Big Table Group

Big Table Group (formerly Casual Dining Group) is one of the largest independent restaurant companies in the UK, operating customer favourite restaurant brands including Bella Italia, Café Rouge and Las Iguanas in some 300 locations. CDG was one of the first adopters of Eagle Eye AIR platform and has since introduced an employee benefit scheme utilising the platform’s same coupon issuance-to-redemption management and delivery capabilities.

Updating manually intensive processes

As a longstanding Eagle Eye client, Big Table Group wanted to bring the same benefits to its staff that it enjoys using the Eagle Eye AIR platform to manage the issuance to redemption of its customer offers and promotions.

Big Table Group faced a number of challenges in managing its old legacy staff rewards system. It wanted to overcome these and achieve improvements in its operational efficiencies by embracing a digital option for this system.

It anticipated that the move to digital would reduce fraudulent coupon redemption associated with paper-based methods and prevent misuse of its employee benefit scheme, as well as any fraudulent activity.

The Group also wanted to gather real-time employee transaction data to help it gain greater data reporting visibility of the scheme, while also tying the activity through the scheme back to employee engagement levels.

Ultimately, Big Table Group wanted an up-to-date employee benefit scheme that would enable it to establish closer management and real-time reporting on its use while eliminating paper-based fraud and mal-redemption.

Improved visability, reduced fraud

The Group adopted Eagle Eye Staff Rewards and launched a Privilege Card including a multi-tier employee discount scheme. Veronika Antoniotti, Loss Prevention Manager, Big Table Group described the benefits.

“We used to issue paper Big Table Group discount cards to our employees prior moving to the current system,” said Antoniotti. “This was an outdated, manual system that we were unable to monitor.

“Since we moved to the current Eagle Eye-based Big Table Group Privilege Card, our team has seen much less fraud. To be honest, it’s close to none.” She also explained the advantages of building integrations with Eagle Eye AIR.

For example, tying the Eagle Eye AIR platform to Big Table Group’s workforce management database from Fourth established ongoing communication between the two systems for streamlined management and security.

Antoniotti explained: “This helps us to make sure that a discount is only valid from the time that a staff member’s probation period has passed, which we were unable to do prior this.

“Every time an employee uses their card, they receive an email to make sure they are aware their card was used. If they leave the company their card is automatically cancelled, as its access is linked to our HR [Human Resources] system. This was very positive change for us.”

Building engagement for the future

Privilege Card redemptions are authorised via a real-time connection to the AIR platform at the point of sale, and employees have a better experience when using the benefits scheme thanks to its digital activation.

The elimination of fraudulent activity through the use of unique user codes also enables far more detailed reporting on individual employee usage, including information such as redemption time, location and spend.

“From my team’s point of view, it’s easy to pull out reports that we use to monitor potential fraud,” said Antoniotti. “Also, we have automated alert reports sent on weekly basis, which would highlight potential anomalies to us.”

At the same time, the Eagle Eye AIR platform integration also provides a flexible platform for Big Table Group to manage the scheme for the future, with the ability to make instant amendments to offerings and scheme structuring.

“We have recently moved quite few of our Privilege Card offers onto the Eagle Eye AIR platform, which helps our team greatly,” she added. “It’s much easier from a restaurant’s point of view to process these. Plus, they are validated at the till point.”