Last updated August 10, 2026
Contactless ordering isn’t a pandemic workaround anymore—it’s the baseline guests expect. What started as a health measure in 2020 has settled into something more useful: a faster, more flexible way to order that guests reach for because it works, not because they have to.
The venues getting the most out of it aren’t replacing service with technology. They’re using contactless ordering to remove the friction—long bar lines, waiting to flag down a server, standing in a queue to order—so staff can spend more time on the parts of hospitality that actually need a person.
Here’s what that looks like in practice.
Real Results From Real Venues
The Patch Brewery cut 40-minute beer lines to under a minute. Built on a 145-year-old family farm in Maple Ridge, British Columbia, The Patch seats more than 400 guests across a brewery, beer garden, and family-friendly grounds. On busy weekends, guests were waiting 30 to 40 minutes just to order a beer. After adding GoTab’s QR ordering and Kitchen Display System, The Patch was getting beers to tables in as little as 30 seconds—with no lines at all. Read the full case study →
Aloma Cinema & Grill had its best summer ever. At this independent dine-in theater in Winter Park, Florida, QR-code adoption now tops 80% during busy showtimes. Comparing two similarly high-volume stretches—summer 2023 versus summer 2026, after adopting GoTab—Aloma saw 21% higher net sales, 15% fewer labor hours, and roughly 42% more sales generated per labor hour. “We just had the best summer in the history of the theater in terms of revenue,” said GM Jim Matthes. “And to be honest, we couldn’t have done that without the QR code ordering.” Read the full story →
Schulman Theatres tripled sales in under a month. This 100-year-old, family-run entertainment chain had tried QR ordering before with disappointing results. After switching to GoTab’s seat-side QR ordering at its East Texas location, sales tripled to quadrupled compared to their previous system—with lower attendance. “We tried another QR code ordering system in another store and it fell flat,” said VP of Operations Jacob Schulman. “But with GoTab, we’re seeing triple or quadruple the sales compared to that other store, and that’s with less attendance. Guests love it.” Read the full case study →
The Data Behind the Results
These aren’t isolated wins. They reflect a broader shift toward what we call hybrid service—letting guests choose between a server and self-service, rather than forcing everyone through one model.
Operators running a connected hybrid model see meaningful, measurable gains: GoTab venues average $83 in sales per labor hour, 84% above the industry median, while spending about 14% less on labor than standard benchmarks—adding roughly 4 points straight to the bottom line.
“With 50–60% of orders flowing through QR codes during peak hours, the labor-saving benefits were substantial,” says Kevin Carr, Owner of Community Beer.
See the full breakdown in our Hybrid Service Model guide →
Why Contactless Ordering Works
Fewer errors, faster service. When guests enter their own order, it goes straight to the kitchen or bar exactly as they typed it—no relay through a server, no mishearing a modifier.
Guests order more when it’s effortless. A second round or an extra appetizer is a few taps away instead of a wait for a server to swing back by. Faster reorders consistently mean higher checks.
Staff time shifts to where it matters. Contactless ordering doesn’t remove servers from the floor—it removes the repetitive parts of the job (writing down orders, running cards) so they can spend more time on recommendations, checking in, and solving problems.
It doesn’t replace full service—it complements it. Guests who want a server’s attention still get it. Guests who’d rather order from their phone can do that instead, at the same tables, during the same shift. That flexibility is the point.
Contactless Ordering With GoTab
GoTab’s Mobile Order & Pay lets guests scan a QR code or tap an NFC tag to open a tab, browse the menu, reorder, and pay—all from their own phone, no app download required. It runs on the same connected system as your POS and Kitchen Display System, so every order—server-placed or guest-placed—lands in one place.
