We caught up with Matteo Ciancio, General Manager at Circolo Popolare, an Italian trattoria in the heart of Fitzrovia serving over 600 guests on a daily.
Matteo and his team have been using sunday since the very beginning and have seen, first-hand, the impact smart payments can have on the guest experience.
Can you tell me a little more about Circolo Popolare and what makes it special?
At Circolo we import all our ingredients directly from Italy twice a week, and we can proudly say we only serve fresh and high quality food.
In a few words, how has your journey with sunday been so far?
It’s been over a year since Big Mamma restaurants started using sunday and I can safely say that it’s made my life much easier. It streamlined service, helped wait staff manage their sections, making sure the guest is always being looked after.
On top of that, it’s helped across all the steps of service. By this I mean that it has allowed us to remove certain steps, like having the hostess bring over paper menus and instead immediately present the food and drink offer the moment the guest reaches the table.
Top pizzas in London - perfectly crusty and packed with flavour
How does sunday work with your POS?
sunday integrates directly with Lightspeed, our point of sales system, allowing waiters to easily track and manage their tables. They can see updates on those that are open, partially paid and closed.
As a manager, I can see everyone’s sections and help out when necessary. The new addition of the ‘Waiter App’ makes this even easier to monitor, as each team member can have their table information directly on their own devices.
This is a tool every restaurateur should use.
What does your staff think of sunday?
The team really appreciate sunday, starting with the hostesses who no longer need to carry big menus with them when seating guests. We’ve also seen massive tips increase which really makes a difference.
Nice and fresh pastas at Circolo Popolare.
How receptive are your customers?
People are generally quite intrigued and open to paying with this new solution. The moment we seat guests when explain that they can view the menu, someone will come take their order when they are ready and the end of their meal, they can scan it again to pay.
The interactive menus are also very helpful as they can see allergens and product origin. Most of our clientele is pretty young, so naturally payment through sunday is high. Occasionally we get customers less comfortable with mobile payments.
We still have a PDQ machine for those looking to pay the traditional way, but generally all it takes is us showing them how sunday works for them to love it too!
It makes your life so much easier.
What was the transition to sunday like?
The customer support team at sunday is outstanding. Rarely do we have problems, but when we need help, the team is available to jump on call and run us through the issue. After a couple of minutes, we are back up and running.
A last word on sunday?
This is a tool every restaurateur should use. It makes your life so much easier, whether in a café, family restaurant or fine-dining restaurant.
Circolo Popolare is part of the Big Mamma group, spanning 6 cities with 16 Italian trattorias. Other London locations include Gloria in Shoreditch and Ave Mario in Covent Garden.
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