Challenge
A growing independent brewer with four large brewery and tasting room facilities was in need of a scalable, secure, stable mobile ordering platform that could integrate with a host of 3rd party solutions and operate across a growing multi-location footprint. While innovative beer put the brewery on the map, the company also has multiple product lines beyond beer along with a ton of branded merch, and each location offers a unique customer experience. Because of all of these moving parts within the customer journey, the brewery needed the ability to manage multiple menus and order flows, including order ahead for curbside pickup, tasting room drink tickets, and an online store with shipping integration.
Solution
Because of CardFree’s track record, breadth of products, and our ability to work with the company on customized solutions, the brewery selected us as their mobile order and payment platform. To accommodate the brewery’s many products and customer touchpoints, we developed a web app with multiple “stores” inside a singular online experience.
“…CardFree is always willing to pick up the phone and have a conversation about how to tackle new challenges with us. It feels like we have a partner with CardFree… not just a vendor.”
– Director of Strategic Finance
On-Premise
We worked closely with the brewery to develop a customized, first of its kind on-premise ordering system to simplify the staff’s workflow. Instead of the traditional taproom setup where customers order and pay at the bar, we developed a mobile prepaid “draft ticket” system. In this scenario, customers purchase draft tickets either before their visit through the brewery’s web app or on-premise via QR code or self-serve kiosk. They then show their order confirmation to the bartender, choose their beer, and enjoy. This removes the entire payment process from the staff’s workflow, allowing them to focus 100% on service.
Order Ahead for Pickup
The brewery is non-distributing, meaning the only place beer enthusiasts can get their hands on a bottle is on-site at one of their locations. Given the cult-like following the brewery has earned, they needed an efficient way for customers to purchase their beer for pickup without being inundated with long lines. To solve for this, we developed a branded web app that allows customers to place orders and select their pickup time, creating a streamlined pickup process.
Online Store
On top of beer, the company sells dozens of souvenirs, offering everything from mugs to jigsaw puzzles. While their beer can only be picked up on-premise, the company wanted the ability to spread their brand love nationwide. To accomplish this, we created a separate “store” within the order ahead web app with integration into the brewery’s shipping solution. This allows customers to enter their shipping address and order any item from the merch store for home delivery.
Results
Improved Operational Efficiency
- Our mobile ordering for breweries solutions enable self-directed orders and payments, which cut down on wait times, ease the staff’s workflow, and create a streamlined process for the entire operation across locations.
- With the brewery’s ever-expanding product offerings and changing draft list, their team can easily and quickly update menus across locations in real time.
A Unified Guest Experience
- On-site kiosk and mobile ordering + payments allow the brewery to offer guests a unique, user-friendly branded experience with customer insights across location and order type.
“Given that we have certain restrictions per location of capacity, parking, occupancy, etc., using various ‘stores’ inside of a singular mobile experience was ideal. Using curbside, dine-in, catering, and inside pickup all out of one web app is great!”
– Director of Strategic Finance
“The #1 gain is efficiency for our guests. [CardFree tech] eliminates a lot of wait times, human processing time, and the risk of human error. Having it all under a single ecosystem for all our locations makes it even more efficient over time, as the learning curve for our guests seems to be very short!”
– Director of Strategic Finance