Latest
/
Best Practices

How GoTab’s Handheld POS Helps Bartenders Be More Efficient

How GoTab’s Handheld POS Helps Bartenders Be More Efficient

The essence of a great bar experience lies in the interaction between bartenders and patrons. Bartenders must juggle numerous tasks—preparing drinks, taking orders, processing payments, and delivering top-notch service—all while maintaining a lively and seamless guest experience. During busy hours, this can feel overwhelming. Enter GoTab’s Handheld POS Systems, which transform how bartenders work by streamlining operations, improving order accuracy, and boosting overall efficiency.

Speedier Service for a Better Bar Experience

In the high-energy atmosphere of a bar, speed is everything. Delays in taking or delivering drink orders can frustrate patrons and disrupt the flow of service. GoTab’s Handheld POS enables bartenders to take orders and process payments directly at the bar or even in seating areas, eliminating the need to run back and forth to a stationary terminal. This faster service means shorter wait times for customers and a smoother workflow for bartenders. By accelerating order and payment processes, bars can serve more customers during peak hours, increasing both efficiency and customer satisfaction.

Accurate Orders That Build Trust

Accuracy is key in crafting drinks, as even small errors can impact customer satisfaction. Traditional methods of jotting down orders or relying on memory leave room for mistakes. With GoTab’s Handheld POS, bartenders can input orders directly into the system, instantly relaying them to colleagues or kitchen staff when needed. This real-time communication ensures every order is correct, whether it’s a classic cocktail with a twist or a round of beers for a group. Patrons appreciate receiving exactly what they ordered, fostering trust and loyalty. For bartenders, fewer mistakes mean less stress and more time to focus on delivering exceptional service.

Seamless Upselling Opportunities

GoTab’s Handheld POS empowers bartenders to upsell effortlessly. With access to the full menu at their fingertips, bartenders can suggest premium spirits, specialty cocktails, or popular appetizers without pausing service. For instance, they can recommend a top-shelf tequila for a margarita or highlight a limited-time craft beer. This ability to upsell in real time enhances the guest experience while increasing revenue. Patrons feel attended to with thoughtful recommendations, and bars benefit from higher sales without disrupting the natural rhythm of service.

Convenient Payment Options for Smooth Transactions

The payment process is a crucial final touchpoint, and delays here can tarnish an otherwise excellent experience. GoTab’s Handheld POS allows bartenders to process payments quickly and directly at the point of service, offering flexible options such as contactless payments, split bills, or digital wallets. This streamlines the transaction process, enabling bartenders to move on to serving other patrons more quickly. For customers, the convenience of settling their tab without delays leaves a lasting positive impression.

Easy Tab: Simplifying the Bar Experience

Managing open tabs efficiently is a challenge in any bar setting. GoTab’s Easy Tab feature simplifies this process for both bartenders and guests. Bartenders can create tabs instantly, and patrons receive a text notification with a secure link to their tab. This link allows them to review orders, add drinks, and settle payments directly from their smartphones without downloading an app. This self-service option reduces the need for bartenders to repeatedly update tabs or manage payments, freeing them to focus on crafting drinks and engaging with customers.

Building Better Guest Connections

By automating administrative tasks, GoTab’s Handheld POS gives bartenders more time to connect with patrons. Instead of being bogged down by order processing or tab management, bartenders can engage in meaningful interactions—whether it’s sharing a drink recommendation, chatting with regulars, or creating a welcoming atmosphere for new guests. These personal touches elevate the guest experience, fostering loyalty and ensuring that visitors return time and time again.

With tools like GoTab’s Handheld POS, bartenders can streamline their workflows, deliver faster and more accurate service, and focus on what truly matters: creating exceptional experiences for every guest.

Tap Room Playbook: Check Your Experience

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.

Watch Now →
Tap Room Playbook: Kick A** Brands

Tap Room Playbook Episode 3: 

The best breweries pay attention to what their brand stands for. How do the best brewers bring their brand to life?

Watch Now →

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.

Request a Demo

Ready to experience GoTab for yourself? Sign up for a free demo and get qualified to receive a complimentary meal on us!
Request a Demo