Mitie’s catering business, Gather & Gather, won the ‘Best Use of Technology’ award at the inaugural Restaurant Marketer & Innovator Awards, beating four high street finalists.
Gather & Gather won the award for the introduction of a new app at one of its client sites which enables customers to order and pay for their hot drinks before collecting them at specific pick-up locations, allowing employees to save time by skipping queues.
In April 2017 the app, developed in partnership with WioPay and Masterpass, was rolled out across 45 of the large retail bank's sites after a successful trial. Since then it has saved its employees 1,926 days’ worth of queuing.
As well as minimising wasted time spent queuing in cafés, the app led to an increase in app orders by an average of 96% per day and drove revenue by an average of 122% per day. The project was so successful that the app has been further developed to include grab-and-go items as well, all with the objective of saving employees even more time.
Allister Richards, Managing Director at Gather & Gather, said: “This is a fantastic achievement for Gather & Gather and we’re delighted to be recognised for our innovation in technology at the Restaurant Marketer & Innovator Awards. This award demonstrates how we are at the forefront of bringing retail innovation into the workplace to support our position as the UK’s most distinctive workplace caterer.”
The awards ceremony, held on 18 January at the Ham Yard Hotel in London, celebrates the achievements made by marketers, strategists and innovators who define the future of eating out.
