HOW TO
HOW TO: TECHNOLOGY
Outdoor seating at Stone Brewing’s Escondido location.
BREWING A REOPENING PLAN Stone Brewing finds success with a new technology platform.
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Bar Business Magazine Spring 2021
Still, Stone Brewing wasn’t spared from the effects of COVID-19, and its restaurants and tap rooms were especially affected. In formulating a reopening plan, the brewery turned to technology to set itself up for success. Stone Brewing had actually invested in contactless ordering technology ahead of the pandemic as a way to activate its underused places of operation and serve a lot more customers in its large spaces— including one 70,000-square-footlocation. “We turned to GoTab through a recommendation and were about to go live in the garden areas exclusively prepandemic,” says Frazer. “Once the pandemic hit, we reformatted a reopening plan. Thank goodness GoTab was already integrated within our system because it helped us serve people outside in a safe way, and customers didn’t have to download an app. We started using
the platform across our locations, and the transition was seamless. It helped us reopen with a lower amount of labor and slowly add staff back as business began picking up.” In fact, the new technology enabled Stone Brewing to cut 8% of labor costs. “There are only so many costs you can cut during the pandemic. If your sales reduced a lot, you were looking at adjusting food, labor, or alcohol costs,” says Frazer. “Technology helped us pivot to a new labor model and reduce around 8% in labor, freeing up the space to make up for lost revenue.” Stone Brewing has used the GoTab platform in a number of ways. First, to expand its takeout program, which only included takeout of growler fillers and beers and DoorDash for alcohol delivery prior to the pandemic. “We definitely barbizmag.com
All Photos: Stone Brewing Company.
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tone Brewing Company, the largest brewery in Southern California, was originally founded by Greg Koch and Steve Wagner in 1996 and quickly grew to become one of the most influential craft breweries in the United States with its beers available in all 50 states and more than 40 countries. “We’re best known for our West Coast IPA and for releasing the first year-round bottled double IPA,” says Gregg Frazer, vice president of Hospitality, Stone Brewing. “Now, we’re currently the ninth-largest craft brewery in the United States and run two major brewing facilities in Escondido, California and Richmond, Virginia. We also operate a number of restaurants and tap rooms as well as the largest craft-centric beer distribution in the U.S.”
BY ASHLEY BRAY
