Tagme digitizes the on-premises journey of restaurants with support from Microsoft Azure

With simple-to-use software that optimizes facility processes and integrates restaurant information with cloud stability and support, Tagme reaches approximately 1,700 client locations in Brazil, in approximately 130 cities across the country. 

Founded in 2009, the company began its journey by providing digital menus of imported wines. In daily contact with the demands of the food segment and seeking to solve them, the company realized the possibility of operating throughout this segment, with a strategy designed to promote disruption in this market. 

“The digital wine list was introduced in the fine dining reference restaurants as a brand positioning,” explained Roni Lacerda, CFO and COO of Tagme. “So we gain visibility, effectively validate the concept, and evolve faster. It’s a logic that remains.” 

From the digital menu to a hospitality journey 

The next step was taken in 2014. With the success of the digital wine catalogue, the company developed an online reservation and waiting list management system, pioneering in Brazil hospitality solutions for restaurants with B2B vision. To enhance the customer experience, Tagme sought inspiration from the tourism market and the idea of perishable asset management. “In tourism, there is a culture of efficiency for seat allocation,” said Lacerda. “Both the restaurant and the hotel and the plane have perishable assets; the space must be filled by a certain date and, if not, there is a loss of revenue.” 

Thus, the introduction of this concept, based on the operational safety in the management of reservations and the concept of multichannel customer capture, aims to assist the establishments in filling the seats and, consequently, increase their profitability with the occupancy of these assets.  

Expansion and stability with cloud support 

From digital wine catalog to a full menu and the development of an entire on-premises consumer journey, Tagme has also moved from a tablet to using QR codes, which allow customers to take this entire journey on their mobile phone. 

The rapid growth, with the increasing volume of platform users, has led the company to seek support for its system in Microsoft Azure and from FC Nuvem, a Microsoft partner company. “Hospitality services, especially queue management, are very sensitive, any momentary disruption causes a problem in the operation of restaurants,” said Lacerda. “Given this, one of the challenges was to improve efficiency and security at a lower cost.” 

With the COVID-19 pandemic and the need to reduce physical contact by avoiding sharing menus, restaurant digital transformation was accelerated and, to meet this demand, Tagme relied on the support of FC Nuvem, which assists the company in the sphere of cloud computing. “Because of the size of Tagme, we don’t have cloud architecture experts, so FC Nuvem helps us understand that part of the cloud and have security," added Lacerda. 

With the success of the platform, Tagme began to descend slightly from the top of the pyramid and to serve large casual dining networks, where the operation is more intense, and also other establishments, such as bars, coffee shops, and bakeries.  

Digitization against inefficiencies 

Lacerda also stated that the company will continue its journey of food market disruption, seeking to digitize the journey within the restaurant. The next step will be to incorporate a contactless ordering and payment journey into the platform. The pilot of this journey will take place in January 2022 at some Tagme base restaurants. 

“The restaurant has several inefficiencies,” explained Lacerda. “It is necessary to raise your hand to the waiter, who can take a while; it has the paper menu; to call the waiter again at the time of the bill; to bring the payment machine. There are many inefficiencies, and we are proposing that everything be within our platform.” 

Tagme’s growth is significant, and the number of people who used the app to sit in a restaurant symbolizes the transformation that occurred during the pandemic. In December 2019, the platform was used by between 500,000 to 600,000 people; in November 2021, the total number of users of the application reached 3 million. In December, 3.3 million people were seated in restaurants through Tagme. “The pandemic has accelerated digitization – the curve has changed its angle,” said Lacerda. “Customers have become more digital, and establishments have realized that this helps the operation.” Currently, the company serves 1,700 customers in approximately 130 cities throughout Brazil. 

It’s worth pointing out that the platform respects the criteria of the LGPD and the data stays with the restaurants and other establishments. Lacerda concluded by explaining why: “Our story is that we give you a look inside the establishment, create an understanding, and make a connection with the customer. It’s a pleasant journey for the user and functional for the restaurant.”