St John’s Fish Bar

St John's Fish Bar turned to Tinderhouse during the Covid-19 pandemic to help rapidly launch Click-and-Collect and Home Delivery services for two of their fast food outlets. With just weeks to go live, they needed an e-commerce solution that could be deployed quickly, integrated with their existing operations, and managed easily by their staff—all without the high commissions charged by third-party delivery platforms.

The Challenge

As the Covid-19 pandemic forced restaurants to adapt quickly, St John's Fish Bar faced several urgent requirements:

• Speed to Market: They needed a fully functional online ordering system within weeks, not months
• Dual Service Model: The solution had to support both click-and-collect and home delivery with different workflows
• Integration Requirements: New orders needed to print automatically in the kitchen without staff monitoring a computer
• No Technical Expertise: Staff needed a system that was simple to manage without extensive training
• Cost Control: They wanted to own their customer relationships rather than paying 20-30% commissions to delivery aggregators
• Multi-Location Support: The system needed to handle two separate outlets with independent menus and delivery zones

Our Solution

Not satisfied with having to rely on services like Deliveroo or Uber Eats, St John's Fish Bar wanted to launch their own website to take click-and-collect orders as well as local home delivery orders. Tinderhouse delivered a comprehensive Shopify-based e-commerce solution that addressed all their requirements.

Custom Shopify Theme Development

We designed and built a custom Shopify theme specifically tailored to the fast food ordering experience. Unlike generic e-commerce themes, our Shopify development work created an interface optimized for quick menu browsing, easy option selection, and streamlined checkout—essential for hungry customers wanting to order quickly.

The custom theme includes:

• Clear Menu Categories: Easy navigation through starters, mains, sides, and drinks
• Product Options: Customizable items (e.g., choice of sauce, portion sizes)
• Visual Appeal: Mouth-watering food photography with responsive design across all devices
• Fast Checkout: Minimal steps from menu selection to order confirmation

Advanced Order Management

Tinderhouse configured Shopify's powerful order management system to handle the unique requirements of a dual-service fast food operation:

• Delivery Zones: Geographic targeting to ensure orders are only accepted within serviceable areas
• Time Slot Management: Customers select collection or delivery time slots, preventing kitchen overload
• Separate Service Types: Clear distinction between click-and-collect and delivery orders
• Order Modifications: Staff can easily manage order changes or cancellations through Shopify admin

Seamless Printer Integration

One of the most innovative aspects of this Shopify integration project was connecting Shopify's ordering platform directly to the kitchen printer system. We implemented Star Cloudprnt technology connected to Star TSP654II wireless printers, creating a fully automated workflow:

1. Customer completes payment on the website
2. Order is instantly sent to Shopify's order system
3. Order ticket prints automatically in the kitchen within seconds
4. Staff can start preparing immediately—no monitoring required

This automation means staff never miss an order and can focus entirely on food preparation rather than checking screens or manually entering orders.

Why Shopify?

We recommended Shopify as the foundation for several strategic reasons:

• Rapid Deployment: Shopify's infrastructure allowed us to launch within weeks, not months
• Proven Reliability: Handles high traffic without downtime—critical during peak ordering periods
• Secure Payments: PCI-compliant payment processing built-in
• Easy Management: Non-technical staff can update menus, pricing, and availability
• Scalable: Can easily expand to additional locations or add features like loyalty programs
• Cost-Effective: Lower total cost of ownership compared to custom-built solutions

The Results

The Shopify-powered ordering system launched successfully during the height of the pandemic and delivered impressive outcomes:

• Rapid Launch: Live and taking orders within 3 weeks of project kickoff
• Operational Efficiency: 100% order automation—zero manual entry or monitoring required
• Commission Savings: Eliminated third-party platform fees, keeping 100% of order revenue
• Customer Satisfaction: Direct relationships with customers, repeat order history, and personalized service
• Staff Adoption: Non-technical staff mastered Shopify admin within days
• Reliability: Zero downtime during peak ordering periods (Friday evenings, weekends)
• Scalability: Successfully supporting two locations with potential for easy expansion

The automatic printer integration proved particularly valuable—staff could focus entirely on food quality and fulfillment rather than order management, leading to faster service and fewer errors.

Technical Highlights

This project showcased our expertise in Shopify custom development and third-party integrations:

• Platform: Shopify e-commerce with custom theme development
• Payment Processing: Shopify Payments for secure transactions
• Printer Integration: Star Cloudprnt API integration with Star TSP654II wireless printers
• Geolocation: Custom delivery zone mapping and validation
• Time Management: Custom slot booking system integrated with Shopify orders
• Responsive Design: Mobile-optimized ordering experience (60%+ of orders via mobile)

This combination of Shopify's robust e-commerce capabilities with custom integrations and theme development demonstrates our ability to deliver tailored solutions that perfectly match client needs.

Interested in a Shopify website for your restaurant or shop?

Whether you need online ordering, click-and-collect, delivery management, or complex integrations like automated printing systems, our Shopify development services can deliver a solution tailored to your business. Get in touch to discuss how we can set you up with a professional Shopify website and start taking online orders—without the high commissions of third-party platforms.