How Mr Yum and Third Place are helping Hospitality One thrive

What do you get when you cross a work from anywhere platform with our ordering, payment and marketing platforms? A winning formula for success is the answer (it wasn’t the set-up for a joke). Find out how Mr Yum and Third Place joined forces to drive growth for Hospitality One. 

‍Hospitality One

Hospitality One Group is behind several modern restaurants and bars in Melbourne’s South Wharf and CBD, including BangPop, The Common Man and Henry and the Fox. Each venue offers cocktails, food and good vibes all round. 

Hospitality One’s Project and Operations Manager, Terry Panayiotou, says they copped a few challenges during the COVID years and needed to adapt their operations. This is where tech came in to save the day, so let’s look at some challenges and how technology helped overcome them. 

Staff shortages 

One of the biggest challenges, and one that many are still feeling the pinch of, is a lack of staff. Before the pandemic, hiring was a more straightforward affair. You’d post the job and have flocks of applications. Now, not so much. 

However, Jonathan Mooney, Area Manager of Hospitality One, says they don’t need to worry about that due to Mr Yum.

“Mr Yum gives us the opportunity to hire people with no experience at all,” he says. (You’re welcome, talentless people. JOKING. There’s more to the quote).

“We're looking instead for an attitude and flair and, you know, a personality. You're looking for people, not just trained assets. They're not to have their heads stuck in a piece of paper, writing stuff down. It's not service writing something on a piece of paper, taking my order.”

“Service is having a chat with me and recommending drinks and food to me and asking me how my day was. That's how service should be,” says Johnathan. 

Our Order & Pay platform allows the group to free up staff to focus on the essential things. And as they acknowledge, Mr Yum isn’t replacing anyone; we’re just creating a better way for them to operate. 

Supply chain issues 

Oh, look, another problem that has been super fun and relaxing to deal with since the pandemic. Supply chain issues are impacting every industry, and hospitality has certainly been no exception. 

“If I don't have a beef burger today, I just click it off, and it's unavailable. I don't have to go and tell all six waitresses and 120 customers that we don't have it,” says Terry.

That’s one of the many benefits of using a digital menu, there’s adaptability at your fingertips. When things don’t go as planned, it’s a massive time saver to put out those updates instantly. 

Increasing visits 

Bringing people into venues is front of mind for any hospitality business, and it’s something that can be increasingly difficult. This is where Third Place come in, and they do so with a post-pandemic lens. 

“We're about revitalising the hospitality industry by driving the millions of remote workers who are currently out there off the back of the pandemic and trying to find a solution to hybrid work. At the same time, we’re improving that employee experience  – giving these people these awesome, inspiring spaces to come and work,” says Dean Katz, CEO and Co-founder of Third Place. 

Third Place helps venues achieve a 30-40% uplift, according to CMO and Co-founder Paul Veltman. They do this by offering users special offers and providing different ways for hospitality businesses to market themselves. 

“They've created a new way for people to go into venues, and it's been great for venues to be able to fill up those empty seats, get more people in there, and then get them returning as well,” says Matt Riley, Industry Partners Lead, Mr Yum. 

But how’s it been going for Third Place's early adopters at Hospitality One? According to Johnathan, they’ve seen week-on-week increases in bookings through Third Place (which is what we love to hear). 

We love partnering with hospitality businesses and helping them overcome their challenges. Book a demo today to see how Mr Yum can help you thrive. 

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