Europa SC is the first shopping center in Slovakia to introduce a new food court with a unique digital ordering system. Thanks to the cooperation of three teams of the CBRE real estate consulting company, the extensive renovation was completed on time and during the full operation of the center. The combination of a modern environment with a varied selection of food, including digital kiosks and an application, has already delighted thousands of visitors.
Thanks to the professional cooperation of three teams of CBRE Slovakia, it was possible to reconstruct the food court of the Europa SC shopping center in record time and during full operation. The Property management department, BCD (Building Consultancy Department) and the Retail Agency rental department participated in the project.
"The transformation of the gastrozone from the beginning to the expected opening took less than four months. The result is a modern gastronomic zone with flavors and aromas from all over the world."
"We captured the entire reconstruction project-wise. We were based on the architectural study of the renowned studio CHAPMAN TAYLOR. Later, as part of the entire process, a tender was held for the contractor of construction works, and we selected the Slovak company Bauska from the selection process. The whole process was managed and the implementation was supervised by colleagues from our department," adds Tomáš Pecek, director of the project management and architecture department.
As for the amount of capital, it was a major investment in this building. "We are very happy that we could bring the latest trends and innovations to Banská Bystrica to our visitors. Thank you to all parties involved in this project from start to finish. We are very satisfied with the result and implementation and look forward to all future collaborations," says Filip Škrášek, Asset Manager of the center representing investors from CBRE Investment Management Central Europe s.r.o.
The added value of the entire project is a unique innovation that is installed for the first time in the retail segment in Slovakia. Digital kiosks serve center visitors as a central point for ordering in all food court operations. At the same time, all visitors and employees of all Europa SC establishments have an ordering application at their disposal, which simplifies the ordering process, relieves the staffing capacity of food units at the cash register, and also saves food court customers the time they would spend waiting in lines.
"Controlling the digital kiosks as well as using the mobile application is very intuitive and simple. You choose the order panel according to which establishment you want to eat at. In the first round, the system will offer you the option of eating on site or packing food to go. Then you select the food and adjust it according to your preferences. You can pay everything via NFC payment by placing your card or phone in the lower right corner. At the end, you choose whether you want to print the note with the order number or send it by email. We recommend the second variant of the service, which is more ecological. According to the assigned order number, you then just monitor the status of its equipment on the digital screen, which you can find in the upper part of every gastro establishment," explains Beáta Patáková, Junior Center Manager.
If you order through the app, the process is similar. You choose an establishment and select your preferred meal. You pay through the payment gateway and you can track its status on the screen in the selected store using the order number. In practice, this means that you can order food from anywhere, even before you pick it up at the new food court. This is a great advantage for visitors to the center, but also for employees, who can now use the food court services very quickly and efficiently.
The supplier of the application and kiosks is the Slovak company EATSTER, which develops an ecosystem of products for the digitization of ordering processes.
The annual CBRE Shopping Center Index survey confirms that after the pandemic, shopping center customers have returned to dining outside their homes, and only the varied offer of F&B (Food and Beverages) establishments meets their ideas about modern eating and discovering new experiences in gastronomy. The survey thus showed that people are looking for a wide variety of tastes and also have a need to share time with their loved ones, while sitting with quality food and drinks is absolutely essential for them. Abroad, shopping centers are no exception, which for this very reason doubled the number of seats and, in general, the area intended for eating. Today, customers expect a unique atmosphere, a varied mix of offers and high-quality service from chain and local fast-food operators in the centers.
"Changes in preferences were also visible in the case of Europa SC. Finally, the impetus for the change was also the technical amortization of the food court, since the center was already opened in 2006. While before the reconstruction, our gastrozone had 850 m2, six restaurant concepts and two kiosks, currently visitors can choose from nine out of ten completely new concepts that complete one stand. The current original tenants also modified their facilities and at the same time offered a renewed menu made from quality ingredients."
"The priority when choosing the mix of tenants was a variety of tastes from all over the world. Based on our many years of experience in retail, we approached a wide range of food operators from all over Slovakia. We are happy that we could bring specialties from the Asian continent, from America, but also Italian pasta or traditional specialties from Slovak cuisine to the visitors," adds Tomáš Lörincz. The operations in the new food court will soon be joined by the world-famous giant KFC with a state-of-the-art concept, which will open its doors in the first quarter of 2024.
Shopping centers today create a cultural environment that goes beyond shopping. It gives visitors time to have fun, relax and enjoy their food. Of course, if they stay longer in the center and return repeatedly, they increase the income of the tenants. Thanks to a varied menu of food, drinks and new comfortable seating in the gastrozone, the Europa SC management expects an increase in traffic and sales. Finally, data from EATSTER shows that customers create 15% more orders thanks to kiosks, and the order is 15-20% higher than when ordering with a waiter. Another new trend is visitors' emphasis on environmental protection. In the Europa SC food court, since 2015, they do not use single-use plastic, but reusable ceramic dishes, classic cutlery and trays made of eco-material. The shopping center also has an ecological waste management policy and has been sorting waste since its opening.
