Mangia: structuring a franchise true to Italian heritage

At a time when Italian cuisine has just been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Mangia offers a culinary getaway without leaving the Paris region. Four restaurants in the west and south of Paris, all driven by the same idea: keep it simple, tasty and true to Italian roots.

Mangia is the story of a desire to eat well and give pleasure. The project originated with Renato, an engineer by trade, but driven by a tenacious passion for pizza. With the help of his partner Alexandra, he opened 2 locations, then structured a franchise around a family heritage passed on by his father: a taste for the right product and Italian know-how.

This attention to the product guides all their cooking: 48-hour-aged pizza dough, Italian cheeses and cured meats, fresh pasta and ravioli with homemade toppings, gelati made on the premises...

Today, Mangia is a franchise on a human scale, demanding in terms of quality and already well structured. This lays a solid foundation, before asking the right questions about organization and customer experience.

At Mangia, consistency is a daily concern, and their lab is the best example of this. Centralizing production, controlling recipes and guaranteeing the same quality on every plate, whatever the restaurant, is an integral part of their vision. The same rigorous product standards logically imply the same rigorous experience.

The challenge was to offer the same customer experience in Vélizy, Antony, Montrouge and Palaiseau, with no differences from one establishment to another. A fluid, clear and consistent experience, in line with the brand's DNA. 

This reflection is also part of a pivotal phase for Mangia. The franchise network is growing, and the team knows it: the more the network expands, the more difficult it becomes to harmonize a posteriori. Structuring the experience now allows us to support the network's expansion without multiplying adjustments or complicating operations as new restaurants open.

Finally, Mangia was looking for a solution capable of supporting this trajectory over the long term. An all-in-one solution for ordering, payment and loyalty, scalable enough to integrate with existing tools such as POS software, and robust enough to support brand rollout.

The challenge is both technical and strategic: to enable Mangia to grow without losing control over experience, with the same level of control as that already applied to product quality.

To meet the challenges of consistency, control and growth for Mangia, Obypay has deployed a common base capable of unifying the customer experience in all its restaurants, while remaining easy for teams to manage and duplicable for franchise development.

Visit control terminals play a central role in the Mangia experience. They make it possible to offer the same order path in each establishment, with an identical interface, a similarly structured menu and common rules. Customers can find their way around immediately, whatever the address, and take their time to choose without the hassle of queuing.

Connected to the point-of-sales softwareThey are part of an architecture designed to be easily duplicated with each new opening, without calling existing processes into question.

Visit Click & Collect complements this system by offering a practical alternative for customers in a hurry. Orders are placed in advance, and pick-up is quick, with no need for a checkout. For Mangia, it's a way of attracting customers who wouldn't necessarily have queued in restaurants, especially during busy periods.

All Click & Collect orders are centralized in the all-in-one solution and linked to the same ecosystem as other sales channels. Teams process flows from a single environment, making it easier to track orders, anticipate peaks and organize production.

Mangia maintains optimal operational management, while developing new sales outlets that are easy to deploy and maintain in a growing network.

Visit loyalty is not an addition to the experience, but an integral part of it. The cashback program rewards every purchase, regardless of the ordering channel used. An order from a kiosk, Click & Collect or via QR code feeds the same digital wallet. 

Visit digital loyalty program allows Mangia to build a database common to all plants. Each interaction enriches a base shared by the entire network, offering a global vision of the customer base. This base becomes a lever for activation on several levels: from marketing campaigns national campaigns can be deployed at all points of sale, while local campaigns can be deployed in a particular restaurant, for example, to energize a quieter niche.

This makes loyalty a fully-fledged management tool, both centralized and flexible, aligned with Mangia's desire to retain control of its customer relations as the franchise expands.

The QR code at the table completes the indoor tour. It allows customers to order or set from their phone, without having to wait for a cashier or waiter. For Mangia, it's a way of simplifying service highlights, such as weekend rushes, while leaving teams more time to concentrate on reception and front-of-house management.

It also provides operational flexibility. Orders and payments are centralized, loyalty benefits are automatically applied, and the business remains clear for the teams. The system does not create a separate route, but reinforces Mangia's ability to absorb flows while keeping the organization simple.

With Obypay solutions, Mangia now relies on a single platform to manage ordering, payment and loyalty in all its restaurants. This common framework simplifies organization and secures deployment of the concept, without depending on multiple tools or heterogeneous local practices.

✔ Flows are better distributed between the room, the cash desk and digital channels. The operational workload is reduced during peak periods, allowing teams to focus more on service, hospitality and the quality of the restaurant experience.

✔ Data from the various channels is fed into a common database for all restaurants. Mangia can manage its business on a network-wide scale, deploy consistent national actions and, if necessary, activate local levers to support a specific outlet or niche.

Mangia now has a clear architecture capable of supporting the group's growth. Each solution fits in with the others, and is designed to last.

You are in the process of structuring your franchise network ? Do you have questions about multi-site management?

Our team is there for you to lay a solid foundation, adapted to your business model, and build a system capable of supporting your brand's growth.