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July. 14h. The sun is beating down, the deckchairs are full and your terrace is sold out. It's every beach bar or guinguette manager's dream. Except that behind this idyllic picture lies a well-known reality: staff are running around, orders are piling up, customers are getting impatient and you're wondering once again whether you should have recruited one more waiter.

The good news is that the solution does not necessarily lie in additional recruitment. It's in digital.

High season, a unique challenge for seasonal establishments

Beach bar, guinguette, Seasonal establishments all share the same constraints: a short business window (often 3 to 5 months), extreme peaks at weekends and during school holidays, a fast-moving clientele and teams that are often young and inexperienced. According to the’UMIH, Seasonal catering accounts for a significant proportion of the CHR business in France, with peaks in patronage that can double or even triple the usual sales figures in July and August.

Recruiting for the season is costly, time-consuming and uncertain. Training a seasonal worker takes time you don't have. And when footfall explodes on a Saturday in July, even two extra waiters aren't always enough.

This is where digitalising your business changes everything.

1. The digital QR code menu: your best seasonal feature

Imagine a menu that your customers can consult as soon as they sit down, without waiting for a waiter to drop it off. A menu that's always up to date, available in several languages for your international clientele, and accessible from any smartphone.

This is exactly what a digital menu by QR code for your beach bar or guinguette.

In practical terms, the advantages for a seasonal establishment are immediate:

• Zero lost or damaged cards no more plastic menus that end up in the sea or stained with sun cream
• Instant update How do you deal with the pressure of a dish of the day that's out of stock? You can pick it up in 30 seconds from your phone, without having to reprint anything.
• Automatic multilingual menu your summer customers come from all over the world - English, Spanish, Dutch, German - your menu can be adapted at the click of a button
• Simplified allergen compliance : the European INCO regulation requires all catering establishments to inform their customers about the 14 major allergens. With a digital menu, you can update this information in real time without having to reprint anything - and your customers can consult it directly from their phone.
• Showcasing drinks and snacks attractive photos of your cocktails and aperitif platters that make people want to order more

Your team spends less time explaining the menu and more time serving.

2. Ordering at the table: free your waiters from unnecessary round trips

In a crowded beach bar or guinguette, time wasted going back and forth is your number one enemy. A waiter who crosses the whole terrace to take an order for two squeezes, returns to the kitchen, goes back to take an additional order that a customer has “forgotten to mention”... that's time and energy wasted.

With the table order via QR code, Your customers can place their order directly from their smartphone. It arrives instantly in the kitchen or at the bar, with no intermediaries.

For your seasonal teams, it's a considerable gain:

• A server can manage two to three times as many tables simultaneously
• Order errors drastically reduced
• Less stress during rush periods
• Your seasonal workers are operational much more quickly, even without experience

And what about your customers? They can order whenever they like, without having to raise their hand or wait for a waiter to be available. In the sunshine, lounging on a deckchair, that's exactly what they're looking for.

3. Payment at the table: finish your rushes on a high note

The bill is the moment when everything can change. After a lovely afternoon by the sea, waiting 15 minutes to pay can leave a negative impression and discourage you from returning - or worse, cost you a bad Google review.

Le payment at table via QR code allows your customers to pay directly from their phone, whenever they want, dividing the bill between friends if necessary. Without waiting. Without tying up a waiter.

For you, it's also a direct financial advantage: in busy periods, a table that becomes available 10 minutes earlier means you can welcome a new customer.

4. The living QR code: change content according to the time of day and the weather

Seasonal establishments have a valuable characteristic: their atmosphere changes throughout the day. Lunch doesn't have the same menu as happy hour, and happy hour doesn't have the same menu as a party with a DJ.

With a Live QR code, You can change the content displayed in real time, without having to change the physical QR code. A single wooden or bamboo support is engraved on each table, and you can switch from the lunch menu to the evening cocktail menu in a matter of seconds from your back office.

It's also useful for :

• Inform your customers of a stock shortage without the team having to announce it table by table
• Show evening entertainment (live concerts, themed evenings)
• Highlight a current promotion

5. Customer reviews: capitalise on every good day

The season is short. Every satisfied customer is an opportunity to build your online reputation for the following year. The seasonal establishments that dominate Google Maps results often have one thing in common: they've found a simple way to ask for a review at the right time.

With PIINK Me, you can integrate an invitation to leave a review directly into your customers' digital journey - after payment, or via a dedicated QR code at reception. Some establishments even add an element of gamification A wheel of fortune that offers a drink or dessert in exchange for a review. The customer leaves with a positive memory, and you leave with a Google review.

What does this mean for your guinguette or beach bar?

To sum up what digital technology can do for a seasonal establishment during the high season:

• Your team of 3 manages as efficiently as a team of 5
• Your map is always up to date and available in several languages
• Your customers wait less and order more
• You collect Google reviews during the season, so you're better positioned the following year
• Your investment is low - PIINK Me is available from €4/month, with no commission on sales

And the installation? It takes just a few days, with no complex equipment and personalised support from our team.

Ready for a stress-free season?

Whether you run a beach bar on the Atlantic coast, a riverside guinguette or a straw hut in the Mediterranean, PIINK Me adapts to your format and your needs.

Request a free demonstration before the season starts - and head into July and August with a calm team and satisfied customers.