Tech- and Human-Driven Ops at The Broxton

Allowing the downtown Westwood brewery to thrive with limited staff and tech-savvy guests

Located in the heart of Westwood Village, Broxton Brewery & Public House is the perfect spot for UCLA students and local residents to gather. With a large footprint, including a spacious front patio, and a large bar and dining room housed in a historic building, the brewery is a top destination for beer and food enthusiasts, as well as big groups looking to get together. With dine-in service halted for almost a year, Broxton utilized GoTab’s technology to pivot to takeout service, providing a lifeline to the brewery until it fully reopened in March 2021. As the brewery started to welcome guests back, the team expanded its use of GoTab for dine-in operations and events, ultimately allowing them to operate more efficiently and blend safe interactions with staff and QR code ordering.

An Easy, Fast Pivot to Takeout

The Broxton team tapped into GoTab two years ago, when California restaurants were ordered to shut down at the start of the pandemic. They quickly pivoted to offer takeout via the GoTab platform, streamlining the ordering and payment process and operating safely with limited staff. GoTab’s menu features came in handy - the team was able to create a branded menu with enticing visuals and quickly link it from the Broxton’s website. GoTab’s scheduling capabilities gave guests the ability to book their preferred pickup date and time and receive customized pickup instructions. Two-way texting also removed any communication challenges, with the back-of-house and front-of-house teams able to connect with guests about order changes, out-of-stock items, or special instructions. It was a particularly helpful tool to remind guests to bring a valid ID for alcohol orders, when the team started selling 3-pack mix & match and to-go crowlers.

Blending Human Interactions & Technology

When restrictions in California started to lift and Broxton Brewery & Public House reopened, the team quickly expanded its use of GoTab for dine-in service and rolled out a new hospitality model, blending QR code ordering with staff interactions. The tech-savvy crowd quickly adopted GoTab and particularly enjoyed the tab-sharing functions, allowing them to join an open tab with their friends. Servers were freed up to check on guests, ensure they had a positive and safe dine-in experience as well as help them open tabs via QR code. For the team behind the bar, the KDS screens came in handy to review incoming orders and stay organized during peak times. In the kitchen, the culinary team worked on updating the menu in real-time, 86ing items or ingredients that became unavailable. 

Operating with Limited Staff

With a large footprint and a massive front patio, the Broxton team had to reimagine the way the space was organized. Tables were further spaced out to allow for social distancing and maintain a safe environment for guests. The Broxton team had to rely on GoTab to streamline and manage orders placed via guests’ mobile devices. Operating with limited staff, they set up a new service model, with bartenders handling in-person orders at the bar, and staff checking on patio guests. The platform’s features came in handy to pace the orders and ensure that guests were getting their food and drinks in a timely manner. The team behind the bar could stay organized and expedite orders faster and more easily, thanks to better visibility on the KDS, eliminating long lines. The rest of the staff focused on ensuring guests have a positive experience, making sure operations run smoothly and serving as guides to diners. By taking full advantage of GoTab’s cloud-based solution, Broxton Brewery and Public House was able to reduce labor costs by 30% even when visitation levels returned to normal. “GoTab kept our staff safe and provided an efficient, streamlined ordering process that made everything easier for us and for our guests,” said Broxton General Manager Allan Schaeffer.

Simplifying Events

The team continued to expand its use of GoTab and leveraged the menu management features for events at the brewery. The “Duplicate” feature allowed the team to repurpose and update menu selections for each event, without having to enter a new menu for each occasion and saving the team precious time. They can use the tab function to aggregate all food and drinks on a single tab, or use the zero-dollar feature to run an open bar or set up buffets for parties. Using GoTab “Zones'' also helped them assign different sections of the space to private functions and create specific QR codes for these events, creating an easy way to track and report all orders coming into the system. “As more people started coming to Broxton Brewery and Public House for events and gatherings, we were able to seamlessly set up and execute different event formats leveraging GoTab, all the while keeping our staff safe and comfortable,” Broxton General Manager Allan Schaeffer.

As more people started coming to Broxton Brewery and Public House for events and gatherings, we were able to seamlessly set up and execute different event formats leveraging GoTab, all the while keeping our staff safe and comfortable.

-  Allan Schaeffer, Broxton General Manager