17 JUNE 2020
NEW APP TO HELP INDEPENDENT BARS AND CAFES REOPEN SAFELY
Small bars, cafes and restaurants are being given a lifeline to reopen with a new contactless ordering app to help them follow social distancing rules.
MySmartBar removes the need for physical menus or staff taking orders from customers. Instead, businesses store their food and drinks menus on the app. This allows customers to place an order from their phone via the app without contact with staff.
Bars, cafes and restaurants shut on 20 March to stop the spread of the coronavirus. The only exception was for takeaways. As the lockdown eases and venues open again they will have to follow the government’s rules for social distancing.
Large chains use similar ordering apps but these are out of reach for independent venues due to the high development and running costs. These apps charge a percentage of every order, which can be up to 30%.
MySmartBar aims to help small businesses recover from the pandemic lockdown with lower charges for a similar service. The cost of the app is one penny (1p) per order with a one-off set-up fee of £99.
The new contactless ordering app is a joint venture between HSADD, a provider of real-time checklists and compliance management systems, and IJustWantAnApp, an app development firm.
Dave Henderson, founder of HSADD said, “We are building the app as a response to the coronavirus. We want to make it quick, easy and as cheap as possible for venues to set up and use.”
“After a long career running bars and nightclubs, I understand the pressure that small and independent businesses are under. So MySmartBar is our response to this. I want to help these venues get back on their feet and recover.”
Venues can register for MySmartBar at https://mysmartbar.co.uk/.
The project is being funded by one of the government’s small business grants after IJustWantAnApp lost business due to Covid-19. The work to build MySmartBar has helped to keep people in work.
ENDS
For media enquiries contact: Dave Henderson – info@hsadd.co.uk
Note to Editors: