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:
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.
So we made everything possible to be sure that Kate’s terminals finally get on the stage and live up to their trust.
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:
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.
The process was as follows:
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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!