Slerp has activated its integration with Order with Google, enhancing direct ordering capabilities for all Slerp partners that have a Google Business Profile. This collaboration introduces an online ordering call-to-action button directly linking to their checkout process, simplifying the ordering experience for customers who can now order directly.
Most of us are familiar and frequent users of the options to call, email or make dine-in restaurant reservations via Google Business Profiles on the search engine. Now, online ordering – powered by Slerp, will be given the same weighting as reservation buttons, enabling customers to order directly, without having to visit a third-party marketplace.
Slerp is one of the first UK companies serving the industry to offer this integration. By signposting direct food orders via an additional call-to-action on Order with Google, Slerp supports its partners by adding another way for customers to discover their omni-channel offering.
This addition to Slerp’s already wide-ranging delivery and growth solutions for restaurants further solidifies its role in the hospitality industry’s digital evolution.
JP Then, Founder of Slerp, said: “Order with Google is an important layer in our ongoing mission to provide an all-encompassing ordering solution for the hospitality industry. It’s a win for both restaurants and customers, ensuring they are directly connected digitally and importantly, the process remains straightforward and user-friendly.”
All restaurants utilising Slerp’s technology are eligible to use Order with Google. This enhancement is part of Slerp’s commitment to offering a comprehensive digital ordering solution, complementing recent advancements in CRM, AI integration and market-leading live operations support. In addition, Slerp also recently announced an integration with Uber Direct.
Shaunagh Dunlop, Head of Marketing at Island Poké and a Slerp Partner said: “We appreciate yet another initiative from Slerp to help us to drive our own digital growth and success. Order with Google is an exciting step as we continue to scale our concept and become more omni-channel.”
Norman’s Café, which has built a cult-like following amongst in-the-know Londoners, thanks to its no-fuss British menu, has launched its first ever direct online ordering and delivery service, alongside a click-and-collect option. In addition, the Tufnell Park café will, for the first time, open up the option of pre-order booking. This brand new offering from the already iconic dining destination is being made possible thanks to a partnership with Slerp, who offer award-winning technology solutions for restaurants and the hospitality sector.
Co-owned by Elliot Kaye and Richie Hayes, Norman’s serves iconic fry-ups and a variety of nostalgic dishes based on iconic and unfussy ingredients. Their new online menu is a nod to the hot sandwich menu with which they opened and includes a selection of breakfast and lunchtime sandwich options, with suppliers including Broadway Market’s Hill & Szrok butchers.
Norman’s, which has close to 100k followers on Instagram, has become a beacon for London’s trendsetters looking for an affordable meal. The café has gained such popularity that even luxury brand Burberry hosted a pop-up there for London Fashion Week last September.
But its success has also attracted long queues and increasing demand. To address this, Norman’s has partnered with Slerp, an award-winning technology solutions provider for the hospitality sector, meaning customers can now order home delivery directly from Norman’s. In addition, new pre-order and click-and-collect options means lunchtime queues can be bypassed entirely. However, and perhaps of most importance to their fans, Norman’s will retain full creative control of their own digital customer experience, retaining the brand feel that has proved so popular, with Slerp providing technology solutions and managing the delivery operations.
JP Then, Founder at Slerp said: “Norman’s has captured London’s appetite for the simple life in a way that few other venues in London have achieved. Our own admiration has been long standing and so it is great to be their chosen technology partner as we help them to expand online and into delivery. We aim to take the unique charm cultivated within their cafe walls and, working closely alongside them, ensure that it not only thrives in the digital age but also elevates the customer experience at Norman’s to new heights.”
Norman’s Café will initially launch with online delivery from Wednesday to Friday. To order now, visit https://normans-cafe.slerp.com/order
Slerp, the award-winning technology solution for restaurants and the hospitality sector has introduced a new AI-supported Customer Relationship Management (CRM) platform. Based on their insights, the company has identified that the magic number for turning occasional digital customers into loyal, repeat patrons is three orders over a reasonable time period relative to the type of venue. The new CRM solution aims to convert existing customers into loyal users of the restaurant’s own direct ordering and delivery solutions. The benefits to the restaurant being a better margin, whilst customers benefit from personalised offers and rewards.
Analysis from Slerp data from its many diverse Partners, shows that customers who place three orders with any one restaurant are significantly more likely to order again. Specifically, 47% will order again within 30 days (vs 14% off just one order) and 62% will order again within six months (vs 23% for one order). The time frame of the three orders are also relative to the type of venue, although the data also revealed that a high number of consumers quickly build loyalty, 54% will make a 2nd order within a week and 94% will make three orders in one month.
To support their hundreds of Partners across the UK who include Ottolenghi, Eataly, Crosstown, Red Dog Saloon and Island Poké, the Slerp CRM, supported by AI, will seamlessly connect with the restaurants and Quick Service Restaurants (QSRs) direct online ordering system, also provided by Slerp.
Slerp CRM will help their partners to firstly organise and make better use of their own data so they can see everything from what customer’s purchase and when they order, through to when their birthday is, driving better personalisation. Whilst the introduction of direct ordering tools such as apps and digital loyalty programmes will also help partners to grow their own databases and glean even more knowledge on their loyal customers preferences.
Slerp CRM empowers businesses with features including email marketing, boasting 12% month-over-month growth, and SMS marketing with a remarkable 98% open rate. Additionally, the system allows for the automation of communications, incentivises sign-ups, and seamlessly integrates with all order types, creating a centralised hub for both data organisation and its usage.
Using AI functionality, Slerp is also able to suggest and share recommended marketing content with Partners that combine their own customer data with topics including seasonal or calendar events, the restaurant’s own peak purchase times and even the local weather, to encourage customer orders. Through enabling businesses to drive more repeat transactions and reach the magic number of three orders and beyond, Slerp is supporting Partners in creating more personal connections with customers while streamlining operations through automation.
Catering specifically to the hospitality industry, this approach also fosters a more personal connection with customers while streamlining operations through automation.
“We’ve crunched our data and found a great insight into what makes a loyal customer. Three orders is the magic number all operators should be aiming for from a customer. We’ve since doubled down on helping all venues by investing into a CRM solution that directly links up to our ordering solution and loyalty functionality. It’s a game-changing proposition for the sector where fragmented technology is so common. We’re really happy with the initial results and think it can make a meaningful difference to our Partners, but most importantly to their customers.”
JP Then, Founder of Slerp
London’s largest poké bowl chain, Island Poké has announced a major revamp of its loyalty programme Poké Perks, transferring it to a new Island Poké app, that will also allow its customers to order directly from their favourite store for both delivery and click-and-collect. The brand is also rolling out new pre-order and catering options for customers thanks to their partnership with Slerp who offer award-winning technology solutions for restaurants and the hospitality sector.
The launch of the new Island Poké app and its updated Poké Perks loyalty programme coincides with a store-wide roll-out of the brand’s new hot menu. To celebrate the occasion, all current and new loyalty members will receive a free gift:
The new loyalty card will sit within the app and loyalty members will collect one stamp for every transaction that includes a bowl. Five stamps can be swapped for a £5 discount and for every 10 stamps, a member can claim a free poké or hot bowl.
Island Poké has recently expanded its menu to include a range of mouthwatering hot options to complement its current menu and to offer a wider selection of options to cater for those looking for healthy and filling dishes from lunch right into the evening.
To overhaul their digital offering for customers, Island Pokė has teamed up with Slerp, an award-winning technology solution for restaurants and the hospitality sector. The result is a fully integrated offering that stays authentic to the brand’s own identity, whilst enabling Island Pokė with greater insights into their online customers and loyalty members, meaning improved, more personalised, marketing opportunities.
In addition, it also means the brand can introduce pre-ordering services for future dates – opening up the brand to bigger corporate catering orders or events, creating the opportunity to drive higher value orders in terms of size and revenue.
Island Poké Founder James Gould-Porter said: “Our new Island Poké app and loyalty program revamp, marks a significant milestone in our journey to offer our customers the best possible experience. With the launch of our app, we’re not only making it easier for our loyal customers to enjoy our delicious poké bowls and hot menu items but also providing a platform for direct ordering, delivery, and click-and-collect. We believe this app will offer our customer’s much greater flexibilit and deliver a better brand experience however they choose to order.”
JP Then, Founder of Slerp added: “There is an Island Poké just by our office, so we know first-hand how popular it is. Having the opportunity to work with them on a new app that makes ordering easier for consumers and rewards them for their loyalty is therefore a great moment for us. As a brand they are really committed to creating an authentic and personalised experience for their customers and this aligns perfectly with our vision, so we’re excited to help them achieve even greater success through a seamless and convenient ordering experience that fulfils a customer need.”
Slerp enables hospitality businesses to sell online directly to their customers through their own websites or branded apps. Built by hospitality for hospitality, through its expanded team and increased focus on the region, Slerp has strengthened its support for local dining venues and quick service restaurants (QSR) with their ordering and delivery services.
As part of its accelerating expansion, Slerp has welcomed Liverpool-based Holly Anderson as a Senior Sales Manager. With an extensive background in the hospitality industry, including her previous roles at Mr. Yum, Sprout, and Quandoo, Anderson brings a wealth of experience to oversee sales for Slerp in the region.
Commenting on her new role, Holly said, “I’m over the moon to join Slerp at such an exciting period of growth for the business. It’s a privilege to offer genuine solutions that empower local restaurants and QSRs with the tools they need to thrive. We have so many amazing restaurants in the region that will benefit from Slerp’s expertise in ordering and delivery. I cannot wait to see them embrace us.”
Slerp already works with a number of UK-wide partners in the North West including Pasta Evangelists, Chopstix and Chicken Cottage and in recent weeks it has partnered with several popular local restaurants including Amalia in Liverpool and the Greater Manchester restaurants Casa Mexica and Chilli Banana. Other brands, including the Greek restaurant group Thatziki, are also set to go live in the coming weeks.
By creating a direct ordering channel, powered by Slerp, restaurants are now able to offer online ordering, delivery and click-and-collect options for their customers. This means the restaurants obtain added control compared to when using third-party channels, and importantly, more money goes back into their business. They also get rich information about customer preferences, allowing them to directly drive awareness of new menu items, and incentivising repeat purchases with tailored loyalty programmes.
Slerp’s ordering solutions have already garnered industry recognition, winning the prestigious Restaurant Marketer & Innovator Award for Best Technology earlier this year. The company, which was established in 2019, works with a diverse range of partners, from quick-service restaurants and takeaways to bakeries, coffee shops, and fine dining establishments across the UK including Ottolenghi, Eataly, JKS Restaurants, The Dorchester and Claridge’s.
As Slerp expands its footprint in the North West, the company remains committed to supporting the hospitality industry with the best possible delivery offering through innovative technology-led solutions.
Back from Summer and heading more regularly into the workplace for meetings!? Say no to your standard sandwich platters and instead check out some of London’s tastiest options that will deliver catering direct to the office.
The summer holidays might be over, and we might have to head back into the office, but it doesn’t mean we have to put up with soggy sandwiches and boring biscuits. A more imaginatively catered work event – be it a meeting, after work social or even a team breakfast, is only a click away, thanks to more and more restaurants opting for direct ordering.
Ordering directly from your favourite place makes it much easier to pre-order for delivery at a time that suits you and your colleagues or clients and is made possible by technology from Slerp, the leading online ordering solution, which allows consumers to make larger bookings from their favourite places via pre-order, unlike other marketplaces.
So, save the below list of London’s best office caterers and be the team saviour the next time your boss books in that lunchtime meeting.
Chef Yotam Ottolenghi has become somewhat of a household name with his popular delis, restaurants and cook books and now you can impress with his help in the workplace, as you recreate the signature Ottolenghi experience at your next business event.
A family owned business, nestled in the heart of East London, Tayyabs is a London institution that last year celebrated its 50th anniversary.
Bringing the Detroit deep pan pizza style to London. Detroit Pizza supports local suppliers and also uses seasonal ingredients in their dishes, making them much more than ‘a slice’ above the rest. Their catering menu also includes salad and sandwiches, Italian pasta platters and a wide array of deserts.
Specialising in super-sized vegan, vegetarian & meat based sub platters using housemade rolls, Dom’s takes sandwiches to the next level.
Inspired by the Mediterranean, their flavourful catering menu includes wraps, bowls, mezze platters and pizzas, so something to satisfy every appetite. They also cater for different diets, including halal and gluten free.
Fresh and delicious salad rolls inspired by Vietnamese cuisine, with only the finest ingredients wrapped in rice paper. Sharing roll platters can be customised and offer lots of choice whatever your preferences.
South American street food that caters both breakfast and lunch. Offering sandwich and fruit platters, as well as large buffet style catering, plus they offer great discounts to corporate clients.
With 30 years of experience in bagel-baking, B Bagel have a great range of bagel platters from regular sized to mini, with fillings that cater for everyone from the carnivores to the vegans.
We have expanded our senior leadership team with the hire of Zal Dordi as Chief Commercial Officer, with Tom Messett stepping into the role of Head of RevOps.
Zal Dordi, originally from Palo Alto, California, was one of the earliest employees at DoorDash. Beginning as General Manager of San Francisco, he launched and ran the DoorDash marketplace, before going on to lead the Business Development function responsible for the company’s largest partnerships and new verticals. Zal also has experience at McKinsey & Company and an MBA from INSEAD, bringing a wealth of expertise and experience to Slerp’s leadership team.
Slerp is a technology business built by hospitality operators for the hospitality sector. The company’s core objective is to empower restaurants and food operators, enabling them to directly connect and transact with their customers through their own digital channels, therefore fostering stronger relationships and expanding their omni-channel offerings. Slerp collaborates with a wide range of hospitality businesses, franchises, and groups, ranging from 3-5 sites to over 100 sites, providing them with a highly customisable online ordering and delivery solution. Slerp’s partners include renowned brands such as Pasta Evangelists, Ottolenghi, Eataly, JKS Restaurants and many more.
Earlier this year, Slerp received recognition for its commitment to innovation within the sector by winning the Restaurant Marketer & Innovator Award for Best Technology. Recent innovations, including harnessing AI with a new Slerp CRM product, have seen an average of 15% uplift in Gross Merchandise Value (GMV) for their partners.
JP Then, Founder and CEO of Slerp said: “We remain at the start of our journey with significant growth to come. Bringing in a Chief Commercial Officer with the experience of Zal is important as we move to the next phase of our growth. By strengthening our senior team, we will continue to elevate the high levels of service that our partners have come to expect, as D2C becomes a larger channel for every business. Zal partnering with Tom to lead our Commercial Team is a natural step and one that the entire team is excited for.”
Zal Dordi, the newly appointed Chief Commercial Officer for Slerp, said: “Slerp is on an exciting path thanks to JP’s vision of how to transform the way that hospitality businesses connect and transact with customers. It’s a huge market opportunity in its early days, and I am keen to get started and help Slerp to accelerate its commercial operation at scale. I’m looking forward to working with the already talented Slerp team to drive growth and innovation, and ultimately to create meaningful value to our many partners.”
In a trend that shows no sign of slowing, multiple East London venues have launched their own direct ordering and delivery services, allowing fans of some of London’s most iconic restaurants the opportunity to order directly online.
From established and much-loved restaurants such as Tayyabs, Rossopomodoro and Red Dog Saloon, through to the most popular QSRs on the block including Bangers London and Brick Lane Bagel Co. The shift to offering direct ordering and delivery means customers can now benefit from both pre-ordering and catering options as well as same day.
By creating a direct ordering channel, restaurants obtain added control compared to when using third-party channels, and importantly, more money goes back into their business. They also get rich information about customer preferences, allowing them to directly drive awareness of new menu items, and incentivising repeat purchases with tailored loyalty programmes.
Their new direct channels are powered by Slerp, a tech business headquartered in Shoreditch, that specialises in providing solutions for hospitality businesses in the UK.
One of East London’s institutions that needs no introduction. A family-owned Punjabi restaurant, nestled in the heart of Whitechapel, Tayyabs last year celebrated its 50th anniversary.
From their first site in Hoxton, Red Dog Saloon has now expanded across the UK, including venues in Liverpool, Nottingham and Southampton. Known for its slow-cooked barbecue dishes and hot wing challenge where diners are challenged to eat six ghost chilli wings as quickly as possible. Although plenty of other, more palatable flavours are also available!
Bringing the Detroit deep pan pizza style to London. Detroit Pizza supports local suppliers and uses seasonal ingredients in their dishes, making them much more than ‘a slice’ above the rest.
The saviour of hangovers available throughout Shoreditch, Bangers offers a selection of British breakfast options, all wrapped up in a breakfast bap. Vegan options are also available.
Founded in Italy by three friends from Naples in 1999, Rossopomodoro (Italian for red tomato) opened its first London location back in 2006. Customers can experience all the delights of Southern Italian cuisine by ordering directly from their Hoxton location, one of four venues across London. Honoured last year in Italy’s inaugural list of the World’s Top 50 Artisan Pizzas, Rossopomodoro aims to bring the true taste of Naples here to the UK with dishes that blend traditional flavours with contemporary twists.
Brick Lane Bagel Co. was founded by father and son duo Stuart and Elliott Hearne. Their menu features a range of popular fillings including the classics of Irish salt beef brisket and oak-smoked salmon.
JP Then, Founder of Slerp said: “Slerp has been growing across the UK, but our own head office is here in Shoreditch, so East London will always be special to us. It’s exciting to see the variety of operators adopting our platform, with each configuring their set up to meet their requirements and their customers’ needs. As a team we are excited to be able to support and grow the exact venues from where we order our own lunches.”
Other East London venues with direct ordering powered by Slerp include – Dom’s Subs, Assenheims, Kricket, Crosstown, Rinkoff Bakery, Eataly and Pophams. For more information on how Slerp supports businesses, visit www.slerp.com
London’s renowned modern-Indian restaurant Kricket is launching its new direct-to-consumer ordering across both delivery and click-and-collect.
Kricket customers will now be able to order directly from the restaurant’s own website, without being directed to a third-party marketplace. This will allow the business to serve their online customers with a fully integrated offering that stays authentic to the brand’s own identity, and extends the same great customer experience that their customers enjoy in the restaurant to all their online orders.
The new proposition is in partnership with Slerp, who will provide the technology and also enable Kricket to have full transparency, throughout the ordering process, to their own customer data. This advantage will in turn be passed onto the customer, as Kricket will be able to build relationships directly – meaning improved, more personalised, marketing campaigns, and the opportunity to drive future loyalty programmes.
Since its 2015 origins in Pop Brixton, Kricket’s inventive menu – that combines British ingredients with India flavours to create modern, contemporary dishes has quickly established itself as a must-try on London’s food scene. Founded by Rik Campbell and Will Bowlby, the group now has three restaurants – in Brixton, Soho, and White City, and offers delivery across London, whilst currently also looking to expand both locally and internationally.
📸 Keralan Fried Chicken
📸 Hyderabadi Aubergine
Rik Campbell, Founder of Kricket said: “In Slerp we have found a partner whose solutions allow us to directly build relationships with all our customers. The new owned omni-channel approach means we can also glean much better data and insights that will be of benefit to both our online customers and for us as a business as we look to expand – whilst still retaining our authenticity and own identity.”
JP Then, Founder of Slerp said: “Kricket is the perfect partner for Slerp and our online-ordering solution. They have a distinctive, successful brand that prioritises the customer experience – whether eating in the restaurant, right through to at-home delivery. We look forward to helping Rik and the Kricket team build and scale their direct channel.”
To order visit https://kricket.co.uk/
We pitted top UK food photographer David Robson against the AI platform Dall-E to see if the general public would be able to tell the difference between a delicious bowl of real steaming pasta, versus a computer generated image.
David captured a series of popular dishes from one of Slerp’s customers – the Italian food and drink destination, Eataly London, before the same images were then recreated by AI and shown to 100 members of the public.
Across the 10 different food images shared, over 60% of those asked could not tell if it featured real food or an AI generated image. And on individual food items, nearly three-quarters (73%) could not recognise an AI version of a margherita pizza and two-thirds failed to spot an AI croissant or a bowl of cacio e pepe pasta (66% and 69% respectively).
The AI experiment followed on from a previous piece of Slerp research* that highlighted nearly 50% of customers are more likely to order food when they can see what it looks like. Having put AI to the test, the results demonstrate just how easy it can be for restaurants to recreate their menu dishes using easily accessible digital resources. It is especially efficient, and a good budget hack for those who might frequently change their menus – such as those offering seasonal options.
JP Then, Founder of Slerp said: “The tools available to all of us now through AI are advancing incredibly fast, and the ways it can be applied to the hospitality sector are very interesting. We know the public generally like seeing food before they order online, so if a restaurant has the time and budget for a professional photo shoot that can truly reflect their menu, then we would always say to go for it. But this experiment shows that for most people when looking at pictures online, the AI version of the pizza is as appealing as the real thing. So, for those brands and companies constrained by resources, timings or budgets,we would say as long as the images still look good enough to eat and reflect the real item being offered, then why not try it.”
Professional food photographer David Robson who captured the real-life photographs said: “I’m intrigued by AI and its ability to generate images that are nearly indistinguishable from reality. While some might see this as a threat, I believe that AI has the potential to enhance the work of creative professionals. By embracing AI tools for photo editing and admin tasks, we can streamline our workflows and focus time on the creative aspects of our work. As technology advances, it’s important for creatives to stay ahead and explore how AI can assist them.”