Plans are in place to help Leicester鈥檚 bars and restaurants 鈥 currently stuck in local lockdown limbo 鈥 open safely.
New technology is being brought in to help venues take orders and payment from customers with the minimum fuss.
The BID Leicester team has partnered with Wales-based ordering app developer Yoello to help businesses in the evening and night-time economy meet government requirements to cut touch points and interaction between customers and staff.
The city is currently in an extended lockdown because of a recent rise in Covid-19 cases there.
The BID team is offering its levy-payers six months free subscription to the service, which it said can help them reopen quickly and safely while keeping costs down. The deal will save venues more than 拢350.
When the city finally comes out of lockdown, businesses will be able to upload their menu to Yoello鈥檚 web-based platform, allowing customers to scan a QR code to order and pay securely from their table.
Venues also have the option to add a click-and-collect and/or delivery service.
On top of that the platform can collect customer contact information, enabling businesses to support the NHS Test and Trace service in a GDPR compliant manner without having to store any personal data on site.
That cuts the chance of customer's personal details being accessed.
BID Leicester director Simon Jenner said: 鈥淵oello is a quick and efficient solution to some of the challenges presented to our food and beverage sector in becoming a Covid-safe place to visit.
鈥淣ot only can a table service system be implemented, but the headaches of data collection and storage are removed for our businesses.
鈥淩esearch shows that table service results in a 20-30 per cent uplift in sales compared to conventional ordering, which will be a boost to our businesses as they recover from months of closure.
鈥淲ith no app-downloads required, it is easy for customers to choose their selections and input their card details or use Apple Pay or Google Pay to complete their order.
鈥淏usinesses will receive next day payment on all sales, another essential factor in avoiding cash flow problems and assisting recovery.
鈥淵oello is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority, so both businesses and customers can be assured it is a secure and trusted Payment Institution.
鈥淐ustomers will have the added confidence of knowing their personal data is being stored in a GDPR compliant manner.
鈥淚鈥檇 encourage all BID levy-payers who are eligible to get in touch and get set up as soon as possible to ensure they are ready for when reopening is permitted.鈥
Should BID businesses decide to continue using Yoello they can access a discounted rate for the following six months, resulting in a total saving of over 拢550.
BID Leicester levy-payers can access the scheme by
If you are not sure if you are a BID Leicester levy-payer, or would like to join the BID in order to access this scheme, get in touch with the team at info@bidleicester.co.uk
