Yard & Coop reopens with new technology to combat COVID-19 challenges

02 July 2021

– Independent restaurant Yard & Coop has deployed new technology to reopen all its premises

– Yard & Coop accessed £150,000 finance facility through White Oak and Liberis to invest in new technology solutions

02 July 2021, London: Independent restaurant Yard & Coop has reopened its Liverpool, Manchester and Leeds premises with new technology solutions to ensure that diners can enjoy the restaurants safely. Yard & Coop first opened in 2015 in Manchester and quickly gained popularity thanks to its award-winning buttermilk fried chicken

Like many in the hospitality sector, the past year has been hugely challenging for Yard & Coop with owners Carl Morris and Laura Morris scrambling to negotiate with landlords, creditors and suppliers just to keep the business afloat. However, thanks to a partnership with independent business lenders White Oak and Liberis, Yard & Coop has been able to access a £150,000 finance facility which has allowed the business to invest in state-of-the-art technology solutions to help diners enjoy the restaurants safely

The new technology allows customers to access a menu via their smart-phones and order directly from their table without ever having to speak to staff. Carl Morris says that contact free ordering has made the customer experience better than ever. “The technology not only allows us to operate safely but has actually made the restaurants more efficient and means our staff can focus on providing quality hospitality moments,” said Morris

Most importantly, Yard & Coop has been able to bring their 94 employees back to work. Throughout this challenging year, the main concern of the owners was the mental health and well-being of their employees

Carl Morris says that the thought of the firm’s staff sitting at home alone without work was “sickening.” For the owners, even if they could not make a profit their main concern was re-opening for the benefit of their employees’ mental health and well-being. Carl Morris and Laura Morris have ambitious growth plans beyond the pandemic, but for now they are focused consolidating their business

Carl Morris, Founder and Director of Yard & Coop, said:

“The last year has been incredibly challenging for our business but we are delighted to be able to re-open all of our restaurants with new and improved safety processes and technology. The safety of diners and staff is of the utmost importance to us, so we have gone above and beyond to ensure that our restaurants are COVID-secure. We are now looking forward to getting back to creating the best fried chicken possible with the biggest smile for our customers.”

Andy Davies, Managing Director of White Oak Leases & Loans, said:

We are delighted to have played a part in Yard & Coop’s successful re-opening. We pride ourselves on being responsive to the needs of many different businesses throughout the UK, and our work with Yard & Coop is the kind of business that we have been proud to support over the past 12 months. With the UK’s economy set to bounce back this year, we look forward to continuing our partnership with Yard & Coop and small businesses across the UK as they prepare to grow and drive the coming recovery.”

Stephen Yearwood, Head of Broker, Liberis:

“We’re so thankful that the CBILs loan we provided to Yard & Coop helped them stay in business and kept their many staff members employed. Their experience through the pandemic underscores the importance of small businesses having better access to business finance. Since 2007, it’s been our mission to provide small businesses with accessible and responsive finance and we hope to give more businesses the ability and confidence to use finance as a positive tool for growth.”

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