Where F&B Meets Digital Expectations
In today’s fast-moving, convenience-driven world, grocery stores and restaurants can no longer afford to treat online presence as an afterthought. Whether you’re managing a neighbourhood grocery shop, a quick-service takeaway, or a full-service restaurant, your customers expect speed, clarity, and options—not just in person, but online too.
But here’s the issue: Many small and medium-sized F&B businesses still struggle with digital transformation. Their systems are outdated, disconnected, or missing entirely. Worse, this disconnect leads to lost orders, frustrated customers, and missed growth opportunities.
At Coremeta, we work with independent grocery stores and food businesses across the UK. We’ve identified three common mistakes that limit growth—and we’ve built a complete solution to fix them.
Let’s start with the most important (and most urgent) issue.
Table of Contents
Mistake 1: No Online Ordering or Booking Options
The Problem: You’re Invisible to Modern Shoppers
Today’s customers expect instant access to what you sell, whether that’s sourdough bread, sushi platters, or oat milk. If they can’t order online from their phone or see your product availability, they’ll likely go to a competitor who offers that convenience.
What used to be a “nice-to-have” is now an expectation:
Busy parents want to pre-order groceries for collection.
Office workers want to pre-book their lunch to avoid the queue.
Families want to order takeaway from a restaurant’s own website—not a delivery app that adds 30% markup.
If you’re only accepting walk-ins or phone calls, you’re already losing potential revenue.
Real-World Mistakes We See Often
- A local grocery shop relying only on foot traffic with no product visibility online.
- A popular restaurant only taking bookings via phone or Instagram DMs, missing dozens of potential reservations per week.
- A bakery with a beautiful menu... posted as a blurry photo on Facebook, with no way to order ahead.
- An artisan food shop with unique items—but no way for customers to browse stock online or check availability.
The Fix: Let Coremeta Power Your Online Storefront
We give you a fully connected online ordering or booking system that works hand-in-hand with your till. It’s designed specifically for grocery shops, takeaways, and restaurants—so it’s fast, mobile-friendly, and doesn’t require any tech skills to manage. You can:
- Offer click & collect or local delivery for groceries.
- Enable online table bookings synced with your calendar.
- Let customers pre-order meals or coffee from their phone.
- Accept online payments, loyalty redemptions, and discount codes.
- Manage everything from one place—no duplicate data entry.
Mistake 2: Poor Product Listings, Missing Info & No Menu Photos
The Problem: You Can’t Sell What They Can’t See
- Grocery Stores:
- No images for products—or worse, using pixelated, outdated stock photos.
- Missing product descriptions or key info like weight, quantity, and brand.
No filter or search function, making it hard to find what customers want.
- Restaurant & Takeaway
- No images of dishes—or menus shared as PDFs or social media screenshots.
- Missing pricing, ingredient info, or dietary tags (e.g. vegan, gluten-free).
- Menus not updated—items that are out of stock still appear online.
- No “add-ons” or customisation options (e.g. “Add extra cheese”).
Why It Matters
Online shoppers make decisions fast. If the information isn’t clear, appealing, and accurate, they’ll bounce—often within seconds.
Photos build trust and drive appetite.
Details reduce questions and confusion.
Accurate stock avoids order cancellations.
For restaurants especially, food is visual. A well-lit photo of your signature dish is often more powerful than a long description. For grocers, knowing the brand, quantity, and freshness of a product gives customers the confidence to click “buy.”
One Source of Truth
Sales, inventory, customer profiles, and promotions are all managed from a single, central system — no more reconciling different reports or chasing missing information.
Real-Time Synchronisation Across All Locations
Every sale, stock adjustment, and customer interaction updates instantly across all stores and online channels.
Whether you have one shop or several, your inventory stays perfectly in sync — reducing errors, preventing overselling, and ensuring customers always get the right information.
Smarter Stock Management for Multi-Store Businesses
Track stock levels across multiple stores, transfer products between locations easily, and plan restocking efficiently — all from one platform.
No more guesswork, no more silos — just full visibility and control.
Less Time on Admin, More Time on Growth
With day-to-day operations running smoothly, you and your team can spend more time on what really matters: growing the business, serving customers, and finding new opportunities.
Ready to Grow? Coremeta Scales With You
Growth should be exciting — not a logistical nightmare.Whether you’re opening a second store, expanding your product range, or launching into new online marketplaces, Coremeta’s unified EPOS system is built to scale alongside your ambitions.
Adding new physical locations is simple, with each store connecting to the same central system. Inventory, customer profiles, sales reports — everything stays seamlessly in sync across your entire business, giving you full visibility without added complexity.
As your operations grow, Coremeta gives you the flexibility to sell across more online channels, manage a larger inventory, and adapt to new customer expectations.
There’s no need to rebuild your systems or retrain your team — the platform evolves with you, helping you stay competitive, efficient, and ready for whatever comes next. With Coremeta, scaling your business isn’t a risk — it’s a natural next step.
