Lane 7
- Industry
- Leisure & Entertainment
Product features
Lane 7 is a competitive socialising venue where guests move constantly between bowling lanes, darts, shuffleboard, and ping pong. With 20 locations across the UK and Europe, and a further five family-focused venues under its Level X and Gutterball Alley brands, Lane 7 has built its reputation on delivering "all your great nights in one". Think multiple gaming experiences combined with quality food and drink service.
However, keeping up with guests who never stay in one place creates a significant operational challenge.
The challenge: Serving customers on the move
Lane 7 venues are designed with movement in mind. Most guests don't sit at tables – they rotate between a vast array of activities, including darts, bowling, roller skating, shuffleboard, and indoor cricket. It’s great fun for guests, but makes traditional payment and ordering systems impractical.
“With our previous payments provider, our teams used multiple devices to take mobile orders,” says John Roberts, Head of IT at Lane 7. “We had a tablet and the card machine that staff had to walk around the venues with.”
This fragmented approach created inefficiencies, required more team members on the floor, and slowed down service at precisely the moments when speed mattered most. For a business experiencing rapid growth - Lane 7 is opening six to seven new venues per year - this clunky system wasn't scalable. What it needed was a solution that could keep pace with both its guests and ambitious growth plans.
The solution: Integrated mobile payments
Lane 7 turned to Dojo for a comprehensive payment solution that could match the energy and pace of their venues. “We switched to Dojo as soon as we learned it could deliver an integrated device that could take orders and payments,” says Roberts.
The implementation focused on two key products working in harmony.
Dojo Pocket became the game-changer for mobile service. These all-in-one devices combine order-taking and payment processing in a single portable unit. Orders print directly in the kitchen and bar areas, with drinks delivered to wherever guests are situated.
“We have between 10 and 20 Dojo Pockets per venue, and they've been instrumental in helping our teams take orders and payments while moving around Lane7 venues. Rather than having multiple tablets and credit card machines, we now have a single device, allowing us to provide more service on the move and at the table,” says Roberts.
Dojo Go devices handle high-volume areas. At bars, reception desks, and other customer-facing points, Dojo Go terminals provide reliable, fast payments that keep queues moving even during peak times. “The combination of Dojo Pocket and Dojo Go means we can continuously take payments, no matter what's going on in the venue,” says Roberts.
Both systems integrate seamlessly with Tevalis, Lane 7's EPOS and management platform. This integration means orders flow automatically through the business systems without manual re-entry or reconciliation headaches.
The results: Efficiency meets experience
Operational impact for Lane 7 has been significant. The customer experience improved immediately – guests no longer need to interrupt their gameplay to order food and drinks. Instead, service happens around them, allowing them to stay immersed in their activities.
The system's reliability has proven crucial for a business in rapid expansion. Built-in 4G connectivity ensures payments continue to process, even if venues experience WiFi issues. For a business consistently opening new venues, this reliability removes a major operational risk.
And integration with Tevalis has eliminated technical barriers. "Integrating Tevalis and other third-party suppliers with Dojo has been incredibly easy," says Roberts. "It's very difficult to find a third-party supplier that doesn't integrate with Dojo."
Perhaps most importantly, Roberts says the solution has scaled effortlessly in tandem with the business. “As Lane 7 expands into Ireland and Europe, Dojo’s ability to move quickly has been invaluable. We know we can set up a new account and have devices sent out quickly to new venues so we’re fully prepared on opening day.”
For competitive socialising venues where customer experience depends on seamless service, Lane 7 demonstrates how the right payment infrastructure can transform operations whilst supporting ambitious growth.
