“We needed more flexibility”: Introducing me&u Flex at The Continental

We chatted with Duncan Thomson, Chief Executive Officer of The Continental, in beautiful Sorrento. The “Conti” uses me&u Flex, a two-way ordering solution that provides greater flexibility, and allows you to serve more tables and capture more data.

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Founded by “a bit of a scoundrel card player”

The Continental was founded in 1875 and has a rich history as one of the first commercial buildings ever built in Sorrento, on the Mornington Peninsula of Victoria (Australia). 

Founded by George Coppin (“ a philanthropist and a bit of a scoundrel card player”), who wanted to build a weekend destination for the so-called rich and famous back in the gold rush days, The Conti now has six floors, three buildings, three restaurants, five bars, three entertainment spaces, a 108-room hotel, and a 700 square metre wellness and day spa.

“We like to call it a lifestyle precinct,” Duncan said.

“The Conti is a beast of a business. It’s the perfect place to roll out Flex because if it can work here, it can work anywhere.”

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Introducing Flex: two-way mobile ordering

After re-opening in 2022 following years of refurbishment, The Conti tested me&u through a baptism of fire.

“The QR code got tested by sheer volume. A lot of key learnings around that in terms of how to control and manage the volume. 

“And so I think we then started to break down those areas from dedicated dispense areas to timings of tickets to grouping orders and understanding how we can manage the influx of the orders so that the kitchen could still deliver within the right time frame.”

Duncan observed that “QR codes work really well in large-footprint pubs” but he didn’t want to have a negative impact on staff and their ability to serve.

“Just having a basic QR code offer wasn't meeting the guest expectations. And I think because of the iconic nature of the building, that's really what made me realise that we needed something a bit more. We needed more flexibility.

“The opportunity to work with Flex came up, and it was really exciting.

“It's allowed the staff to engage more with the customer. Although it's one menu, we've got different service models - table service in the beer garden allows us more direct contact, and then the other areas are more reliant on the traditional QR. 

“With a slightly older demographic, when you would explain the QR code, you'd often get a bit of an eye roll or a grumpy thing. With Flex, we can say that's an option, but we can serve you, or you're welcome to go and pay an order at the bar. 

“What we've found with rolling out Flex is we're seeing an increase in spend per head because the staff can upsell and curate the guest experience walking through. We're seeing a big increase in our customer experience in terms of our CSAT scores. Customers are responding well because they feel more confident that the staff are in control of their experience.”

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Managing an older demographic with a flexible solution

Creating a custom, flexible experience for The Continental meant being part of the team.

“The most impressive thing for me was having the team physically on site,” Duncan said. “Darren and I set to work on a mammoth task of rolling it out right before the school holidays. He and the team have been fantastic. 

“I think they've really become part of our team and have that operational knowledge to work with our staff. So it's not just a tech guy saying ‘Hey, do this, this, this’, but understanding how our business works. Seeing some services, working with the staff, not just the management, but then sitting down with some of the younger staff and just getting to feel comfortable about the system. 

“If you're a new publican looking to roll out a new business, the real question would be ‘Do I want an elevated customer experience? Do I want to have more engagement with my customers?’

“Something like Flex allows you to do that, and then if we can do it simply and seamlessly, that allows more flexibility and control from the customer's point of view to curate their experiences, then I think that that's the key.”

Incorporate a flexible service model in your venue by getting started with me&u Flex.