How Wetherspoons made millions?

Wetherspoons didn't grow its sales by opening hundreds of new pubs or dramatically changing its menu.

Instead, it introduced the QR ordering system. By making it easier for customers to order from their table, the company removed one of the biggest barriers to spending in a busy pub - having to get up and queue at the bar. It resulted in stronger sales, improved efficiency, and a significant increase in profit.

According to its latest results, sales per pub continued to grow, while operating profit rose by more than 30% in 2024. While there are always multiple factors behind performance, it's hard to ignore the role that digital ordering has played in helping Wetherspoons serve more customers with less friction.

The problem most venues don't realise they have

For many hospitality venues, the challenge isn't necessarily getting customers through the door. More often than not, it's making the buying process feel effortless once they're there.

Customer expectations have changed a lot over the last few years. People are used to being able to do almost everything from their phone, whether that's ordering food, booking transport, or buying tickets for an event. As a result, convenience plays a much bigger role in purchasing decisions than it used to.

When someone has to leave their table, stand in a queue, wait to be served and then make the trip back again, that extra effort can be enough to delay a purchase or stop it happening altogether. The simpler the process becomes, the more likely customers are to order again, particularly among younger generations who are already comfortable using digital services in almost every part of their daily lives.

What Wetherspoons changed

Wetherspoons recognised that one of the biggest frustrations in a busy pub wasn't necessarily the service itself, but the fact that customers often had to interrupt their experience to get another drink or place a food order.

Its QR ordering system in the app gave customers another option. Instead of leaving their seats and joining the queue at the bar, they could browse the menu, place an order and pay from their phone whenever they wanted. For customers, that meant fewer interruptions and less waiting around. For the business, it meant fewer bottlenecks at busy periods and a smoother flow of orders throughout the day.

Wetherspoons is far from the only hospitality business to see results from digital ordering. Across the industry, operators have reported higher average spend when customers order through a screen, with some major brands like McDonald's or Taco Bell recording double-digit increases after introducing digital ordering technology.

The real driver of higher revenue

There's a common assumption that digital ordering increases revenue because customers suddenly start choosing more expensive products. In most cases, that's not what happens.

The bigger impact tends to come from how often customers order. When getting another drink or adding food to a table only takes a few seconds, people are naturally more inclined to do it. There's no need to leave friends or family, no queue to consider and no interruption to the conversation.

That may sound like a small change, but across hundreds of customers each week it can make a noticeable difference. Many venues find that the additional revenue comes not from changing what customers buy, but simply from making it easier for them to buy again.

Don't underestimate your outdoor space

Beer gardens can be some of the most profitable areas of a venue, but they're often the hardest to serve efficiently.

Because they're usually further away from the bar, they rely much more heavily on customers being willing to make the trip back to order again. When the venue is busy, service can slow down and those extra trips become less appealing, which means opportunities for additional sales can easily be missed.

The irony is that outdoor spaces often become the biggest revenue drivers during warm weather. According to estimates from the British Beer & Pub Association, around 27,000 pubs across the UK have beer gardens, while separate research suggests that almost a third of adults consider outdoor space an important factor when choosing a pub during the summer months.

Giving customers the ability to order directly from their table removes much of that friction. Rather than deciding whether another visit to the bar is worth it, they can place an order within seconds and carry on enjoying their time with friends.

The final note

Wetherspoons didn't grow revenue by finding a way to dramatically increase the value of every individual order. What it did was remove some of the barriers that can stop customers from ordering in the first place.

That distinction is important because most venues already have demand. The challenge is making sure that demand isn't lost through queues, delays or unnecessary interruptions to the customer experience.

The same principle sits behind the Eposbuddy digital ordering system. Customers simply scan a QR code, view the menu, place their order and pay from their table, all without having to leave their seat. That creates a more convenient experience for customers while helping venues manage busy periods more efficiently.

For operators, the benefit isn't just faster ordering. It also means staff can spend less time processing orders and more time focusing on customer service, creating a better experience for everyone involved.

Talk to our team to find out how Eposbuddy's digital ordering could work in your venue.