SUCCESS STORY
Class’croute unifies payment collection across its franchise network with Lemonway’s PayGreen
1987
year founded, a pioneer in food delivery to businesses
~ 80
restaurants in the network, 99% of which are franchises
~ 365K
transactions processed
1987
year founded, a pioneer in food delivery to businesses
~ 80
restaurants in the network, 99% of which are franchises
~ 365K
transactions processed
A pioneer in food delivery to companies, class’croute feeds working people at their workplace every lunchtime through a network of restaurants that are overwhelmingly run as franchises.
Behind every order paid online, in-store or via the digital canteen lies the same challenge: collecting payments reliably on behalf of a network of franchisees, while accepting the full range of payment methods expected by a corporate customer base, including luncheon vouchers. This is the building block that class’croute operates using Lemonway’s PayGreen e-commerce solution.
A pioneer of corporate catering, run as a franchise network
Founded in 1987 with the opening of its first restaurant in Les Ulis, class’croute was built around a clear positioning: catering for businesses and their employees. The brand sits in a premium segment, halfway between upmarket fast food, B2B catering and the digital canteen.
The offering goes well beyond the lunch break: sandwiches and freshly prepared dishes every morning, as well as meal trays, buffets, cocktail receptions and breakfasts delivered to the office for meetings and corporate events. class’croute primarily targets working people and executives within companies, with locations chosen to suit business districts.
The network now comprises around 80 restaurants, 99% of which are run under franchise. This network structure puts payments at the centre of the business: a consistent payment collection chain is needed, one that can be rolled out restaurant by restaurant and is capable of managing flows between head office, franchisees and end customers.
Collecting payments for a franchise network: a challenge around payment methods and luncheon vouchers
Before PayGreen, class’croute’s online payment collection relied on Paybox.
During a benchmarking exercise, class’croute selected the PayGreen solution for two reasons that matched its business precisely:
- the breadth of available payment methods,
- support for dematerialised luncheon vouchers, with dedicated affiliation to networks such as Edenred.
For a brand whose customers have lunch during their working hours, accepting luncheon vouchers is not optional: it is a core payment method.
The franchise logic even extends to the way the solution is set up: a master agreement at head office level, followed by the onboarding of each new franchisee onto PayGreen. As a specialist in payment collection on behalf of third parties, Lemonway’s PayGreen solution directly addresses this type of multi-party set-up.
A fast integration, handled by the integrator
On the technical side, integration was entrusted to DWM, a partner integrator, who obtained the keys and carried out the connection. The rollout was described as smooth, with no significant sticking points.
The time between the decision and going live was short, and the rollout across the network took place without particular complexity. For a brand undergoing transformation, with a network of this size, this is a decisive point: the solution is deployed without placing a heavy burden on internal teams.
Day to day: visibility for head office, simplicity for franchisees
The most tangible benefit lies in the relationship with franchisees. Access to the supervisor platform gives head office a clear view of flows and transactions, along with the ability to explain to franchisees what has happened with a given payment, a useful feature in a network where every franchisee follows their own business closely.
Day to day, the solution makes our relationships with franchisees a lot easier. When a franchisee has a question about a transaction, we can explain what’s happening instead of being left without an answer.
Laurence Baur
IT Manager, class’croute
Onboarding a new franchisee is just as well structured. Rather than starting from scratch with a full contract, the addition is made via an amendment to the master agreement, a streamlined administrative process that speeds up the launch of each new outlet.
To onboard a new franchisee, we simply go from a master agreement to an amendment. It’s much easier for us to manage.
Laurence Baur
IT Manager, class’croute
New payment methods and an expanded roadmap
The latest version of the solution further widens the range of payment methods: Apple Pay and Google Pay have been added alongside bank cards, together with the integration of luncheon vouchers and Edenred.
For class’croute, the benefit is twofold: covering mobile usage that has become standard, while continuing to accept the payment methods specific to corporate catering. The objective remains constant: to offer as many payment methods as possible so that no legitimate customer is left without a way to pay.
What class’croute takes away from the experience
Asked whether she would recommend the solution, Laurence Baur has no hesitation, particularly for her sector: support for luncheon vouchers is a major asset for a catering brand, while acceptance of bank cards and Amex covers all types of business. Across the network, the solution has processed in the region of 365,000 transactions.
I would recommend it without hesitation. In catering in particular, support for luncheon vouchers is a major asset. And for the rest, bank card, Amex, it works for any type of business.
Laurence Baur
IT Manager, class’croute
Do you run a multi-site network or a catering business?
Lemonway’s PayGreen e-commerce solution supports brands and franchise networks with payment collection on behalf of third parties, acceptance of luncheon vouchers and the deployment of the payment methods your customers expect.
