Hearth & Honey Bakery Cafe: order ahead and a stamp card

The problem

A line out the door is the best ad a bakery has, and it is also the thing that sends some people away. A regular who is late for work does not want to wait behind 8 people for one loaf. Paper stamp cards go through the wash, or stay in last week's coat.

What we built

For Hearth & Honey Bakery Cafe, a made up bakery, we would build an order ahead app. Regulars see the menu with today's bakes on top, pick a pickup time and walk past the line. Every pickup order adds a stamp to a card that lives on their phone.

Problem and answer

• The line at 8:30 puts people off.

  Regulars order ahead and choose a pickup time, such as 8:15 or 8:45. Their bag is ready when they arrive.

• The menu changes with what came out of the oven.

  Today's bakes sit at the top of the menu. The owner changes the list in a minute, and a sold out item can be hidden.

• Paper stamp cards get lost.

  The card is on the phone. Every pickup order adds a stamp on its own, and the last one earns a drink on the house, which the owner sets.

• Orders arrive by phone, by text and at the counter, all at once.

  Online orders appear on one screen at the counter, in order of pickup time.

• Older customers do not want another app.

  It opens from a link or a code on the counter, with big buttons and plain words. Ordering over the counter works as it always has.

How it works

1. 01The customer opens the link and sees today's menu.
2. 02They add what they want, choose a pickup time and place the order.
3. 03The order appears on the counter screen. The team bakes and packs it.
4. 04The customer shows their order number, collects, and a stamp goes on the card.

Works with

• Square or Stripe, so the customer pays when they order and the money goes to the owner's own account
• A text message service, for a short note when the order is ready
• A tablet or receipt printer at the counter, whichever the bakery already has
• The bakery's website and Google Business Profile, where the Order ahead link sits

The plan we would follow

1. Week 1We spend a morning behind the counter, learn the rush and agree the menu and pickup times.
2. Weeks 2 and 3We build the menu, the order screen, the counter screen and the stamp card.
3. Week 4The team take test orders at the counter, and we fix what slows them down.
4. Week 5We connect card payments and texts, and set up the sign and the cards that point to the link.
5. Week 6Launch, with a quiet morning first before the weekend.

What the owner keeps

• The app's code and designs
• The menu and the customer list
• The payment and text accounts, in the owner's name
• The domain name and the hosting account