This week, Chris sits down with Victor Lugger, co-founder of Big Mamma and Sunday, to unpack how “invisible tech” (think: pay-at-table that just works) can lift guest experience, speed up service, and actually reduce the tech clutter on the floor. From 31 trattorias across 8 countries to Sunday now processing $4.2bn and hitting ~90% adoption in London, Victor shares the operator’s lens on what matters: faster, simpler payments; more time for hospitality; and real-world KPIs that move the P&L.
Why “less tech, better service” wins: replacing terminals with phone-based payment, not piling on more tools.
Adoption that sticks: 70% in months → ~85–90% in the UK when teams offer the option properly.
Guest experience uplift: table turns +12–16% at busy brands; reviews surge when the Google prompt sits right after payment.
Tips up, teams happier: 2–4× tips (UK) and ~+12% (US) thanks to AI-powered tip prompts.
Loyalty that finally works in full-service: ~52% of Sunday payers enrol vs 2–5% on terminals; earn/burn becomes seamless.
Enterprise scale: POS-agnostic (24+ integrations), terminals + pay-at-table + hybrid ordering where it fits.
The “guest app” vision: payment as the universal touchpoint to identify 70–100% of guests and trigger CRM/loyalty, not just bookings.
00:00 Intro & sponsor: Lightspeed Restaurant
01:05 Meet Victor: Big Mamma (affordable luxury) → Sunday (pay-at-table)
07:20 Why paying is broken — and how Sunday made it 5-second simple
12:10 Staff first: freeing servers for real hospitality, not card machines
16:40 Adoption drivers: the team makes the metric
21:15 Fine dining vs casual: why higher spenders adopt more
25:30 Reviews & revenue: faster turns, Google love, real KPIs
31:45 Loyalty that isn’t cringe: enrol, earn, burn without friction
38:20 US scale, data-led operators, +12% tips
44:05 AI in practice: smarter tip options; ordering patterns; service recovery
51:10 UK market maturity: bookings, POS, checkout, CRM
56:00 What’s next: Dubai & US for Big Mamma; Sunday’s guest-app flywheel
59:30 Where to find Sunday & wrap-up
“We’re not adding tech — we’re replacing old tech with something guests already have in their pocket.”
“Give guests the option. If 82% choose phone, we’re doing something right.”
“With Sunday, tips are 2–4× higher in the UK and about +12% in the US.”
“On Sunday payments, ~52% of guests enrol to loyalty. On terminals it’s 2–5%.”
“Dishoom Shoreditch went from ~10k reviews at 4.4 to ~38k at 4.8 in 18 months.”
Victor Lugger — Co-founder, Big Mamma & Sunday
Website: sundayapp.com
(Also live on the Tech on Toast Marketplace.)
Lightspeed Restaurant — the point of sale and payments platform helping operators fly through the festive rush and beyond.
Big Mamma: 31 sites, 8 countries; Dubai opening; US expansion.
Sunday: pay-at-table, terminals, hybrid ordering; 24+ POS integrations; $4.2bn processed YTD.
Operators: want the numbers behind adoption, tips and table turns? Take our Tech Check and we’ll map your stack and intros.
Suppliers: interested in a case study or Shift Talk slot? Get in touch via Tech on Toast.
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