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How Deep Blue
transformed labour efficiency
and drove 30% ATV growth

Find out how the largest fish & chips chain in the UK has gone from the complexity of managing digital ordering, EPOS, kitchen management and third-party delivery platforms with separate providers to running it all with the Vita Mojo Order Management System.

Fish and chips being plated in a Deep Blue restaurant Deep Blue restaurant fish and chip counter Fish and chips from a Deep Blue restaurant Harry Ramsden self-service kiosks Fish and chips being plated in a Deep Blue restaurant

Business Type

Fast casual

Products

Order Management System

30%

increase in average transaction value with digital ordering

500

hours saved on menu changes across 
multiple platforms

1

consistent & connected system to run the whole operation

Challenges

Made up of Deep Blue, Harry Ramsden’s and 149 Fish & Chip shops, Deep Blue Restaurants is the largest fish & chips chain in the UK. And with this huge estate across comprising multiple brands, inefficiencies can occur.

It would take the Deep Blue team upwards of three weeks to make menu updates because changes needed to be made across all their different platforms. The brand had two people working on menu updates alone. As well as time being wasted, there was a huge margin for error and often mistakes made.

We had a fragmented tech stack where everything was disjointed and separate. We had different providers for our EPOS and digital ordering, and all our delivery partners on top of this it was impossible to manage and update our channels quickly. We didn’t think there was a solution for this but Vita Mojo’s Order Management System has helped us simplify our processes massively.
David Ellison,
Chief Operations Director

Deep Blue also found that managing its delivery platforms was also a real mission. Using Deliveroo, UberEats and Just Eat meant that there was a tablet and printer for each aggregator. When an order came in it would need to be printed, taken to the till, manually input to the POS, printed again and taken to the fryer.

As David Ellison states, “It was manic. We used to have a huge variance of what Deliveroo said we’d made vs what the till said because the team would easily miss off a drink or a side when keying orders into the POS. Now with Vita Mojo, orders are auto-accepted and go straight to the kitchen. It saves time, with less manual input and far less human error.”

And with this fragmented tech stack, the team at Deep Blue were sinking hours into collating and analysing complex sales data from multiple points. Ellison continues, “Our previous supplier were unable to produce any usable report without manually exporting and pushing that data into other systems. The amount of checks and balances we had to go through were ridiculous, it was incredibly painful.”

Solution

One central place for everything

By the time it took Deep Blue to update all its menus, another customer could have ordered an out of stock item leaving the brand with unhappy guests and extra work. Now with Vita Mojo, all menus are updated across every channel in one go. So Deep Blue’s delivery customers are kept in the loop so much quicker.

Improved customer satisfaction

In high traffic sites like Brighton and Bournemouth guests are usually keen to enjoy the area and a day out at the beach. Digital ordering has made the customer journey more efficient and customers are happy 
to get out and make the most of the day after their meal.

Holistic data that drives growth

Deep Blue can now run all its channels and delivery platforms from 
one place and has a level of data like never before. The business 
can see its transactions per minute or average spend per day and 
can easily compare performance between sites and brands to fuel strategic decisions.

At first, I was sceptical about technology and whether it would be worth it to change our approach. 
But having one Order Management System has saved us so much time 
and money that we wouldn’t go back. Throughput is better. Average spend 
is better. Managing multiple sites and menus has never been easier.
David Ellison,
Chief Operations Director

Results

Effortless menu management

Deep Blue’s marketing team used to spend upwards of 3 weeks manually updating menus across every channel. Now, menu items, images and pricing can be changed instantly through just one system so Deep Blue’s menus are up-to-date and consistent across every channel.

Increasing ATV & throughput

Since introducing digital ordering, Deep Blue has seen a 30% uplift 
in ATV when guests order through a Kiosk or Mobile Order & Pay vs. 
the till. In one of its busiest sites in Bournemouth, 50% of sales go through kiosks, making a big difference in throughput and revenue during peak hours.

Managing all orders from one, simple screen

Managing multiple tablets from delivery aggregators was a nightmare and the Deep Blue team often forgot to turn them on during busy periods. Which is essentially like having its restaurant doors locked because its sites weren’t open online (one of the worst feelings 
for any operator). Integrating all its delivery partners with Vita Mojo, meant Deep Blue’s open rate went from 80% (equivalent to losing 
a day of sales) to 100%!

Smarter, more efficient labour model

At sites with kiosks, Deep Blue’s till staff are able to be redeployed 
to the kitchen to pack and fulfil the restaurant’s significantly increased orders. Increasing the speed and quality of service and resulting in happier guests.

Simple, actionable data

As part of the Vita Mojo Order Management System, Deep Blue can 
now access 100% of sales data in a single place, with live data reflected in tailored, easy-to-read reports.

As Craig Harris, Key Projects & Business Integration Manager, Deep Blue, states, “Vita Mojo Analytics gives automated insights into your business performance. The performance metrics are so varied in content; you 
can report on anything, at any frequency, and schedule that to be sent out. It’s minimal input, and it’s data based on what industry experts feel provides the best context for restaurants, why wouldn’t you want it?”

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