What Greggs Can Teach Us About Using AI in Small Business

By Ross Deane, AI Sidekick

You might not immediately think of Greggs when someone brings up artificial intelligence—but stick with me.

Greggs has built a reputation for consistency. You walk into one in Newcastle or one in Norwich, and you know what you’re getting: a sausage roll that tastes exactly like the last one. It’s affordable, fast, and above all—reliable.

There’s a lesson there for small businesses thinking about using AI.

Greggs isn’t trying to reinvent the wheel. It’s not serving edible QR codes or offering pastries flown in by drone. What it does do brilliantly is standardise the process, keep it efficient, and meet customer expectations every time.

The same thinking applies when bringing AI into your business. It’s not about trying to build the next ChatGPT or automating everything within an inch of its life—it’s about finding repeatable tasks that can be handled consistently, so you can focus on the bits that need a human touch.

Here’s where AI fits in well:

• Writing product descriptions or captions that always sound like you.
• Sending out follow-up emails based on common queries.
• Organising customer feedback into themes you can act on.

None of this is groundbreaking—but when it’s done well, it saves you hours and keeps your business humming along.

Greggs isn’t famous for what happens in the kitchen. But that quiet consistency in the background is what powers the whole operation.

The best AI setups work the same way. They’re not there to replace you—they’re there to take care of the predictable stuff, so you can crack on with the creative, strategic, and human bits.

AI doesn’t have to be complicated

If you’ve been putting off using AI because it feels overwhelming, just remember: you don’t need to go full Silicon Valley. Start where Greggs would—one process, done well, every time.

And if you want a hand figuring out where that first slice of automation should go, give me a shout. I promise there’ll be no jargon, no hype—just practical help that makes life easier.