The World Cup is soccer at its pinnacle. This June, soccer, football, and fútbol fans from across the globe will trek to the 16 host cities across the United States, Mexico, and Canada. For many restaurants, this is exciting. Restaurants are preparing with match-day specials and modified tipping protocols to accommodate international guests.
But for Brewhouse Cafe, the Atlanta, Georgia spot voted best soccer bar in America, the World Cup is huge. It raises the stakes for their regulars who have been waiting for the tournament for the past four years (or longer, depending on their team). And it brings in a whole new crop of guests, swept up in World Cup fever and looking for a place to sweat it out amid fellow fans and cold beers.
It’s kind of crazy to switch my POS before the World Cup, but I think it's the right decision. At the end of these huge events, the separation between profit and loss is going to be huge.
Brewhouse Cafe owner Humberto Bermudez wants his guests to feel like they’re in the stadium. That means delivering on the game-watching experience and so much more. The thing people love about live sports is so much more than the action and stars on the pitch. It’s the feeling of being part of something bigger than yourself.
To re-create that stadium atmosphere with the hospitality of a neighborhood bar, Bermudez had to level up his restaurant technology. Bermudez knew he had to make a switch with his restaurant point-of-sale before World Cup fever spiked his traffic and revenue potential.
I wasn’t happy with Toast and that made me look around. SpotOn was the best alternative. It’s helping deliver faster, better service to our guests and that makes a difference to our bottom line.
From the jump, Bermudez found it easier to communicate with Amanda Herrera, his SpotOn Hospitality Specialist. When he had reached out for support from his Toast representative, he got redirected to a customer support number and sat on hold. With Amanda, she actually answered his text — every time.
“When service is smooth, any system works. But when it hits the fan, you find out who’s really in your corner. For Brewhouse, hands-on local support made all the difference,” says SpotOn Hospitality Specialist Amanda Herrera.
On Day One, Amanda and a team of installers were on-site making sure the Brewhouse system was installed and the team was trained on a strict deadline. After all, the Champions League quarter-finals, one of the busiest days of the year for Brewhouse, was in just 72 hours. The switch had to happen fast, and it had to happen right.
The installer stayed through the first couple shifts to answer any last-minute questions and make sure the Brewhouse staff felt comfortable with the new system. Three days later, Brewhouse was packed for the Champions League quarter-finals and service went off without a hitch.
With SpotOn, the Brewhouse Cafe team is set up to deliver on the stadium-like energy, without the crawling stadium-like lines. And it’s happening just in time for kick off.
