodate the wants and needs of a forward-thinking customer. Why? You ask because they simply haven’t figured out how? The answer is obvious: modern technology.

The menu is the basis of any restaurant or cafe. Its display and content plays a huge role in which dishes the guest will be ordering, how much money they will spend and what kind of impression they will have after dining out at your venue. There are several options to consider in order to keep up with the modern times.

Self-Service Kiosk

It’s a perfect solution for restaurants that focus on fast customer service. Self-service kiosks help users to look at the digital menu and quickly pay for their order.  

Pros:

• works well for fast food restaurants
• even customer distribution between cash desk and kiosk
• ability to create a menu with vivid pictures and sort dishes by categories
• flexibility for customers who can scroll through a list of dishes at their own pace
• quick payment for the order
• when it’s not in use can be exploited as advertising stand for seasonal offers 

Cons:

• mostly adapted for fast food restaurants
• no possibility to pay by cash
• some customers aren’t ready to spend their time learning the logic of a kiosk and prefer to communicate with a real person

Digital Menu Boards

They are good for any cafe and restaurant. Thanks to individual settings digital menu boards help to demonstrate the menu, run commercials, present new dishes and add on any other specific features.

Pros:

• diversify restaurant interior
• ability to make a menu more attractive and clear for customers
• can be designed not only in text format but also as a slide show
• suitable for any kind of restaurant

Cons:

• no possibility to pay by cash or card
• required more than one device for comfortable and informative usage by customers
• difficulty with placing on every table
• usually, it takes time to get some understanding of a menu

Kate Tablets

Kate Tablet is the right solution for restaurants where guests prefer to spend their time with friends and families, discuss the latest news and enjoy delicious food. Kate helps to simplify communication with waiters and speed up the process by efficiently automating them. By using Kate Tablets visitors can browse a full menu, pay their bill with just a tap and enjoy great entertainment while waiting for their dishes.

Pros:

• a convenient and easily understood menu which has more advantages in comparison with the paper one
• all dishes are visually separated by categories
• every dish has its own card with high-quality photo for display
• description area may include price, ingredients list, some unique facts about a dish and even story of its creation
• there is a possibility to choose the number of servings and send an order directly to a kitchen without having to wait for a server
• you can easily call for a waiter who’ll immediately receive a notification and personally assist in any request
• ability to prepare and present a set menu in order to save resources and make a special presentation of complex breakfasts, lunches, etc.

Cons:

• an ideal solution only for large restaurant chains
• doesn’t work for fast food restaurants
• each table has to be provided with a unique Kate Tablet device

Is there anything else Kate Tablet can help you with?

• Advertisement and presentation of new dishes in order to attract more customers and persuade them to try new dishes. You can choose how, where and when to present new menu items and by that increase visitors’ interest.
• Game area. Adults, teenagers, and children will definitely like the entertainment module which will help the time to pass by quicker while their dish is being cooked and served. 
• No need to wait for a bill, waiter or payment terminal especially if it’s needed to make a payment as soon as possible. You just go to the payment area, choose a payment method and then pay your bill on your own via built-in Chip, PayWave, NFC module. For those who prefer to dine-out with friends, there is also a solution – you can easily split the bill by orders or by the number of guests.

Simplicity is a key factor in communication between a restaurant and its clients. The more time a guest spends enjoying the atmosphere in your restaurant, the more likely they are to return. The choice is up to you – Self-service kiosk, Digital menu boards or Kate Tablet. The main idea is to make your customers happy!