John Sills is the author of Leadership Book of the Year 2023, The Human Experience, and is Managing Partner at The Foundation, a customer-led growth consultancy. We started working with him last year, as we embarked on our project to take a deep dive into the subject of loyalty in hospitality – even though, if you ask him customer loyalty doesn’t exist…

While customer loyalty is a hot topic in hospitality right now, I don’t believe it exists. To illustrate why I think this, here is a story about my love for Honest Burgers.

We have an Honest Burgers right opposite our office. In fact, if the fire alarm goes off, it’s our designated meeting point – we have a lot of fire drills. I loved going in there because the staff were friendly, the music was perfect, it had plants everywhere that gave a really nice feel to the place, and I had a rather specific, rather odd order.

I liked to have the plant burger – but I really like bacon, so I’d always add some of that on top, too. The vegan + meat combination could have easily been a cause for confusion. But rather than causing issues, it simply became ‘would you like the usual, sir?’ Then near Christmas, the manager of that restaurant left to go elsewhere.

And when I next went in, everything had changed. The staff were still lovely, but the music had changed. She chose the playlists, apparently. The plants were all gone – also hers, brought in from home. And when I put in my usual order, the waiter reappeared ten minutes later with a question from the chef. ‘Sir, just to check, did you really mean real bacon with that?

Loyalty is an overused term in organisations and hospitality, and it’s a dangerous one. Because if leaders believe their customers are loyal, they stop trying to impress them, focussing on winning them in the first place, then gradually taking their custom for granted.

Quite simply, if you stay more useful to your customers than the competitors and alternatives, your customers will stay with you. But if someone else becomes more useful – a better product, better price, better experience, more socially desirable brand – then they’ll go elsewhere.

The hospitality industry has a huge advantage over others in this, as a people-focussed sector and with colleagues who know that customer experience is crucial to delivering a great experience.

There are other complexities to this, of course, (the ambition of the leadership to provide excellent customer experiences, great training, a fundamental understanding of what drives your customers’ decision making, a recognition that not everything in good business must deliver an immediate ROI).

However, while I maintain that customers are not loyal to businesses, I do believe they are loyal to other people – and these can be your people, assuming you give them the correct support and tools.

Customer loyalty is fragile. In the hospitality sector, consumers say they are loyal to just 2.1 brands on average and nearly a third of UK adults say they are very or somewhat likely to switch to a competitor. Our research shows that restaurant goers are the most fickle customers – 34% of them say they are likely to switch venue, more than pub patrons (29%) and bar flies (30%) but how does this compare to other sectors?

The good news is that restaurants, pubs, and bars inspire more loyalty in consumers than energy companies and utility firms (35% of the 5,000 consumers questioned for this survey said they are likely to switch suppliers in those sectors). However, hospitality finds itself pretty much on par with supermarkets (31%), gyms (32%), and phone networks (32%), when it comes to likelihood of loyalty to a specific brand, which is perhaps less confidence building for operators. This may be due to energy companies and utility firms being viewed as transactional, while hospitality and supermarkets place people at the forefront. As a result, the primary driver of loyalty seems to stem from the experiences provided by people rather than the brand itself.

In a cash-strapped market, as we find ourselves in now, loyalty becomes more precarious but also presents a greater opportunity for hospitality businesses. Therefore, finding ways to keep people engaged between visits, rewarding them when they do come through the doors, and delivering consistently great experiences, becomes even more critical.

Age differences

When looking at the likelihood of switching loyalty varies across different age groups, our insight reveals loyalty is stronger amongst older consumers. A mere 16% of those aged 65+ say they are very or somewhat likely to switch to a competitor restaurant, pub or bar, compared to 41% of 25 to 44-year-olds.

Furthermore, parents are significantly more loyal to restaurants, pubs and bars than other groups, with only 26% of parents likely to switch to a competitor, compared with 37% of non-parents.

For a quick win, operators looking to build loyalty should therefore look at targeting these groups in the first instance before turning to the more fickle younger demographics.

Learning from others

Given the variance in loyalty levels across sectors, it is worth looking outside of our own industry to see what we can learn from others.

And, despite our research showing (perhaps unsurprisingly) that consumers are least loyal to utility companies and financial firms, there are nonetheless brands in these sectors working hard to change this – and finding success in doing so. Thus, proving that any company, in any sector, can build loyalty if they are willing to invest the time and resources – and genuinely put customers front and centre of their business strategy.

Octopus Energy: Wheel of Fortune

Octopus Energy has won awards for customer service and generates endless word-of-mouth recommendations from its customers to friends and family. It has achieved this by putting the customer experience at the heart of its offer, underpinning it with an understanding that dealing with energy bills is both boring and stressful.

No aspect of customer feedback is too small to warrant attention – following complaints about its hold music, for example, Octopus now plays customers tunes from the year they turned 14 (the theory being you are likely to enjoy it, as this is the average age at which people first engage with music). Meanwhile, the Octopus Wheel of Fortune recognises that it is inconvenient and time consuming to submit a meter reading and so every time an Octopus customer enters one, they can spin the “wheel of fortune” to win anything from 1p to £512 credit on their account – and more than 100,000 of them a month do so.

AO.com: “Treat Every Customer Like Your Gran”

Another industry you may not think to look to for loyal customers is white goods, but online retailer, AO.com has become famous for its loyal customer base. That’s in no small part down to the fact that one of its core values is, “Treat every customer like your gran” but, more than this, staff are supported to deliver on this promise. Stories are manifold, from delivery drivers paying for pizzas when a new oven can’t be fitted in time for dinner to local teams arranging for an AO branded van to visit a six-year-old van fan on his birthday.

First Direct: Hire for the Smile

Banks are not well known for building loyalty but talk to any customer of First Direct and most will be more than happy to tell you all about why their bank is best. First Direct famously, “hires for the smile, trains for skill” and then enables its teams to listen to customers and act with empathy. The bank does not insist its call handlers stick rigidly to a script, they aren’t held to time targets, and all calls are answered by real people. This means customer issues are listened to with empathy, solved quickly and customers come away feeling as if the bank really does care.

Whilst loyalty is rooted in giving something back and building positive relationships with your customers, it also offers tangible benefits to your bottom line. Building and nurturing a base of loyal consumers who visit regularly, and spend more when they do, will be key to mitigating the impact of rising costs, and ensuring your business remains profitable.

With the upcoming National Insurance Contribution (NIC) increase, we understand the growing pressure on hospitality businesses to manage overhead and reduce operational costs. To help your team focus more delivering exceptional guest experiences — and less on manual tasks — our Customer Success Team has highlighted the latest key features released for our Order & Pay solution designed to streamline workflows, reduce staff intervention and drive efficiency across your operation.

Enhance the guest experience with table-specific QR codes

Our GO Technology research revealed that payment experiences are among the top 10 consumer frustrations. The key bugbears include having to wait to receive and settle the bill (77%) and being unable to split the bill (64%).

Traditionally, this stage of the customer journey required staff involvement, however with table-specific QR codes that link to an ordering journey, this process becomes effortless. Each code is pre-configured with the correct venue and table number, allowing guests to access a seamless ordering and payment journey directly from their smartphones.

A quick scan gives guests two simple options:

1. Order & Pay: Instantly browse the menu and place orders without needing to select the venue or table. Fast, intuitive, and hassle-free.
2. Pay My Bill: View and settle the bill in just a few taps, no staff assistance needed.

The table-specific QR code eliminates friction, reduces staff workload, and keeps service flowing — ideal for high-traffic, fast-paced venues. By empowering guests to manage their own orders and payments, operators can boost efficiency, improve table turnover, and deliver a smoother, more enjoyable experience for every guest.

Enable guest checkout to provide a frictionless guest journey

Perfect for guests who prefer not to create an account, log in, or download an app, our web-based interface enables quick and easy ordering in just a few taps without requiring guests to sign up for an account which can sometimes be time consuming or require additional staff support. This streamlined approach is ideal for fast-paced, quick-service environments — allowing guests to place their orders quickly and easily while still receiving an email receipt.

The result? A frictionless experience for your guests and reduced operational complexity for your team.

Effortless bill splitting for a smoother payment experience

Splitting the bill at the end of a meal can often be time-consuming and prone to mistakes when done manually. Our Order & Pay solution simplifies the process, offering guests flexible, easy-to-use bill-splitting options — all from their own device.

With just a few taps, guests can choose how they’d like to settle the bill:

1. Pay in full: Instantly cover the outstanding balance and proceed straight to payment.
2. Split evenly: Divide the total bill between 2 to 99 guests, with automatic rounding for any tricky pennies.
3. Pay a custom amount: Contribute a specific amount toward the bill, perfect for groups or shared orders.

This feature helps to remove some of the hassle of manual calculations, eliminates errors, and gives guests complete flexibility — ensuring a seamless end to their dining experience.

This flexibility reduces the need for staff involvement in calculating and processing payments, thus lowering overheads. Additionally, guests can opt to add a tip before completing their payment, streamlining the entire transaction process. Once the payment is made, a confirmation message is displayed, and an email receipt is sent to the guest.

Mobile order manager enhancements

The latest update to our mobile ordering manager platform offers several features to enhance operational flexibility and reduce overheads:

1. Order mode control: Specific order modes can now be enabled or disabled (e.g., Click & Collect) at the site or sales area level, streamlining the process of managing different service options without requiring manual intervention from multiple teams.
2. Menu category control: Specific menu categories can now be enabled or disabled, offering greater control over menu availability and reducing unnecessary labour costs.
3. Snooze functionality: Order modes or menu categories can now be ‘snoozed’ for a set period (e.g., during peak times), automatically reverting to normal operation after the snooze period ends. This reduces the need for constant manual adjustments and minimises disruptions in service.
4. Sales area-level wait times:  Custom wait times for specific sales areas can now be set, helping manage customer expectations and ensuring smoother operations during busy periods.

Improved reporting and user management

Several enhancements have been introduced to streamline the process for managing team member permissions and auditing changes made within Mobile Ordering Manager. These include:

Increased Reporting Frequency & Scope: Mobile Ordering Manager’s interaction reports are now run daily, providing head office staff with more timely insights into site-level operations. This enables quicker action to address any negative behaviours, such as disabling online ordering during peak times.

Self-Management of Users: Create, edit, and delete users directly within the platform. This accelerates user management tasks and empowers site managers to operate more efficiently.

By implementing these innovative features and functionalities, Order & Pay can significantly reduce overhead costs and improve operational efficiency. These solutions not only enhance guest experiences but also minimise manual interventions, automate processes, and provide greater control over day-to-day operations. As a result, operators can reduce labour costs, optimise workflows, and improve overall profitability.

Guest blog by Mozrest

What Is Reserve with Google, and Why Is It Important?

Every day, millions of people search for restaurants on Google Search and Google Maps—many of them looking to book a table immediately.

Reserve with Google allows you to add a “Book a Table” button directly to your restaurant’s Google listing, making it easy for potential guests to reserve a table in just a few clicks.

This seamless booking experience can increase reservations by up to 30%, helping you attract more diners and fill more seats effortlessly.

How Can Reserve with Google Increase My Revenue?

By enabling Reserve with Google, restaurants can gain an additional 150 to 250 covers per month—without spending extra on marketing. Here’s how it boosts your revenue:

• Increased visibility – Your restaurant is featured directly where diners are searching, driving more attention to your listing.
• Seamless booking experience – With no extra clicks or redirects, guests are more likely to complete their bookings, reducing abandoned reservations.
• 24/7 reservation access – Allowing guests to book anytime, even outside business hours, ensures you don’t miss out on potential diners.

This combination leads to more bookings, higher revenue, and a more consistent flow of guests.

How Do Google Bookings Work with Zonal?

Thanks to our partnership with Mozrest, Zonal makes managing Google bookings simple and seamless. When a guest reserves a table via Google Search or Google Maps, the booking is automatically synced with your Zonal Bookings system—just like any other reservation.

This eliminates the need for manual data entry, saving your staff valuable time and reducing the risk of errors or double bookings. Once a booking is made, it is automatically confirmed for your guest, and your availability is updated in real time within the Zonal system. This ensures your schedule stays accurate and your operations run smoothly.

How Can I Get Started?

Getting started with Reserve with Google through Mozrest is fast and simple. If you’re already a Zonal Bookings customer and would like to activate Google bookings, just reach out to your Account Manager, and they’ll handle the rest. Once enabled, you’ll be ready to start increasing reservations effortlessly. Alternatively, click the button below to get in touch!

UKHospitality has announced a brand-new partnership with the government to provide over 16s with sector-based Work Academy Programmes (SWAPs) to boost employment in the hospitality industry.

The scheme, which was announced last month, will provide applicants with the skills they need to secure employment within hotels, restaurants, bars, pubs and leisure venues.

Tackling staff shortages

The partnership comes as UKHospitality recently reported a shocking 48% increase in hospitality job vacancies in 2024 compared to pre-pandemic levels, revealing the desperate need for up to 90,000 skilled workers in the industry.

The sector-based programme will provide industry-specific training for applicants in 26 locations around the UK, with the goal of getting 10,000 young people job-ready by next year. UKHospitality aims to boost productivity in the industry, spur economic growth and provide people with stable, engaging and fulfilling careers.

Alongside SWAPs, The Department of Education has also made key changes to apprenticeship schemes to cut red tape and make learning more flexible for young people. This includes letting businesses decide whether each applicant needs to complete Maths and English qualifications at Level 2 to pass their chosen training scheme.

How will the changes affect your business?

These hospitality sector-based Work Academy Programmes are set to bring thousands of high-quality recruits into the hotel industry. Through the Government’s Hospitality Skills Passports, workers will gain skills that are applicable across different roles in hospitality, from F&B provision and service to customer service and front-of-house roles. This means that hospitality businesses will gain staff with sought-after transferrable skills to boost productivity and provide great customer service across all departments.

This extra recruitment to the hospitality sector is forecast to support the industry to grow, boosting further investment and expanding profits for hoteliers and other business owners.

UKHospitality will begin rolling out this programme alongside the Department for Education from April 2025, in partnership with job centres, colleges and training centres across the country. This will make the scheme accessible for both applicants and hospitality businesses seeking new recruits.

Valentine’s Day looks to have been a success for hospitality this year, with our latest figures showing that overall bookings were up 8% compared to 2024, providing a much needed boost for the sector at a time when every cover counts.

However Mother’s Day is fast approaching, and we still have a full year of occasions to look forward to and plan ahead for. With this in mind, what learnings can we take from guests’ booking behaviour on Valentine’s Day, and what can we as hospitality businesses do to adapt to customer behaviour, and increase bookings?

When are guests booking?

Whilst overall bookings were up 8% compared to last year, we did see some interesting changes in consumer behaviour when looking at how far in advance of the day they made their bookings.

Valentines Day itself, as well as the day before, saw the most bookings made, with a combined 55% of the total bookings in 2025 being made last minute. This is lower when compared to 2024, however, where last minute bookings made up 66% of the total.

The biggest shift in behaviour appeared for those booking 4, 5, or 6 days in advance. Whilst these bookings only made up 13% of the total number, we did see a 40% increase in bookings made in this timeframe compared to 2024. This was closely followed by bookings made over a week in advance, with a 22% increase on last year.

Combined with reduction in consumers booking last minute, all signs point towards a shift towards booking earlier this year.

What was the most popular time?

Broken down by session, dinner reservations were the most popular, making up 81% of bookings, followed by reservations for lunch at 17%. This breakdown is almost exactly the same as 2024, when Valentines Day also fell during the working week. Whilst a significant skew towards a post-work meal out is to be expected, it does still show a not insignificant demand for lunchtime reservations on special occasions, even if they happen to fall on a weekday.

During the evening, the hour between 18:30 and 19:30 was the most popular time to book for, making up 40% of bookings, and 19:00 itself coming out as the overall most popular time to book.

What can we learn from this?

Despite these trends indicating a shift towards booking earlier, the majority of bookings are still made last minute, presenting both a challenge and opportunity for operators looking to capitalise on occasions.

Firstly, real-time table availability is a must-have for any business’s bookings system. With the majority of guests booking either last minute or in the few days leading up to an event, and significant demand for tables during the peak hour on the day, it’s important to make sure your system isn’t making you miss out on any potential bookings. Our reservations and table management platform, Zonal Bookings, always displays live table availability on your website, allowing guests to immediately find a date and time that meets their requirements, and allowing them to book with confidence. This also eliminates any possibility of double bookings, and minimises the chances of a guest choosing to go elsewhere if your system wasn’t displaying the correct availability.

With tight integration into Zonal’s EPoS, automated updates also allow you to eliminate manual table updating processes that take up staff time, as well as free up tables to be sold again quicker. Once a table has paid their bill, the table’s status is automatically updated in Zonal Bookings and can then be released after a set period of time, allowing your team to set it up for the next set of guests and eliminate any delays in marking the table as available again – helping to better cater to guests looking for last minute table availability – as well as helping you to serve more covers!

Despite the last minute bookings rush, customers are increasingly looking to make their bookings earlier, and the right tech can help you capitalise on this trend. Setting up and promoting any special offers well in advance can be a great approach to encourage guests to book earlier, helping you to better plan staff and stock requirements; whilst adding upselling opportunities to both your booking journey, and any reminder comms, can help you boost revenue and increase spend per head from guests ahead of their visit.

Click here to find out more about Zonal Bookings, or alternatively get in touch to speak to one of our experts.

Creating effective booking availability templates to manage covers, time intervals, and peak vs. off-peak periods is key to running a smooth and profitable restaurant.

The goal is simple: maximise table turnover while encouraging more bookings during quieter shoulder periods (like mid-afternoon and early evening), all while making the most of your busiest times (lunchtime and dinner rush).

From our experience in the hospitality industry, particularly in casual dining, having a well-structured system in place makes all the difference. The right technology should handle the heavy lifting, ensuring smooth operations and optimised capacity.

Our recent research found that, aside from Christmas/December bookings, Mother’s Day is the most popular date for reservations in 2024. With that in mind, let’s explore four key steps to help you fine-tune your strategy and make your booking system work harder for you.

Step 1: Define Your Table Layout & Flexibility

Understanding your space is crucial. Can your tables be moved around, or are they fixed?

During the week, you may have more flexibility to rearrange layouts—such as shifting table 20 from the back of the restaurant to join up with table 7. However, on weekends, moving tables might be impractical. Knowing when to be flexible and when to lock layouts in place will help streamline operations.

Example Table Breakdown for 50 Covers:

• 10 x 2-seat tables (20 covers)
• 5 x 4-seat tables (20 covers)
• 2 x 5-seat tables (10 covers)

Total: 50 covers

Step 2: Determine Your Turnover Rates

Your turnover rate depends on the type of dining experience you offer. Are you a relaxed, full-service venue where guests linger over multiple courses and upsells? Or a fast-casual spot where guests grab a quick meal and move on?

Peak times often mean faster turnover, while guests may stay longer during quieter periods.

Recommended Turnover Rates:

• Peak periods (lunch & dinner rush): 1.5 turnovers per hour (~0.375 every 15 minutes)
• Shoulder periods (mid-afternoon, early evening): 1 turnover per hour (~0.25 every 15 minutes)

Step 3: Peak vs. Off-Peak Trading Times

Understanding when your customers prefer to dine helps balance high-demand periods and spread reservations across quieter slots.

• Peak periods: 12:00–14:00 (lunch rush) & 18:00–20:00 (dinner rush)
• Shoulder periods: 14:00–16:30 (early afternoon) & 16:30–18:00 (pre-dinner crowd)
• Off-peak periods: 20:00–23:00 (late evening)

By strategically encouraging bookings in shoulder periods (e.g., early-bird offers or promotions), you can maintain a more consistent service flow throughout the day.

Step 4: Setting Covers per Time Slot

Once you’ve defined peak times and turnover rates, you can calculate how many covers to allocate per 15-minute slot.

Example Calculations:

Peak Periods (12:00–14:00 & 18:00–20:00)

• Capacity: 50 covers
• Turnover Rate: 1.5 times per hour
• Duration: 2 hours
• Total Covers: 50 × 1.5 × 2 = 150 covers
• Covers per 15-minute slot: 150 ÷ 8 = 18-19 covers per slot

Off-Peak Periods (14:00–18:00 & 20:00–22:00)

• Capacity: 50 covers
• Turnover Rate: 1 time per hour
• Duration: 4 hours
• Total Covers: 50 × 1 × 4 = 200 covers
• Covers per 15-minute slot: 200 ÷ 16 = 12-13 covers per slot

By mapping this out, you’ll see clear peaks and troughs in your availability template. Regularly check your data to adjust accordingly!

Key Takeaways for Smarter Booking Management

1. Balance Peak & Off-Peak: Maximise peak covers while making quieter periods attractive.
2. Turn Times Matter: Consider both guest behaviour and kitchen efficiency.
3. Buffer Between Reservations: Avoid overlap by allowing short gaps.
4. Use Data: Leverage historical bookings to guide decisions.
5. Monitor & Adapt: Regularly review and tweak your capacity model.

By following these steps, you’ll create a dynamic booking system that enhances guest experience while optimising revenue.

Bookings already up by nearly 40% compared to last year, new data shows

With the Guinness Men’s Six Nations rugby tournament set to kick off this week (Friday 31st January), the latest figures from leading hospitality technology provider Zonal, reveal bookings in pubs and bars are up a huge 38% for match times, compared to the comparable period last year.

Moreover, the insight from previous years’ trends shows that most bookings for Six Nations games are made just a week ahead of fixtures – in 2024, for example, 81% of bookings for the first day of the Six Nations were made within a week of the event. This suggests pubs can expect a further surge in fan bookings.

As the tournament progresses, in order to cope with demand, operators could think about offering incentives to persuade customers to book further in advance to help with planning for stock and staff requirements and ensure their booking systems are easy to use, optimised, and well promoted. Digital ordering, whether that be via the web or an app, can also help improve guests experience by enabling them to place orders directly from their seats, ensuring they don’t miss any of the game and help to reduce bar queues.

Tim Chapman, Chief Commercial Officer, Zonal, commented: “Technology is a crucial tool in making sure venues can handle the increased volume of bookings during major events like the Six Nations. Ensuring your booking platform is robust, and that staff are trained to manage busy match days efficiently, will be key to taking full advantage of this busy period.”

“By leveraging tools that provide real-time table availability and streamline the booking process, operators can ensure they’re well-prepared to capitalise on these high-demand dates and drive revenue throughout the year.”