POS Systems for Breweries: Tools That Combat The Rising Price Of Beer

It’s no secret that it’s getting more and more expensive to make beer. And as an artisan that takes your craft seriously, you’re not willing to compromise the quality of your product just to make ends meet. So what’s the answer to combatting price increases in every aspect of your brewing business?

Let’s go over the issues brewing businesses are facing right now, and how POS systems for breweries can help mitigate them. 

Supplies Are Limited & Prices Are Rising For Brewing Businesses

“We’ve seen price increases on every facet of our business,” said Chris​ ​Davison, Head Brewer at Wolf’s Ridge Brewing in Ohio. ​”All raw materials have gone up in price this year, everything from malt to cans and even shipping has increased in both price and often lead times, which incurs increased cost in its own way.”

This likely is the same story for you: As if COVID and all of its repercussions weren’t enough of a curve ball for the food and beverage industry, the hits seem to keep coming:

• Inflation: Every individual and business is experiencing soaring inflation rates. An 8+% increase this year makes it expensive to go out as guests and expensive to serve as businesses. 
• Packaging: We’ve discussed before how the supply chain is causing aluminum can shortages. While savvy breweries are turning to alternative solutions like brights with vinyl labels or buying their own canning equipment, these are yet another pricey line item.  
• Raw materials: Barley, hops, and yeast are just a few of the basic beer ingredients harder to come by these days. That doesn’t include specialty ingredients like fruit, spices, and other unique additions that are also in short supply because of climate change and wildfires.
• Labor: Of course, the Great Resignation is also still fresh on small business owners’ minds. While more people are willing and able to work now that vaccines are widespread, it’s costly to meet the demands necessary to keep them on board. 

And the latest shortage for brewers is CO2, spurred on by a continued supply chain crisis and a natural contamination at a reservoir of CO2 from an extinct volcano. Now breweries are experiencing production delays and seeking plans to switch to brewing with nitrogen instead. Some are forced to throw money at the problem, spending 3-4x what they normally would for the same CO2 supply. 

While some spots like Denver Beer Co. use sustainable solutions like reclaimed CO2, others like Night Shift Brewing were unexpectedly told the CO2 supply they depend on was cut for the foreseeable future.

With these unavoidable price increases, breweries simply can’t afford to buy the same quality ingredients, pay employees premium wages, and keep business growth positive. 

So, they’re turning to their POS systems for breweries.

So What’s The Best POS System For Breweries That Implements This?

Arryved POS is the most trusted brewery POS system out there, and for good reason. Their commitment to advanced technology proves time and again in innovative features. 

Check out some of Arryved’s features that help cut costs, all available for no additional monthly feature fees. 

POS System Tools That Alleviate Labor Shortage Problems

Your people are equally as important as your beer, and employing the best of the best can cost a pretty penny. Luckily, Arryved’s POS system offers tools to keep labor costs down and staff happy. 

Robust Reporting Informs Smart Staffing

POS systems for breweries collect and process a ton of data every day. Making those insights easy to read and access is a sign of great reporting. Plus, with Arryved’s plethora of pre-built reports, you can make smarter scheduling decisions!

The Rayback, for example, depends on Arryved’s Hour By Hour Report to inform an efficient staffing schedule. That way, overstaffing doesn’t drive up labor costs, and understaffing doesn’t negatively affect the guest experience. 

“Just like any other business, labor is probably one of the biggest expenses and biggest factors of cost and profitability,” said the General Manager, Melissa Timm. And with nearly $4k of beverage sales coming in during peak hours, their staffing proves efficient!

Intuitive Tools Make Jobs Easier

Of course, a brewery POS that’s easy to use is loved by staff because it makes their jobs easier! In addition to an intuitive POS interface, here are some other Arryved tools that make for a happy, efficient team:

• Offline mode: When Wi-Fi is weak or nonexistent, teams can depend on offline mode to continue taking orders. The party can keep going and all orders sync with your brewery POS system once back online. 
• Card on file: Swipe cards once and hand ‘em right back with card on file. Save time on the tedious task of storing and finding cards in a crowded rolodex. 
• Customer support: Arryved’s award-winning support team is available via phone or email 7 days/week. Getting immediate help when you need it most puts busy staff at ease. 

If you’re interested in learning more about going beyond salary to build satisfied brewery teams, check out the Smart Staffing Guide! It includes industry tips for how to better hire, train, and retain staff.

POS System Tools That Streamline Operations

With all the balls breweries juggle, it’s nice to have POS tools that minimize your tedious task to-do list. 

Automate Your Menu Updates

With prices fluctuating and ingredient shipments waning in dependability, your menu often needs to be changed on the fly. Arryved’s digital menus are easy to update, and reflect changes immediately across your unique cloud. This saves staff from having to make updates in more than one place and from printing physical menus. 

Integrations Add Efficiency To Your POS

Integrating with industry leading softwares makes Arryved’s system even more capable. Check out some of the time-saving options:

• Fresh KDS: Robust Kitchen Display System & SMS Texting
• Yellow Dog: Inventory Management
• QuickBooks: Accounting Software
• Shogo: Accounting Automation Software
• Ekos: Inventory & Production Management

Organize and streamline your operations by having them all work together under one Arryved umbrella!

Contactless Ordering Empowers Guests To Take Charge

If your taproom is packed, take some administrative tasks off your staffs’ shoulders with contactless ordering tools. Instead of spending time running cards and receipts, put ordering power in guests’ hands. 

Arryved offers 3 savvy methods of contactless ordering:

• QR codes: Guests simply scan a QR code, then order and pay from their own smartphone! QR codes have even proven to increase tab and tip size by 24%. 
• Mobile app: A free guest-facing app similarly lets guests order from their own devices. This one is a real crowd pleaser for regulars!
• Online store: Let guests place orders online for pickup, curbside, delivery, or shipping. Hosting an online store is a great way to diversify your revenue streams, too.

Now your team can spend the time they save delighting and educating your guests instead!

Interested in a free, custom demo of Arryved POS? Reach out to our team today!