How App4 and wood fired pizza shack have partnered for growth

App4 client, Wood Fired Pizza Shack was founded 8 years ago in Northamptonshire by Jonathan Ginger and Karim Ayubi who converted a catering trailer into a portable, wood-fired pizza kitchen that they could take to local events.  By 2019 they had four pizza units catering at some of the UK’s biggest music festivals, and are today acknowledged as the 5th best pizzeria in Leicestershire on TripAdvisor.

COVID Impact

In 2020, the impact of COVID hit hard with the complete shutdown of the events industry and subsequent buyout of the business  by Jonathan, as Karim moved on to new ventures, and Jonathan’s son Toby became a joint partner in the business.

The business downsized to two units accordingly– one for festivals, ready for when the world opened up again, and the other for pop-up pizzas.

During lockdown the Wood Fired Pizza Shack traded from Jonathan’s driveway at home serving the local community with delicious pizza to get them through. When the lockdown eased the driveway business began to slow down, and Toby and Jonathan started pop-up pizza nights four night’s per week from  different pub locations across their local area.

At the time the business was using an online ordering app, but it presented some operational problems, as it did not provide printed tickets  meaning orders had to be re-entered onto their register. The app also didn’t provide any notifications, so orders were sometimes missed if the app was not checked regularly. Consequently, as the business started to grow again, they began to look for a new online ordering solution.

App4 Solution

Toby responded to an advert promoting the App4 mobile app. The bespoke branded front-end online ordering system really appealed to Toby, with the App4 system crucially allowing for orders to be printed directly. Having previously used a Deliveroo tablet system without automatic printing facility, the business had fallen foul of missed orders on occasion, which had proven costly.

Says Toby ‘From the very first contact with App4 we were impressed with their customer service. They took the time to understand the needs of our business and couldn’t do enough to help us get up and running efficiently. The online ordering system is so easy for our customers to use and reduces the room for error by our kitchen team.’

Toby sites the main impact of the App4 system as being:

• Improved order delivery performance – Reduced order intake errors meaning that orders are not late or missed. The App4 system provides push notification, texts and makes a noise to highlight that a ticket is being printed automatically.

• Increased transaction value – the business is no longer relying on staff to remember to upsell orders, with average order values up by 20%.

• Integration with the company’s own website for a seamless online ordering customer experience.

What does the future hold?

With an increased focus on sporting venues, 2023 will see the business move into Trent Bridge, the home of Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club,  as well as Derbyshire County Cricket Club, and Northampton Saints  Rugby Club.

Wood Fired Pizza Shack will be trialling the App4 QR code system at Derbyshire County Cricket where fans will be able to scan the code on a flyer from their phones to raise their order, which will go straight into the kitchen with a notification to the kitchen staff that an order has been raised. The customer will then receive a notification when their order is ready to collect.

In the long-term, Wood Fired Pizza Shack have ambitions to open their first bricks and mortar restaurant for which the App4 self-service kiosks will be available to support their ordering requirements.

In the meantime, they are focused on continuing to grow their pop-up nights. The company is also available for private bookings.