Contactless Ordering at Hop Lot Brewing Company

A Contactless Alternative to Heartland ECommerce

GoTab was built by restaurateurs for restaurateurs, so it is only fitting that some of the most successful GoTab locations are also team favorites. Such is the case with Hop Lot Brewing Company in Leelanau County, Michigan. When CEO Tim McLaughlin visited Hop Lot on vacation with his family in the summer of 2020, he knew they would be an ideal candidate for GoTab’s contactless ordering and payment solution. 

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Streamlining Operations and Increasing Sales with GoTab

Hop Lot was previously using the Heartland eCommerce solution to try and provide an “order to table” system throughout their expansive property, including a stage area and picnic tables. After Tim used their system and observed the operations, he asked to talk with a manager to explain the benefits of GoTab. Fortunately, owner Steve Lutke was on site. The two hit it off after Tim showed Steve how GoTab works and how it would massively streamline his operation and simultaneously increase sales for his customers. All seemed well and Tim went home from vacation with Steve and Hop Lot intending to try the system out.

Unfortunately, all good things come with a price and Sarah Lutke, Hop Lot's Business Controller and Steve's wife, was worried that GoTab’s card processing was (at the time) more expensive than what they were paying on Heartland. A few more phone calls and the knowledge that GoTab allows guests to open a tab (raising ticket amounts and lowering processing costs overall), the Hop Lot team decided to give GoTab a try and see what their results would be. 

Lower Cost + Better Guest Experience Than the Previous Provider

GoTab got Hop Lot up and running in about a week with their remote onboarding process. The flexible system accommodated some of the logistical problems the site had previously encountered. The area doesn’t have a large labor pool, so the brewery was able to organize their operations efficiently: drinks are run directly to tables, but food orders are picked up by guests at the designated pick up spot. When Tim called Steve several weeks later to hear his thoughts, Steve was very enthusiastic:

“I’d happily pay more than what I’m even paying now for GoTab. It works great and makes everything easier. Guests order more and are definitely happier.”

Since then, GoTab has dropped its prices and passed some costs onto the end users, which means the company is now effectively cheaper than any other eCommerce order-to-table product in the market.