In September 2020 with many pandemic restrictions still in place, Ridgewells, the exclusive caterer and concessionaire for the U.S. Open Men’s Golf Championship, saw an opportunity to enhance the ‘fanless’ experience at the championship at Winged Foot Golf Club with the integration of GoTab technology
GoTab Brings Contactless Technology to the 2020 U.S. Open Men’s Golf Championship at Winged Foot Golf Club
As pandemic restrictions were implemented in March 2020, D.C.-based catering company Ridgewells Catering pivoted quickly. Ridgewells sought a partner that could get the company’s new at-home meal concept, Ridgewells Eats, online fast. That’s when GoTab became a key partner for the Ridgewells team. GoTab provided an easy-to-use platform to sell a new line of meal options for takeout and delivery.
Evolving the platform for food and beverage service at a major golf championship
Fast forward to September 2020. With many restrictions still in place, Ridgewells, the exclusive caterer for the U.S. Open Men’s Golf Championship, saw an opportunity. They looked to enhance the ‘fanless’ experience at the championship at Winged Foot Golf Club with GoTab.
GoTab adapted its flexible solution for restaurant contactless ordering and payment. GoTab supported Ridgewells’ food and beverage program at this world-renowned major sporting event. They teamed to support players, caddies, essential workers and volunteers during the week-long event.
Ridgewells used the GoTab platform for three experiences at the U.S. Open:
On-site ordering and pickup at The Player Grill; a service for players and their caddies to pre-order meals
Pre-order and on-site ordering for vendors working the event
Contactless, in-seat ordering for table service at the Winged Foot Golf Club outdoor area
The partnership proved to be successful for both GoTab and Ridgewells. It added a great deal of value to the hospitality spaces serviced by the Ridgewells team. They found that the vendors that embraced GoTab quickly became repeat customers. They really appreciated how easy it was to place orders without having to download an app.
Excited to bring its contactless technology into a different environment, GoTab deployed new features such as zero dollar ordering.
Customizing the Platform for Ridgewells' Unique Needs
The success of this first-time partnership can really be attributed to GoTab’s ability to be flexible and react quickly to developmental changes.
Megan Zebrak, General Manager, Major Events Division at Ridgewells
“The team was easy to work with, responsive and extremely receptive to feedback. Their willingness to customize the platform’s features for our specific needs allowed our team to deliver an added value experience. We were able to thoroughly vet the technology for future use at other major events with Ridgewells.”
This unique partnership with Ridgewells proves that GoTab’s features can easily expand beyond the traditional hospitality space. GoTab makes a true difference in a wide range of setups and venues.
Tap Room Playbook Episode 2:
When you really think about it, with everything managers need to do in a tap room, the hospitality aspect is often overlooked.
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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