Copper & Ink – home away from home

Situated in the heart of Blackheath village, Copper & Ink is a modern British restaurant with influences from classic French and Scandinavian cuisine. Their monthly changing five-course taster menu is created using the best seasonal produce. Chef Patron, Tony Rodd, and Head Chef, Rob Parks, bring their artistry together to produce stunning plates of food that are full of flavour and theatre.

Tony and his partner Becky wanted to bridge the gap between a traditional, stuffy high-end restaurant and a local, casual dining spot. The restaurant encapsulates this ethos as a relaxed and comfortable environment where customers can enjoy bespoke artwork by local artist Liam Brazier, delicious food, and an eclectic mix of music.

When Tony and Becky set out to create Copper & Ink they wanted to ensure that they collaborated with both local suppliers and those who provide ethically sourced produce, as well as involving the local community by providing a space for them to feel at home away from home.

Lolly goes bespoke for Copper & Ink

Tony Rodd explains the help they have received from Lolly from the outset and during the restaurant’s opening at the beginning 2019.

“Lolly has been with us on this journey since we started. They have really got to grips with our fine dining approach, and adapted to meet our requirements. Our taster menus change on a monthly basis where we offer six dishes, which each need to be paired with specially selected wines.”

The Point of Sale (PoS) system needs to seamlessly communicate with and between the kitchen, restaurant, and bar, and everyone working in these areas needs to know what the other teams are working on. The Lolly technology keeps them all informed.

In total, there are three Lolly Pros within the restaurant, which are complemented by a kitchen system (providing order updates), along with a printer for the pass and bar.

“The back-office functionality has also been extremely useful. We’ll sometimes have bets in the kitchen as to which a la carte dish will be the biggest seller one night. At the end of the day we can then look at the Lolly system to give us that information! It’s an excellent way of keeping on top of stock ordering and avoiding wastage,” adds Tony.

“Our front of house and kitchen staff all find the system clear and easy to use. I think this is vital in a busy and hard-working hospitality environment. It’s important for them to be able to access information quickly and easily - there is little room for error. The system has made our lives so much easier and helped us to do our work as efficiently as possible.”

The future – hospitality post-Covid 19

Intent on protecting staff and customers, Copper & Ink immediately closed with the onset of the Coronavirus. Tony Rodd, adds:

“During Covid-19, we have spent our time looking at how we will re-emerge and what we will focus on. The safety of all those around us will remain paramount, and we have looked at the measures required within the restaurant itself.

“We have also looked into the possibility of a takeaway service, and how we will integrate the system to support both the restaurant dining and takeaway. We are committed to opening only when it becomes safe and financially viable to do so.”

Looking to the future

Peter Moore, CEO at Lolly, added: “Copper & Ink is a fantastic restaurant and has been well-received by the local community. We were thrilled to work with Tony and Becky from the outset, and we wanted to develop a system to suit their exact requirements. This took a great deal of time to develop, but we are all so proud of what has been achieved.

“These have been such testing times for hospitality providers, but Tony and Becky have huge vision, and I believe will create some new and exciting concepts for Copper & Ink – securing its future as a go-to venue.”