Belushi’s
Belushi’s has been a family run business since its creation in 1993. Keith Knowles, the CEO took over from his dad, Ron Knowles who had opened his first bar back in 1958. The first Belushi’s bar opened in Covent Garden and the brand has kept the same spirit and look and feel since; a bit industrial with music and movie elements.
On top of having international bars, Belushi’s also offers backpacker accommodation upstairs, called Christopher’s Hostels. This concept attracts very young and multi-cultural customers coming from all parts of the world. Belushi’s is a place where locals and travellers can sit together and share their experiences.
Belushi’s is built on a great foundation of value and food offering, layered with a great atmosphere for celebrations, parties, late nights and sports. Each event attracts different demographics and customer groups.
“LOKE has a very collaborative approach and is still probably the best technology within the hospitality sector for the order and pay, and in particular the loyalty element.”
Belushi's customers are aged 18 to 30 years old
45% Female / 55% male
They have actively deployed initiatives to attract more women over the past 5 years to achieve this result.
Belushi’s notably promoted more elaborated cocktails. They added beautiful garnishes, and sourced elegant glassware for more appealing serves. They also promote female sports, including the upcoming Women’s 2022 Euros that they will activate in collaboration with Heineken Silver.
Why do they work with us?
Initially, Belushi’s challenge was caused by huge demand at peak periods – i.e., game nights – that they had a hard time managing.
The opportunity we had was to increase efficiency of service, raising revenues by 10 to 20% by processing orders faster throughout games instead of just doing so during half time.
Belushi’s saw immediate results: less queues at the bar, faster service and higher control for customers who now spend more with the LOKE technology than ever before.
The additional benefit and sherry on the cake was that Belushi’s also benefited from accessing a wealth of data and insights about their customers in order to know their audience better and in turn build engaging loyalty programmes.
Belushi’s view LOKE as a one stop shop for all. And they’ve seen brilliant results thanks to our tech:
At peak periods, Order & Pay take up to 60% of the overall revenue.
On a day-to-day basis, order value has increased by 14%.
“The reason we went with LOKE at the beginning was because we believed that they were the best in market to solve the business challenges that we had. And this is still the case today.”
Belushi’s Loyalty System
Belushi’s has an automated Stamp Card system – 5 points for every pound spent.
And they are working on a more complex Tiered Loyalty scheme for more tailored offers based on lifetime spend and to understand customer behavior and reward them more on the spot; that’s the Surprise and delight element!
In April 2022, they launched desktop and now have loyalty on both app and desktop.
Loyalty has driven great results for Belushi’s:
On average, loyal customers visit over 77% more than non-loyal customers.
On average, loyal customers spend 86% more than non-loyal customers.
And early results suggest that customers are more likely to first use desktop and then convert to the app.
“You guys are good at understanding the customer and listening to what we need. You prioritized discounts and promotions as part of the development roadmap was because it was absolutely critical for our business. This attitude has a great impact for us and other customers.”
Another growth driver: TIPS!
Beluhsi’s has achieved much greater staff engagement and satisfaction thanks the tips functionality.
This gives full control to customers who can choose to opt in or opt out, and even decide to tip a percentage of their total bill.
Staff tips have increased by almost 50% by using the app
The staff sees the huge benefits that the LOKE technology brings to them, and they encourage customers to use it as a result.
“In terms of management and strategizing, we have monthly account reviews with our account manager who sits down with us and shares best practice ideas from other businesses. We have rolled out at few initiatives this way and they are showing really great results for Belushi’s.”
