How Anglers Tavern are using Crew to keep drinks (and reviews) flowing

Anglers Tavern is a beautiful space originally built in 1870 by the scenic Maribyrnong River. In 2022, the venue was ravaged by “pretty insane” floods, with water levels reaching the first floor, leading to a complete restructure, rebuild, and refurbish.

^{We chatted with Holly, the Floor Supervisor who has been responsible for the successful deployment of me&u’s new staff app, Crew.}

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‍Keeping drinks (and reviews) flowing

“The crew app is awesome,” Holly said. “I am a big fan, I use it all the time.”

Crew is a staff app built for better service, empowering you to manage guest experiences on the fly.

Manage your guest experience on the fly with the app that’s built for better service. You can upsell guests (and take payment directly from your iPhone with a single tap), turn tables on and off, capture real-time feedback from guests, and get instant support from real life people who work at me&u (bodies, not bots).

“It's actually a position that we use on our run sheets, we have a staff member who is designated to the Crew app. It's a position that staff wanna be in because it's another step into engaging with customers on a different level. 

“It's used when you see the guest, and it's, ‘Hey, can I get you some drinks?’ straight up and you whip out Crew and get those drink orders straight away. It's, you know, getting dessert orders. It's you're seeing an empty glass and that extra level of service being like, ‘Hey, can I get you another drink?’ Not only is it upselling, but it's showing the customers that you're noticing that they've got an empty drink. You remember that order and again just building that relationship between the customer, the server with that app. 

“It's been a really positive response from people saying how efficient it is. 

 “It's great for those who maybe aren't as mobile. You know, they struggle to get up and down from the bar and skipping those queues, so it's really good for the reviews that we're getting through the app as well. 

“I just have it on my phone, so as the manager, I get notifications that come through. 

“Staff get mentioned, and that's such a really cool incentive for the staff who are passionate about the job, seeing their names come through. Positive reviews boost morale and help them with their progression.

 “On the flip side, constructive feedback; you can action it straight away cos it's coming through straight away. It's the best of both worlds.”

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Using technology to efficiently serve up to 1700 guests

“It's such a diverse range of ages we have come through here. Downstairs we have a sports bar, so we cater for everyone’s favourite sports - AFL, UFC, NRL, you name it, we've got it on the screens. We have the same menu across the board, but we've got the bistro that is more catered for your sit-down dining experiences. Play equipment, iPads, you name it.

 “And then we've obviously got a lovely function floor which has anywhere between 700 to 1000 bookings on weekdays and then on weekends we push through up to 1700 covers.  It's pretty insane. 

“me&u has been critical to the operation. 

“It's seen in our reviews and our feedback that we receive - the efficiency, the skipping the queue. 

“Having the option of scanning that QR code and ordering through me&u is such a game-changer, especially for those young families. 

“And it's also good for the team to be able to actually engage with customers outside of ‘what can I get you to order?’, you know, because they've already got their orders in. 

“It's more just talking to the customers and why are you here today? What are we celebrating? 

“It adds that more interpersonal feel, which is missing in hospitality sometimes.”

To try Crew for yourself, check it out here.

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