GoTab Report: Hybrid Ordering Increases Brewery Check Size and Guest Retention
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ARLINGTON, Va. — GoTab, the entertainment commerce platform built for breweries, taprooms, beer gardens, and other high-volume hospitality venues, today announced the release of its new industry report, The Playbook for High-Volume Taprooms & Beer Gardens: Brewery Guest Experience Strategies.
The report examines how leading brewery operators are rethinking service models to improve guest experience, increase revenue, and operate more efficiently. Drawing from real-world performance data across brewery concepts, the report highlights the growing impact of hybrid ordering models that combine traditional hospitality with mobile ordering, QR ordering, GoTab’s Easy Tab®, and flexible payment experiences.
Among the report's key findings:
- Hybrid tabs that combine mobile and POS-initiated ordering generated an average 46% lift in check size compared to single-channel ordering.
- In some brewery concepts, guests using both mobile and in-person ordering produced tabs up to 72% higher than POS-only guests.
- Mobile ordering experiences achieved tip attachment rates of 91% to 98%, compared to 60% to 83% for POS-only transactions.
- Brewery membership club members spent 36% more per visit than non-members and demonstrated significantly higher visit frequency.
- Easy Tab® mobile ordering delivered payment processing savings of 0.8% to 1.1% compared to competing QR ordering platforms.
"Many operators assume mobile ordering is simply a labor-saving tool, but the data tells a much bigger story," said Tim McLaughlin, CEO and Co-Founder of GoTab. "The highest-performing breweries are creating flexible guest experiences that allow customers to order however they prefer throughout their visit. When operators remove friction, guests order more often, stay engaged longer, and ultimately spend more."
The report identifies four service models increasingly used by successful brewery operators:
- Traditional POS-driven service
- Easy Tab® shared-tab experiences
- QR self-service ordering
- Full-service hybrid hospitality models
Rather than relying on a single approach, the report finds that leading breweries are combining multiple ordering experiences across taprooms, patios, beer gardens, event spaces, and brewpub environments to match guest expectations and operational needs.
The report also highlights how modern brewery loyalty and membership programs contribute to guest retention and recurring revenue. Analysis included in the report found that membership fees exceeded benefit redemption across all membership tiers while members visited more frequently and generated higher monthly spend than non-members.
"As growth becomes harder to find across the craft beverage industry, operators are focusing more attention on guest experience, retention, and operational efficiency," McLaughlin added. "The breweries seeing the strongest results are blending hospitality, flexibility, and technology in ways that make it easier for guests to engage with the brand."
The report also outlines six operational best practices emerging among high-volume brewery operators, including flexible service models, dynamic menu management, mobile ordering strategies, guest mobility, and loyalty-driven engagement programs.
The full report, The Playbook for High-Volume Taprooms & Beer Gardens: Brewery Guest Experience Strategies, is available now as a free download.
About GoTab
GoTab is the hospitality commerce platform built for operators running dynamic hospitality venues, including breweries, taprooms, beer gardens, food halls, restaurants, hotels, and entertainment destinations. GoTab's open and flexible platform combines POS, mobile ordering, Easy Tab® shared tabs, memberships, loyalty, kitchen operations, and integrated commerce tools to help operators deliver better guest experiences while operating more efficiently.
For more information, visit GoTab.com.
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