Does COVID Have You Short-Staffed? Here’s What You Can Do Next.

The lasting effects of COVID-19 have many business owners struggling to keep up with demand. No industry has been hit harder than food and beverage. Even as the sun begins to set on 2021, tales of capacity limitations, mask mandates, and truncated hours continue to fill our news feeds.

Some food and beverage workers are leaving the industry for good, as they seek new opportunities with consistent work hours, predictable compensation, or accommodations for family life. Meanwhile, employers are struggling to recover with indoor dining restrictions, a smaller pool of job applicants, and lower margins, while rebuilding their teams by reminding workers why craft is a great place to be.

How do you and your team come back stronger than ever?

Stay True To Your Roots

You’re always working to provide a supportive work environment, but in the here and now, it’s time to double down on company culture. Prioritizing that down-to-earth family-vibe is extremely important for team morale in our COVID world.

Some business owners are revamping policies and procedures to reframe the heart of their company cultures, offering more value to the day-to-day through real connections and teamwork.

• It sounds simple, but listen to your staff—ask about their family, solicit their ideas to better your business. We all just want to be heard.
• Show appreciation and reward hard work with paid time off. We all need space to breathe.
• Provide opportunities for your staff to learn and advance their hospitality career.

Find the Humanity in Technology.

The right technology will help you and your staff work smarter, not harder. It’ll help your humanity shine amid the sterility of COVID-protocols.

A mobile point-of-service (POS) system creates efficiencies by allowing your staff to take orders and payments tableside. The transactional tasks that used to have staff running all over the taproom are gone, allowing them to do what they do best: connect, educate, and sell beer.

QR code menus, ordering, and payment empower guests to create their own dining experience. By opening their own tabs, studying the menu, placing orders, and checking out all with their own phone, guests have some control based on their comfort level (while taking a load off your staff!).

Technology that provides real-time data sets you up for success despite being short-staffed. Smart data give you insight into sales trends, so you can staff your taproom to maximize your tips, tab sizes, and your guests’ experience.

Use An All-In-One POS To Your Advantage!

While COVID continues to shake-up the food-and-beverage industry, having flexible tools in your tool belt will help you engage with your guests and sell more products. Create the best guest experience with a flexible POS system that includes a one-stop craft ecommerce solution, a fully integrated loyalty program, plus deep insights into your business data—along with the peace of mind there’s knowledgeable support a phone call away.

The Result?

With technology created by and for the service industry, you’ll be able to set your current staff up for success and create a rewarding work experience that will help you come out on the other side of the COVID era stronger than before.

Written by Sara Villecco. Former brewery server & bartender. Forever a craft enthusiast.

Founded in 2016, Boulder, CO based Arryved is a point-of-service based software company specializing in craft food & beverage: breweries, brewpubs, cideries, distilleries, wineries, and non-brewery taprooms. In five short years, it grew from being an idea on a taproom coaster to a revered platform serving thousands of satisfied accounts. Arryved is a team of tech geeks with relentless passion for, and extensive experience in, the craft beverage industry, as both employees and guests. The goal is simple: Deliver a flexible, reliable, team-centric platform that puts service first in every way. Evolve the archaic Point-of-Sale system from being a much-maligned obstacle into a flexible Point-of-Service tool that elevates guest experiences, fosters enhanced server relationships, and provides owners and managers with robust and easily digestible insight to make informed decisions.