Herbies Pizza
Herbies Pizza started as a family business in 1985. Since then, they have become a multi-unit pizza chain, currently with 20+ locations. Headquartered in Slough, Herbies Pizza is well-known in South-East England for its delicious homemade garlic bread.
We interviewed Zack Brar, part of the Herbies family responsible for all operational matters for Herbies Pizza (ranging from answering questions from franchisees, marketing, online operations, and in-store processes) to reflect on their partnership with S4D since January 2023.
United Kingdom (UK)
20+
Stores
Delivery-focused pizza chain
Website, App, POS, Kitchen Management, Delivery Management, Data Management, Menu Management.
Challenges faced by Herbies Pizza before S4D
One-way communication with providers:
Communication with providers was a significant issue, Zack said “When there were problems with the systems it took ages to get through to anyone”. This delay in communication and problem resolution caused significant stress and frustration among store employees, franchisees, and Herbies Pizza’s head office.
Lack of data:
Critical information was inaccessible to Herbies Pizza with their previous providers. As a result, Zack had to manually create Excel spreadsheets and formulas to have an overview of Herbies Pizza’s performance, which was very time-consuming and could result in inaccurate outcomes. “Whenever franchisees or store managers made claims, there was no data available to back them up. It typically took me a whole day to calculate everything and arrive at a conclusion.” – Zack mentioned.
Outdated website, and app:
Having an outdated previous website and a separate app provider affected Herbies Pizza’s customer satisfaction and conversion rate. Zack expressed dissatisfaction with the online presence of Herbies with the previous providers, stating that “the lack of a proper website, app, POS structure, transport, and user experience was embarrassing. When recruiting new franchisees, we were not proud of our online presence.”
Transitioning to a new software, after 30+ years of using the same:
Transitioning to a new digital solution after 30 years of using the same system can be challenging. Herbies Pizza’s head office needed to convince the franchisees of clear benefits. They were confident S4D’s product would help, especially since managing separate systems for POS and e-commerce had posed operational challenges over the years. Zack said,
“The old software has really grown on the franchisees, making them stubborn to change. It’s difficult to switch after more than 30 years of using the same system. However, after seeing S4D’s product and unified approach, I was confident to take on this challenge”.
Moving to S4D is one of the projects I am the most proud of since my career at Herbies Pizza. With S4D powering our website and app, I know that we are in good hands, our online presence is innovative, visually appealing, and built based on the industry’s best practices. In addition, I stopped being phoned weekly about the website being down. We have a solid solution now!
Zack Brar, Operations Manager of Herbies Pizza
Solutions S4D has brought to Herbies Pizza
Consistent system uptime:
One of the most concrete benefits seen by Zack has been the lack of phone calls he receives from store managers or franchisees. “With S4D, I stopped being phoned about the system being down. With S4D, at times I got worried why no one was calling anymore. But it was just because there were no issues. Knowing we are in good hands now, is a big relief”.
Data accessibility:
With S4D, Zack can quickly verify information, and oversee all data from the customer and operational side. “When franchisees state something that’s not correct, now I can check it on the spot. With PowerBI it is way faster, before it took a day.” The ease of accessing data has been a game-changer for both the stores and headquarters. “Now, we can confidently address any questions with a file, screenshot, or link to the report, solidifying our position as the head office”, Zack said.
Improved online presence:
Herbies Pizza has also witnessed a significant increase in its online revenue. With their new website and app, Zack is proud of Herbies Pizza’s online presence. “I am now proud of our website and app. With S4D’s industry know-how, we are not just another pizza chain, but a respected player in the market.”
Reliable and proactive partnership:
S4D played a significant role in making the transition easier and helped in convincing franchisees. “S4D’s team gave us input on what franchisees need to hear and showed them what their system could look like in practice with S4D. With a good, appealing product, benefits are inevitable. We trusted the team and the product.”
Zack describes S4D as the “One-stop shop for all digital things fast food”. “When S4D comes up with new features and innovative ideas, they bring new business opportunities to us. We feel like S4D is part of our team, with whom we work together to make Herbies a successful business. Their reliability sets them apart; with other suppliers, we constantly needed to chase them and tell them what to do, but S4D consistently delivers without needing to be prompted.”
When S4D comes up with new features and innovative ideas, they bring new business opportunities to us. We feel like S4D is part of our team, with whom we work together to make Herbies Pizza a successful business. With other suppliers this was not the case, we constantly needed to chase them and tell them what to do.
Zack Brar, Operations Manager of Herbies Pizza
Results since implementing S4D at Herbies Pizza
- 22% increase in online revenue in one year.
- Average order frequency: 3 times per year.
- App now accounts for 12% of total orders within one year of launching it.
- App rated 4.4 stars on Android and iOS.
- Overall conversion rates improved to 21%.
- 80% of orders are online, 20% by phone, varying by area and demographics.
With England’s opening match during the Euro 2024, Herbies Pizza saw its highest revenue Sunday compared to any other Sunday this year.
We are proud to see Herbies Pizza’s growth. With S4D by their side, they are planning to open 5 new stores this year, and are preparing a secret project that Zack has not shared with us yet. The future for Herbies Pizza looks promising, and we are proud to be part of that.
Zack concluded the interview by saying: “We are confident that we can continuously improve our business with S4D by continuously optimizing the system and implementing innovative features.”
