How Digital Tools improve Gastronomic Work Practices
© Alan Frost
Throughout his time in hospitality, Alan Frost has been developing Ethyl, a web-based database system for both chefs and bartenders – designed to make bars and kitchens simpler, more efficient and to take advantage of technology to remove the burden from staff. In his guest article he highlights the advantages of digital tools in bars.
Bars are – for some reason – one of the slowest to adapt to technical advances in the world. Even on the simplest level there is a still an old-world decision to cling to things like paper menus, instead of embracing the potential of modern technology. With the obvious exception of using iPads as more portable tills, not many bars have changed their tech in the last 8 years. Whereas there are so many possible avenues to look at with regard to technology within bars, starting with improved POS, payment terminals, websites, digital menus, reservations, marketing, through to procurement, data analysis and even reporting.
The Fear of the New
For some reason, especially in large corporate bar systems, there is a fear of change, of trying something new that might work differently to the existing structures. There is a number of bars still running old versions of software like Micros instead of looking into alternatives that might work better, offer more flexibility, or the potential of new integrations.
Hip to be Square
An example that has been used for years at Little Mercies now, is Square, first as a payment processing terminal, and then as a full POS system. Our first assessment of the payment terminals was that the speed they connected and processed payments was about 25 percent of the previous version. Just that improvement alone was worth it, but the additional features and usability that a simple card reader brought blew our minds.
Since that point we have taken Square on board as a full system, allowing tables to synchronise with our payment devices, so there can’t be errors, we can take orders from any device, and when a payment is taken the table is closed out automatically.
The jump from our old POS to the new one, has made life significantly easier, service more streamlined and the floor staff more effective. This wasn’t even a huge jump in technology, the previous system was IntelligentPOS, still in itself a modern system built in the last 10 years.
Possibilities of Data Collection
For small independent bars one of the most obvious gains to be made from adopting new technologies might be data collection. So many services and system exist these days to allow business and bar owner to take advantage of digital communications. SquareSpace, Wix, MailChimp, CampaignMonitor, WordPress, WooCommerce and dozens more; all of these can be picked up by people with very little training. Using these to interact with guests, to collect data, to do basic marketing, or even just analysis so you can more effectively target customers, it’s such a simple step, but so rarely taken by small companies.
Technology makes Working in Bars easier
Embracing certain changes within technology has certainly made our lives easier, a prime example being the shift to QR and digital menus. As a direct result of Covid-19 we moved to a fully digital menu, the alternative being fully disposable paper menus. For obvious reasons we couldn’t bring ourselves to throw that much rubbish, and so we created an instantly updatable digital menu.
There are various apps and services available to help people create these, but thankfully we were able to do it ourselves so we could customise it to our exact needs. The primary element being the ability to mark when we run out of an item on any given night. This meant there was no longer any moment where guests could order items that we had run out of, as they instantly appear struck-through when we mark them as out.
It also gave us the flexibility to change the menus as and when we wanted, sometimes introducing new dishes or cocktails in the middle of service once other items are run down. It’s also a way to capture guests’ data if needed, for example during Covid-19 the government required contact details from one of each party in case of transmission in venue.
Ethyl App helps with Tracking Recipes and Cost Calculation
Ethyl is another perfect example of a super low-cost win for bar owners and bartenders. Built from the ground up to help staff track recipes and build in costings. If a bar team enters the spirits and stock items they buy in, mark the size and cost, and what allergens they contain, then whenever they use those items in a recipe Ethyl will calculate the cost of everything for them. In addition, it will also highlight the allergens in a dish or drink, and what part of that contains which problem allergen itself.
Costs for dishes consider wastage on items at root level, an example being the price of a whole fish wouldn’t normally account for the wastage the bones create, but with Ethyl you can set a percentage wastage for an individual item that will always be taken into consideration when costing. If you make ingredients in a bar, then you can simply reference the ingredient in each drink, just by searching for it and selecting how much of it you need.
© Ethyl
The more important reason for investing in something like Ethyl, is to simplify staff’s workload, and reduce errors. It gives bartenders the ability to batch and scale instantly, without the need to do any maths, removing the potential for error. Features like “Mark as you Make” mean you don’t need to lose track of items you have already batched, and you can hand off a job to another staff member without complication if needed.
Bar Managers need to be open and embrace new Technology
Other programs probably exist to do similar jobs, but the point is to get on board with the idea of technology like Ethyl, and make small changes to improve workflow, staff satisfaction and make life more efficient. Bars need to stop sitting on the fence regarding technology and try and embrace what the world is building for us.
About Alan Frost
After starting his career at Hawksmoor Knightsbridge, Alan Frost quickly moved to Peg+Patriot, an experimental bar in Bethnal Green. Within weeks, under the mentorship of Matt Whiley, Alan took over managing the Lab, producing prep for the bar, house gins, and working on various high profile consultancy projects.
While working alongside Matt, and Constanca Cordeiro, the trio produced three menus, all pushing the boundaries of what drinks could be. The final menu Alan worked on at Peg+Patriot went on to win Timeout’s Most Creative Drinks List 2017.
Working closely with Matt, the pair worked on the details, including bar design, drinks concepts, for what would become Scout. Alan took the position of opening Bar Manager and Scout went on to win numerous awards and nominations, making it to 28th on the Worlds 50 Best Bar list.
After leaving Scout, Alan went on to work with Max and Noel Venning at Three Sheets, the critically acclaimed Dalston bar. It was here that the journey to open Little Mercies started, with the brothers offering to lend their expertise and advice. Before that could happen though, Bar Three, in Spitalfields market was to open. Alan took the management role again and within 2 months it was listed as Timeout’s 3rd best bar in London.
In October 2018 the doors to Little Mercies opened to rave reviews, listed as 12th best cocktail bar in London, and was nominated for Regional Top 10 Best New Bar at Tales of the Cocktail. The team also went on to place 11th in the UK and won Most Sustainable Bar in the UK in both 2022 and 2023.
In August 2022 Alan opened Stacks Wine Bar, also located in Crouch End, specialising in a mixture of classic and natural wines.
Moreover, he is the developer of Ethyl, a web-based database system designed for chefs and bartenders.
