Early last month (February 2020), the General Manager at AB Inbev’s Blue Point Brewing Pub in Patchogue, New York, was already noticing a major decline in foot traffic at their bar and restaurant due to the Coronavirus pandemic. Simultaneously, there was also a noticeable uptick in the number of transactions that were being executed through their in-restaurant ordering and payment mobile web app (built by Ballast Lane Applications), because Blue Point’s management was encouraging its customers to use this payment option as a safer alternative to the germy card-swiping machine at checkout.
What is the process for integrating a Mobile Web App with a Point of Sale (POS) system by Ballast Lane Applications?
It was obvious to the Blue Point team that it should move toward a more pickup- and delivery- focused technology solution as soon as possible, and within days Ballast Lane Applications had a plan to convert the Blue Point Brewery restaurant ordering app into a pickup and delivery app.
Ballast Lane rapidly brought Blue Point’s solution through two design and development phases, making the appropriate feature adjustments, including operational integration with Blue Point’s points of sale solution (Toast) as well as customer-to-restaurant messaging functionality. Ballast Lane Applications’ Founder/CEO, Larry Ehrhardt, viewed this adjustment as the ethical thing to do, and decided to provide the work at no additional charge to Blue Point.
Blue Point is now running its entire business through the (new and improved) Ballast Lane-built mobile ordering pickup and delivery solution, which you can check out. According to Blue Point Pub General Manager Adam Lancashire, the solution has been “a huge success”.