Analytics helps NZ restaurant group move from ‘gut feel’ to data-driven

“As a CFO, I’m well-versed in inputting and analysing data in Excel. However, chefs and front-of-house staff shouldn’t be expected to,” says Matthew Sparling of Savor Group.

“They need to see information in real time, and in a format that’s quick and easy to digest. Endeavour and Qlik have been instrumental in delivering these actionable insights to our business group.”

New Zealand’s Savor Group of restaurants, which includes Seafarers, Ostro Brasserie Bar and Ebisu, is now using Qlik’s data analytics platform to revolutionise operations from the front-of-house to the boardroom.

Qlik says the deployment is enabling the restaurant group to analyse data collected across all its outlets to better understand drivers of success, promotion performance and supplier value, together with food wastage and costs.

Since the implementation, Qlik has provided Savor Group with granular insights on sales and business performance, helping to lead its competitive negotiations with suppliers and partners.

Matthew Sparling, CFO, Savor Group:”The opportunity to access their data, on their terms, meant the process of selling the new system internally to our employees was extremely simple.”

It has also helped restaurants like Seafarers to accurately optimise its performance – top-selling and low-performing menu items are no longer identified based on “gut feel”. This helps with the creation of future menus and determining the best promotions to drive capacity and demand.

“The restaurant industry is highly competitive on all fronts,” says Sparling, on the business driver behind the analytics platform.

“Even if a customer loves their dining experience, they’ll still want to explore other eateries – making it harder to attract loyal customers. We need to consistently innovate and bring new things to the table, so that visitors to our restaurants are wowed every time they dine with us.”

“Garnering strong engagement and adoption of the platform was important for Savor Group, so the intuitive nature of the Qlik platform combined with the visual graphs and presentation was exactly what they needed,” says Sparling, in a statement.

“The opportunity to access their data, on their terms, meant the process of selling the new system internally to our employees was extremely simple. Staff across all levels could quickly use it with minimal training and they are now very savvy in using the data. Qlik Sense is now a critical tool for the ongoing management of our business,” he adds.

Sharryn Napier, vice president and regional director, ANZ at Qlik, says the hospitality industry is always moving with the latest consumer trends, so restaurants are looking for new ways to innovate and attract customers.

“For years, restaurants have wanted to understand their customers better but Savor Group is actually doing it – applying levels of analytics that are not just keeping themselves relevant in a competitive industry but also improving the bottom line.”

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