Maui Brewing knew it was time for a change, one that entailed embracing technology in order to stay relevant. Maui Brewing realized that a cloud-based system like GoTab could provide more flexibility than traditional systems.
With four locations spread out across the Maui and Oahu islands of Hawaii, Maui Brewing Co. faced many hurdles throughout the pandemic. “Here in Hawaii, we were more affected than most because, as an island, we literally shut down. People couldn't come in or out. The swings of business were way more dramatic than on the mainland where they could still drive from point A to point B”, says Tony Ren, general manager and partner for Maui Brewing Co.
Maui Brewing Embraces Technology
Maui Brewing knew it was time for a change, one that entailed embracing technology in order to stay relevant. Having tried out various heritage POS models, Ren and the entire group at Maui Brewing realized that a cloud-based system like GoTab could provide more flexibility than traditional systems.
“We had to respond with our priorities of keeping our community safe and still serving our purpose as the community brewery,” said Ren.
For instance, when it comes to beer, the island of Maui is a bit different than say San Diego, Denver, and Portland, OR. There aren’t breweries on every corner. “If you want fresh, crafted beer, you’re coming to Maui Brewing,” says Ren. “But imagine…we went through these roller coaster bumps of business.”
With GoTab, Maui Brewing Pivots And Thrives
Maui Brewing has been able to pivot, survive, and thrive. GoTab gave them the opportunity to seamlessly transition from table-service to counter-service. However, what ultimately sealed the deal was GoTab’s approach. “GoTab actually came back with not necessarily the most amount of boxes checked, but with the best attitude,” says Ren. GoTab actively creates new features based on operators' needs.
We really liked that GoTab had the ability to grow with us, to change and take steps knowing that they may not have 100% of the answers we're looking for at this moment, but they were able to bend themselves and their team to service our needs and grow with us as times move forward.
Tony Ren, General Manager and Partner for Maui Brewing Co.
Improving The Guest Experience
Now, guests can place their orders and reorder without having to wait in line at the bar. They are able to pay at their convenience through GoTab’s mobile ordering and payment system, giving them control over their dine-in experience and reducing the time it takes for servers to input orders and take payment. By reducing these transactional tasks, Maui Brewing team members are able to spend more time having meaningful interactions with guests, answering questions about the menu, and providing recommendations that help build a memorable experience.
At Maui Brewing, we're always looking for ways to improve the guest experience while driving efficiency. GoTab's easy-to-use solution allows our guests to customize their dine-in experience to how they want it- whether traditional service, or the convenience to order, re-order, and pay at their own pace.
Tony Ren
As a result, guest satisfaction has grown through faster speed of service and a more personalized hospitality approach from servers. Operational efficiencies in the front and back-of-house have increased, as well as order frequency and check averages.
“It’s very rewarding to see the momentum at Maui Brewing, and we’re honored to support its continued growth as we help to streamline the guest experience as well as operations in the front- and back-of-house,” says GoTab Founder and CEO Tim McLaughlin
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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