How Dines helped Mercato Metropolitano cut service times in half and run smoother at scale
A fast, flexible restaurant POS system in the UK, with integrated payments built for busy teams and high-volume service.
The Challenge
The challenge
A food hall lives or dies by flow. Dozens of traders, hundreds of customers, thousands of decisions happening simultaneously. When it works, it's seamless - guests browse, order, eat, return. When it doesn't, the whole thing grinds to a halt. At Mercato Metropolitano, these pain points needed addressed. Slow payments, queues backing up at one trader while others stood idle, staff firefighting technology instead of serving customers. During peak hours, a single failed payment could ripple across the entire hall - one bottleneck becoming multiple, frustrated guests walking away, traders losing sales they'd never get back. Behind the scenes, the picture was just as fragmented. With multiple independent traders under one roof, there was no clear view of what was actually happening. Which traders were performing? How often were customers returning - and to whom? Settlements between traders were a manual headache. Reporting was scattered across systems that didn't talk to each other, making it nearly impossible to spot patterns, track customer journeys, or make data-driven decisions with any confidence. The team knew what they needed: a system that could unify the chaos. Centralised reporting across every trader. Visibility into customer behaviour and return visits. Mobile ordering to ease pressure at the counter. Streamlined settlements that didn't require hours of reconciliation. Not just a faster way to take payments, but a smarter way to run a food hall.
The Solution
The partnership
Mercato partnered with Dines to bring speed, stability and simplicity to their service operation. The aim was to give staff a system that felt natural from day one and performed consistently through every service. Dines rolled out a modern EPOS system for iPad across the marketplace, supported by mobile payment terminals and a single, connected payment solution. Onboarding was quick, with each trader set up within a morning on a clear and intuitive interface designed for high-volume environments. Ordering, payments and reporting were brought into one connected flow so staff could work faster and with less stress. Teams noticed the difference immediately. The system was straightforward to learn, responsive during peak periods and removed many of the daily headaches caused by their previous setup. The marketplace model can be complex, but Dines gave traders a smooth way to take orders, manage payments and keep queues moving, all while giving managers a clearer view of what was happening across the site.
“It's the most intuitive system that I've used. It solved all of my major headaches.”
Tom Howe
General Manager, Mercato Metropolitano
The Results
The results
Since adopting Dines, Mercato Metropolitano has seen a clear uplift in operational performance. Speed of service has halved compared to what they had before, allowing staff to serve more guests, reduce queue times and keep service steady even during their busiest hours. Teams now spend less time troubleshooting and more time focused on guests. The improved speed and stability created a calmer working environment, with a noticeable reduction in service friction. Guests move through the venue faster, traders have more confidence in their setup and managers can make decisions based on clear, real-time insight. Dines helped give the venue a more predictable rhythm, better oversight and a platform that supports both the team and the guest experience.
“Speed of service has probably halved to what we were before, and we've seen a 10% uplift in the number of transactions served.”
Tom Howe
General Manager, Mercato Metropolitano
What's Next
What's next
With a reliable POS and payment system in place, Mercato is well positioned to continue improving service and exploring new revenue streams across its sites. Dines will keep supporting the team with ongoing improvements, new features like vouchers and redeemables, as well as the insight and tools that help them run faster and more confidently.
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