Aperitivo Sierpes in Seville: what a QR menu case shows and what we should not copy

When a software supplier publishes a customer story, the figures in it are convincing and hard to check. That is why it is useful to read such a story carefully: what exactly was changed, who claims it and what of it can be carried over to a Bulgarian restaurant.

What happens at Aperitivo Sierpes

Aperitivo Sierpes is a venue on Sierpes Street, one of the central shopping and tourist streets of Seville. The supplier's page does not describe the venue in detail, but only the solution it uses. The venue uses a solution from the Spanish supplier Qamarero, which combines several parts.

• A QR menu on the table, from which the guest browses and orders.
• A shared till, into which all orders go.
• Orders that go straight to the kitchen, without paper slips.
• Payment from the table or from the bar.

The menu offers combinations, add-ons and modifiers for the dishes. According to the page, this eases the load on the bar at peak hours, and the team has more time for guests.

What the supplier reports

The Qamarero page states two results: the average bill is 12% higher, which is explained by the suggestions and modifiers in the menu, and the wait at peak hours is 30% shorter.

These are the supplier's figures. The page gives no measurement period, no starting month for comparison, no number of orders and no explanation of how the average bill was calculated. There is also no quotation from the venue's manager. That is why we read them as a description of a direction, not as an expected result for another place.

What should not be copied

First, the percentages. If a venue with a small starting bill adds a drink to every order, 12% is easy. If the bill is already high, or the menu is short, the effect may be different. Nobody can guarantee you a similar change.

Second, the whole chain. The shorter wait most likely comes not from the QR code, but from the fact that the order does not pass through the bar and reaches the kitchen by itself. If at your venue the order is still written by hand and carried to the kitchen, the QR menu only shows the dishes on a screen. That is useful, but it is a different effect.

Third, payment. In Seville the guest pays from the table. ISKA Menu is not a till and does not accept payment, so you will not get this part of the case from the menu. Expect rather a more up-to-date menu, clear prices and descriptions, not a faster bill.

Fourth, the location. A tourist street with a constant flow of new guests is a different situation from a neighbourhood venue with regulars who order from memory.

What is also true for a Bulgarian restaurant

Three things carry over well, because they do not depend on the city.

• The guest decides more calmly when they see the whole menu, the descriptions and the add-ons, instead of asking the waiter about every dish.
• A suggestion for an add-on, placed next to the dish, is a reason for a larger order. Write it as help, not as pressure: “goes well with this” is better than “take also…”.
• The less manual copying between guest, bar and kitchen, the fewer mistakes and the less walking for the staff.

What to measure yourself

Before you change anything, measure for two weeks and write it down.

• The average bill per table, separately for weekdays and weekends.
• How much time passes from the order to the first dish in the busiest hour, timed by hand for about ten tables.
• How many times per shift a waiter is asked about a price, composition or allergens.
• How many orders are written down wrongly or sent back.

Then introduce one change, for example add-ons and combinations for the dishes that sell most, and measure for another two weeks on the same day of the week and in the same season. That way you will know what the change did, and not a randomly fuller Friday.

In the end

The case from Seville is a good reason to ask yourself whether your menu is only a list of prices, or part of the way the dining room works. Whether it will help you will be shown by your own measurement. If you want to see what the digital menu looks like for guests, start with the free plan of ISKA Menu and compare with paper the same week.