The order that went to the wrong shop
You have three shops in neighbouring towns, one brand and one website. A customer orders delivery from the site, and it prints in the original shop because that is where the ordering system was first set up. The customer lives nearer the second shop. So the first shop rings the second, reads the order out, and the second shop keys it in. Twenty minutes later the food leaves, from the right place, but late.
On another night the second shop is short of a chef and wants to stop delivery, but the website only has one on-off switch for the whole brand. So either all three shops stop taking online orders, or the second shop drowns.
Why multi-branch orders get tangled
Many ordering websites and phone set-ups were built for a single shop. When a second branch opens, it gets bolted on: a second tablet, a forwarding rule, a note in the menu saying call this number for that area. The system has no real idea which shop serves which streets, what each shop's hours are or whether a shop is stretched.
The delivery apps handle this differently because each branch has its own listing. So the direct channel, the one you most want to grow, is the one that works worst across branches.
When orders end up in the wrong kitchen
| Problem | Result |
|---|---|
| Orders printing at the wrong shop | Calls between branches and late food |
| One switch for all branches | Busy branch cannot pause without closing the others |
| Different menus or prices by branch | Customer sees items a branch does not make |
| Overlapping delivery areas | Arguments over who takes an order |
| Combined figures | No clear view of each branch's direct trade |
There is a hidden cost in how customers see you as well. A customer whose food arrives late because it was passed between shops does not know or care about the phone call behind it. They just remember that ordering direct was slower than the app, and next time they use the app.
And the branch managers end up in a quiet dispute about whose orders are whose, which matters more once any part of their pay or targets depends on their own shop's figures.
Routing each order to the right branch
- Each branch has delivery zones drawn on a map, with its own hours, fees and minimum order.
- When a customer enters their postcode on the website, the order is assigned to the branch that serves that area. Collection customers choose their shop, with the nearest one suggested.
- Each branch can have its own menu and prices drawn from the master menu, so a customer only sees what their branch makes.
- Each branch has its own pause and busy controls. If a branch pauses, you choose whether its area is offered to a neighbouring branch with a longer time, or told to collect or try later.
- Orders go straight to that branch's kitchen screen and dispatch list. Nothing is passed on by phone.
- Phone orders on a single number can use the same postcode lookup, so whoever answers sends the order to the right shop.
- Figures are kept per branch and combined, so you can compare direct trade across shops.
If your current ordering platform already supports multiple locations properly, we may only need to configure it and connect the pieces around it. We check that first.
A night across three branches
The order from the edge of town goes straight to the second shop. When that shop pauses delivery for half an hour, customers in its outer zone are offered delivery from the third shop with a longer time. The first shop never has to pick up the phone to pass anything on. On Monday you can see each shop's direct orders side by side.
- Every direct order in the right kitchen first time
- Each branch able to pause without closing the others
- Branch menus and prices shown correctly
- Clear figures for each shop's direct trade
Could this be your group?
- Online orders sometimes print at the wrong branch.
- Branches phone each other to pass orders on.
- One branch cannot stop online orders without stopping them all.
- Customers see dishes a particular branch does not make.
- You cannot see direct sales per branch without working it out by hand.