The BBQ Project

Challenges

Hastings Pier has weathered a few storms in its time, and though the Covid-19 pandemic was certainly another of these, it was also a time for reinvention for the Hastings landmark.

With the pier’s gates having been closed for most of 2020 and early 2021, a new management company, Hastings Pier Entertainments Limited, took over before re-opening to the public in April 2021. With a new beer garden, a schedule of events planned for the summer and a new company – The BBQ Project – taking up residence in the Pavilion Restaurant, there was (and still is!) plenty to look forward to.

Opening a new restaurant during a pandemic was a new challenge for BBQ Project owners Dominic and Gavin, who place an emphasis on using the best, locally sourced ingredients and drinks. They knew they’d need technology on their side, and turned to a locally sourced internet service provider to help facilitate this.

Dominic and Gavin planned to make use of an app that would allow customers to order food and drink on their mobile phones in order to keep social contact to a minimum, but this hinged on WiFi being readily available to all of those hungry visitors.

“We’re talking about a very large space, with 100 outdoor tables and 10-12 indoors, all on a structure which is directly above the sea. That’s great for social distancing with all that healthy fresh air, but challenging in terms of achieving full internet coverage.” Dom explained.

Making sure customers could access the app wasn’t the only concern, the right infrastructure needed to be in place to make sure all those orders could be received and actioned quickly; nobody likes to be kept waiting for their food.

Solutions

Beaming provides the pier with superfast broadband and our networking experts have set up wireless access points, strategically placed to make sure there’s enough coverage to allow customers to order via the technology installed by The BBQ project.

“This was crucial while social distancing measures remained in place”, Dominic says. The broad coverage allowed the BBQ Project to serve the maximum number of customers possible, knowing that visitors and staff were kept safe and separate.

He explained that Beaming’s tech team has always been on hand to help with any of the teething problems associated with the implementation of a new ordering system; “Even with network issues eliminated, they went out of their way to help when we had some problems, and are always friendly, polite and professional”

Results

“Technology is key now to the operations of any restaurant or pub,” Dominic said, “and we need superfast and reliable broadband to support that.”

As well as helping businesses on the pier maintain Covid-safe practices, the newly implemented technology has also improved the speed and efficiency of service – something that was important as there was catching up to be done after so many months in lockdown.

Dominic is pleased to report that the option to order through the app hasn’t replaced the need for restaurant staff, and as restrictions eased customers were keen to interact and order face to face. This, too, is facilitated by Beaming’s fast and reliable WiFi connectivity, as waiting staff input orders into the Electronic Point of Sale (EPOS) system using a tablet, which pings orders straight to the kitchen.

For those taking a more cautious approach, the option to use the app remains in place. This provides peace of mind that should there be a future requirement for social contact restrictions, Dominic and the BBQ Project team can rely on a system they know works smoothly, all backed up by Beaming’s superfast, reliable connectivity and expert service.