DaGrasso is Poland’s largest takeaway pizza franchise. Founded in 2006 and headquartered in Warsaw, it now operates 175 pizzerias in nearly 150 cities. To increase efficiency and build upon the service that it offers to customers, an up to date, cashless payment solution which reflected its image as a modern pizza chain was required.

The primary objective was to enable card payments both on-site and at the point of delivery on top of additional services; the ability to receive cashback while paying for food in store and upon delivery, and in the case of foreign clients, payment in their own currency.

Discussing the need for a new cashless payment solution, Sebastian Gołębiowski, IT Department Manager at DaGrasso said, “Since our average bill does not exceed 50 PLN, contactless payments are very convenient from our customers’ point of view. It is a quick, easy and secure payment method, which removes the need for cash.”

DaGrasso sought a processing agent, able to offer fast, convenient and secure cashless payments. The structure of the franchise chain also meant that the chosen partner had to offer a flexible approach to the company’s needs.

Following a competitive tender, SIX Payment Services conducted an in-depth analysis of DaGrasso’s requirements and developed a comprehensive payment solution that supported cashless payments across the chain. The stores and delivery drivers have been equipped with portable terminals IWL 220, which offer the following capabilities:

• Card payments
  • Standard and contactless payments at point of sale or directly from the courier.
  • Payment by VISA, MasterCard, Maestro, VPay, Diners Club, Discover, posted the next business day.
• Cashback
  • Enables a customer to withdraw cash to the amount of 300 PLN, either in store or from a delivery driver, should he or she pay with card for goods or services.
• Dynamic Currency Conversion
  • Customers from abroad can choose whether to pay in local or their own domestic currency
  • DCC operates in retail outlets and on the internet
  • Brings benefits to the merchant, as well as for cardholders in the form of the best exchange rate and rate guarantee
  • The merchant participates in the profits from payments in foreign currency
• Orders processing
  • Dedicated POS terminal application prepared by SIX partner, Hilltech company, opens another channel of communication between the client and the retailer. Orders from the website are redirected to the customer’s nearest outlet and printed on the terminal. In response, the store, via the terminal, confirms the order and sends the customer the estimated time of delivery. The application facilitates the monitoring of orders in the DaGrasso system and allows franchise owners to eliminate the uncontrolled sale.

Despite cash continuing to be the dominant method of payment in Poland, the number of card transactions is on the rise and customers have displayed an increasing interest in paying by card. This was the driving factor behind the decision to fit DaGrasso stores with additional terminals.

Gołębiowski believes the investment in the new payment infrastructure has been worthwhile.

“DCC and cashback services are complementary to our offer. It should be noted that both services are dedicated to different groups of customers. DCC, or Dynamic Currency Conversion, is appreciated by foreign customers looking to pay in their domestic currency. On the other hand cashback is an alternative to an ATM. Imagine a situation in which a customer orders food to be delivered and pays with card, but at the same time our driver brings him 200 PLN  in cash needed to cover the next day’s expenses. This is a service of low operational impact to DaGrasso, which can influence customers to choose our restaurants.”

Commenting on the partnership with SIX Payment Services he said; “We view the collaborative approach very positively and look forward to further joint steps, such as activating mobile payments. We are currently observing the spread of mobile payments in Poland and I believe it is something we will look to implement in the future as we constantly look to meet the evolving needs of our customers.”