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Top 5 summer catering woes (and how to avoid them)

06 August 2025
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Unsurprisingly, business soars every summer.

Between April and September 2024, foodservice transactions rose by +14.21% compared with the autumn-winter period. Sales followed suit, with +10.071TP3Q. 

France was even the most dynamic European market over this period.

This trend is confirmed year after year: the previous season already recorded a +15.53% increase in transactions. And all segments are concerned: fast food, traditional, collective, events...

But this peak in activity is also a peak in tension. What you don't fluidize, what you lose or miss during the summer, you won't get back afterwards. And since many of our customers are just passing through, there's no question of counting on a second chance.

So how do you absorb the load, limit losses and make the most of this decisive season?

In this article, we take a look at the 5 most common summer problemsHere's how to avoid them, sector by sector.

01. Traditional catering: how to ensure service with an understaffed team?

Summer recruitment in restorationIt has become a real obstacle course. Few candidates, frequent absences, poorly trained profiles... And even when the team is complete, it is often too small to keep up with the pace.

There's no choice but to do better with less.

Direct impact on service and sales

When the team is reduced, it's immediately obvious:

➜ Customers wait too long to order or pay.

➜ One mistake after another, especially on the terrace.

➜ The staff tires quickly, the atmosphere becomes tense, and service suffers.

And it's not just tourists you're likely to lose. Even regulars end up not coming back.

Solutions to relieve your team without hiring more staff

You can't magically double the workforce, but you can remove a lot of the unnecessary load.

Order via QR code : the customer scans, consults the card and places his order from his table. No need to run to take the order. Staff save time and can concentrate on service, reception and unforeseen events.

Autonomous collection : customers pay when they want, from their phone. No need to manage the bill by hand or shuttle to the terminal. You avoid blockages at the end of the meal, where things often get sticky.

Your team keeps up the pace, even on Saturday lunchtimes when the terrace is full.

02. Fast-food restaurants: how to prevent your customers from being put off by waiting?

Visit fast foodIt's all down to the minute. Waiting is enemy number one. 7 out of 10 customers don't stay if waiting time exceeds 15 minutes. And in summer, between the volume and the heat, things can go very fast.

When waiting blocks service and kills your sales

In high season, the queue doesn't just grow longer in front of the cash desk: it slows down the entire service.

As soon as orders pile up, the kitchen becomes full, customers get impatient, and the cashier's team has no margin left. You lose sales, but you also lose time on each order.

And the longer the queue, the worse the customer experience. 

Those who stay leave frustrated (and potentially with a bad customer review) and those who hesitate don't even come back.

Streamline the customer journey with the right tools

To save time, you first have to save the customer time.

Click & Collect with time slot : customers order in advance, choose their pick-up time, and arrive when it's ready. You reduce peak demand and anticipate kitchen volumes.

Control terminals : no need to go through the counter. The customer orders and pays directly, without having to queue. You speed up order-taking and reduce pressure at the checkout.

03. Leisure complexes: how to prevent ordering errors from ruining the customer experience?

In a bowlinga karaoke or a multi-activity centerThe atmosphere is relaxed on the customer side, but much less so behind the scenes.

Orders arrive from everywhere, often at the same time. The team navigates between several points of sale, poorly identified areas and constant pressure to move fast.

In this context, every mistake has a cost. And it often ends up as a complaint at the counter or a negative review.

Why every mistake costs time and money

If an order is forgotten or sent to the wrong place, the customer waits too long, the waiter comes back empty-handed, the kitchen gets upset, and worse, the dish has to be redone.

Add to this a staff that is often young and not always well-trained, and you have all the ingredients for a shaky service.

Wasted time, poor organization, endless complaints: it all adds up to a degradation of the entire customer experience (business included).

Digitizing order-taking for more reliable service

The more complex the flow, the clearer the system.

Digital control from the table or playing area : no need to look for a waiter. Instead, the customer orders from a QR code or kiosk.

✔ Direct transmission to kitchen or bar: No more stalled tickets or misdirected messages. Everything goes into production automatically.

You gain in fluidity, and customers enjoy their moment to the full, even when the establishment is full.

04. Food courts: how to simplify multi-brand ordering and payment?

In a food courtThe offer is varied, the experience is free, but the management side quickly becomes complicated.

A customer wants Thai food, pizza and dessert from another stand. He has to order three times, pay three times, collect three tickets and wait three times.

The concept is appealing, but the route is tiring.

Customers lost when faced with an overly complex process

When the journey becomes too disjointed, customers drop out.

On the management side, it's no better. Stands are set up separately, orders are crossed, and staff spend their time explaining how things work, rather than producing or serving.

The problem is not the multiple offerings, but the lack of fluidity between stages.

Unify the customer journey with a single shopping cart and payment

The right thing to do is to think of the food court as a whole, not as the sum of its parts.

Multi-brand ordering : Customers order from a single interface, adding dishes as they go, whatever their stand. Everything is grouped together in a single basket.

✔ Centralized payment : one payment, in one go. No more multiple checkouts. Easier for customers and staff alike.

Automatic order distribution : each stand receives only what it needs to prepare. No need to sort or coordinate.

You gain in legibility and efficiency, and offer a coherent experience, even with a fragmented offering.

Customers seated in a food court, with signage indicating the various food stalls.

05. Franchises and networks: how to recapture transient customers after the summer?

During the summer, volumes explode. But once the season is over, most customers don't come back.
And if you have no way of recontacting them or tracking them from site to site, you're missing out on a real loyalty-building lever.

However, if you have an establishment in Toulouse, another in Paris, and you're about to open in Nice, it's in your interest to capitalize on these summer visits.

Your objective is not "how do I get this customer to come back to the same establishment?" but rather "how to keep in touch with him, wherever he is, and welcome him back into the family. one of your sites ?"

What you lose if you don't collect any data

Every contactless order means a customer leaving and you'll probably never see them again.

And that's a shame. He's eaten at your place, enjoyed your dishes, paid a ticket that's often higher than in low season, but you can't make anything of the moment.

The link stops as soon as he walks through the door.

Centralize customer data to create multi-site loyalty

To recapture effectively, you need two things: data and an overview.

✔ Automatic collection of customer data : from the first order (via QR code, terminal or Click & Collect), you get the essential information without adding friction.

Network-wide shared database : the information doesn't stay on one site. You can reuse it at another site or in a global campaign.

Cross-site loyalty program : a customer earns points in Paris and can use them in Nice. You strengthen the link with the brand, not just with a point of sale.

Targeted marketing campaigns : you can follow up customers after their visit, send a geolocated offer or announce the opening of a new outlet nearby.

You create continuity between your establishments, and give real value to every visit (even the occasional one).

Is your establishment ready for peak season?

Do you want to limit losses, relieve your team and offer a smooth service even in the middle of a rush?

Talk to our team. We'll help you identify the right tools for your configuration, your objectives and your reality in the field.

➜ Contact us now to prepare for your summer (and beyond).

The future belongs to those who turn hardship into leverage (especially at our side)

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