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GoTab Helps Bagels ‘n Grinds Find New Ways to Feed its Community

Lending the platform's takeout features to bring bagels to the Potomac community and add much-needed revenue stream

Owner Adam Greenberg is the epitome of a community leader. Along with his team, he constantly strives to connect with his Maryland community at his restaurants - Bagels ‘n Grinds, College Park Grill, and family favorite Potomac Pizza. When the pandemic hit, he tapped restaurant commerce platform GoTab to set up a pop-up site that would help him feed the community with his popular NY-style bagels. With sales down 80-85%, he also needed to add a much-needed revenue stream to his business and quickly pivot to keep his staff employed and his customers happy.

A Fast and Easy-to-Implement Solution

Since the standard POS system used at all of his restaurants couldn’t help set up the pop-up site he had envisioned, Adam searched for a cost-efficient, easy and fast technology solution and ultimately found GoTab. The onboarding team was nimble and launched the online ordering platform in no time, giving Adam and his team the ability to quickly activate the innovative features available for takeout and curbside pickup. After the Bagels ‘n Grinds pop-up launched, the GoTab Customer Success team remained available to assist with anything Adam and his team needed. “Customer service was fantastic - always available and so helpful,” said Adam Greenberg, Owner of Bagels ‘n Grinds.

A Streamlined Ordering Process & Intuitive Features

With a host of features available for operators looking to streamline online ordering, GoTab was able to provide Adam and his team with an alternate revenue stream when in-room dining shut down and curbside takeout became the norm. Adam’s list of requirements perfectly aligned with the intuitive features GoTab offers: he needed an online ordering tool that could let him offer a specific pick-up date and time window, manage the ordering cut-off time and seamlessly update the menu, as well as allow customers to order up to 7 days in advance. With GoTab, he was able to create a branded online menu complete with images of the bagels, spreads and lox available for Saturday curbside pickup every weekend. The platform’s scheduling capabilities allowed guests to book their preferred pickup date and time, and receive customized pickup instructions. GoTab also allowed Adam and his team to print packing slips and seamlessly organize order fulfillment so that everything was ready for customers pulling up to pick up their bagels every Saturday morning. 

Enhanced Guest Communications & Marketing Tools

With the online menu easily accessible via a direct link, Adam was able to promote his Bagels ‘n Grinds pop-up site to his entire customer list via email blasts. He and his team were also able to communicate directly with guests via GoTab’s two-way text communications. When customers were running late or needed to update their pickup time or wanted their orders dropped off in their trunk at curbside pickup, they could easily communicate with the team. 

Adam and his team could also check on customers and their orders via text messages, ensuring guest satisfaction and adding their own signature hospitality touch to the new takeout experience. “As in-person interaction was limited, having the ability to connect with our customers via text messages was key,” he added. “We also used two-way text communications to remind everyone to place their orders on Friday mornings, and texting is where we saw the highest conversion rate.” 

At the height of the pandemic, Adam and his team were able to handle 150 orders per week and more than 2,000 bagels per weekend. The pop-up created a new lifeline for his business as well as a new way for him to connect with his community. As he continues to offer weekend bagel pick-up orders via GoTab, he is also thinking up new ways to leverage the platform for programs at his pizzerias, from back-to-school picnics to school group pizza orders.

 “As in-person interaction was limited, having the ability to connect with our customers via text messages was key. We also used two-way text communications to remind everyone to place their orders on Friday mornings, and texting is where we saw the highest conversion rate."

– Adam Greenberg, Owner of Bagels 'n Grinds

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Situated “in the heart of it all, yet tranquil enough to make you feel away from it all too,” The Limelight Hotel Snowmass offers 99 hotel rooms and 11 residences, as well as footsteps-to-gondola access in winter and summer — right in the middle of Snowmass Base Village.

The Situation

Especially over the last few years, the Limelight Hotels IT team had witnessed a significant shift to contactless technology in the hospitality industry. After evaluating friction points in the guest journey, aligning with modern technology platforms in their restaurant was determined to be an effective way to offer elevated contactless dining experiences to their guests while also evolving their technology platforms to continue to support long-term company goals. Limelight Hotel partnered with GoTab to provide an enhanced on-demand dining experience on par with the brand’s reputation for exceptional guest service.

The Solution

Reducing Staff Touch Points Without Sacrificing Guest Experience

Guests are now able to begin a tab from their room or the property’s restaurant by scanning a QR code, texting a link to friends or family members on the ski slope to add in their orders, then meeting up together at the patio or lodge to enjoy their meal and après ski festivities without interruption. By streamlining tasks like inputting orders and processing payments, this eliminates friction for hotel staff and allows them to focus on delivering renowned guest service for a memorable experience. Since partnering with GoTab, Limelight Snowmass has consistently seen higher check averages and sales.

“We found the Point of Sale platforms we were looking at offered the guest and staff limited opportunities to further reduce touch points or improve the traditional restaurant experience. The GoTab platform enabled the guest to take an active role over the flow of their experience while simultaneously reducing touch points and further streamlining restaurant operations.”Nick Giglio, Manager of Hotel IT Operations, The Little Nell Hotel Group

According to the Limelight Hotels team, some of the other platforms that were evaluated were either missing some of the pieces they were looking for, had weak customer support models, or had little willingness to develop integrations to existing hotel platforms already in place. To that end, GoTab integrated with cloud-based platform, Infor. Together, GoTab and Infor are providing dynamic solutions to support central, efficient service across hotel amenities and deliver exceptional guest experiences.

“Previously, guests would call down to the restaurant to begin an order from their room or while they were out enjoying the ski slopes. Using GoTab, guests can now place orders from anywhere on the resort, giving them the on-demand service they want without interrupting their day. GoTab empowers us to give control to the guest, reducing touch points and streamlining overall restaurant operations, making Limelight Hotel the resort of choice for Snowmass.”Nick Giglio, Manager of Hotel IT Operations, The Little Nell Hotel Group

Since introducing GoTab, The Limelight Hotel has seen a consistent level of upsells and items sold per check resulting in additional revenue capture. They have been able to maintain service levels in their restaurants during periods when there was reduced staffing available without significantly diminishing the guest experience.

The Benefits

Eliminate Phone Orders – Take Orders from the Slopes. Guests can start a tab from their room or on the mountain without interrupting the flow of their day.

Future-Proofed Technologies – Delivering elevated contactless ordering via integration with the Infor hotel management platform.

Eliminating Friction in the Guest Journey – Maintaining service levels during periods of reduced staff without diminishing the guest experience.

  • Eliminating Friction in the Guest Journey – Maintaining service levels during periods of reduced staff without diminishing the guest experience.
  • Eliminating Friction in the Guest Journey – Maintaining service levels during periods of reduced staff without diminishing the guest experience.
  • Eliminating Friction in the Guest Journey – Maintaining service levels during periods of reduced staff without diminishing the guest experience.
  • Eliminating Friction in the Guest Journey – Maintaining service levels during periods of reduced staff without diminishing the guest experience.

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