News Briefs

Union has released a point-of-sale solution that allows servers and bartenders to use iPhones to place guests orders and process payments tableside, completely eliminating the need to exchange physical credit cards as well as use card readers and handhelds.

According to Union’s on-premise data from more than a thousand high-volume venues nationwide, 30 percent of credit card readers experience issues from time to time when processing payments, leading to slower table turnover times and frustrated guests. Union's POS for iPhone product solves this issue and takes the hospitality experience to a new level, eliminating a physical card reader altogether. The solution enables guests to tap-to-pay, scan-to-pay or pay using Union’s guest-led open + pay app experience, which can be completed on any personal device.

• 71% say the ability to integrate with other systems is driving their POS purchase decisions, according to HT’s 2023 POS Software Trends Report.

“Taking physical credit cards is costing bars and restaurants billions of dollars per year,” said Alex Broeker, Union’s CEO and co-founder. “The real cost of taking physical cards is the lost revenues that occurs during the process of taking physical credit cards. Consider this, an average bartender can make two drinks per minute. The average time it takes to take a physical card from a customer, start a tab, hand the card back, print a receipt and enter the tip is a minute. Across our portfolio, two drinks per minute add up to nearly $20. If every venue served another two drinks per minute, our venues would have earned another $540 million last year.” 

With no hardware to be configured or shipped, Union’s POS on iPhone can be easily activated in a matter of hours with a basic menu and operation setup. When coupled with Union’s guest led ordering platform -- where customers can view menus, order and pay through their mobile devices -- the new POS gives servers access to unique insights tableside that enhance the guest experience even further. In addition to the iPhone devices for staff, venues will need a Wifi network and printer or kitchen display system. The solution can run in tandem with other POS solutions or alongside Union’s classic POS. Venues pay a nominal monthly fee for the service. 

“Using Union has sped up the delivery of our orders by at least 70 percent,” said Kevin Mackin, manager at Smithfield Hall in New York City, which recently implemented Union’s new product.

“This technology is helping venues smoothly transition to accepting digital payments and is helping to take the guest experience to new heights,” said Layne Cox, CMO of Union. “Venues can finally get rid of clunky handhelds and replace them with small, lightweight, intuitive devices that fit in their pockets. With a seamless tie into our guest led ordering and payment solution, this new product enables everyone to win - guests can order and pay their tabs whenever they are ready, cutting out the unproductive wait that only hurts the experience and operation.”

For more information on Union’s POS for iPhone solution, visit https://getunion.com/product-feature/pos-on-iphone/.  

Domino's Pizza Inc. introduces its new and improved loyalty program. 

Domino's Rewards offers loyalty members even more opportunities to earn and redeem points across its corporate and franchise store locations. Domino's enhanced rewards program allows customers to:

• Earn points for less
  • Loyalty members will now earn 10 points on every order of $5 or more
• Redeem points for even more menu items – and earn free Domino's after just two orders
  • Members can redeem a variety of points for more menu items:
    • 20 points: A free dipping cup, a 16-piece order of Parmesan Bread Bites or a 20 oz. drink
    • 40 points: An order of Bread Twists or Stuffed Cheesy Bread
    • 60 points: A medium, two-topping pizza; pasta; Oven-Baked Sandwich; or a 3-piece order of Chocolate Lava Crunch Cakes
• Earn more rewards
  • Loyalty perks are now even better, as members will have exclusive access to member-only deals, special discounts and opportunities to earn bonus points!

"We are thrilled to give the brand's loyal customers additional ways to earn free Domino's items more often," said Mark Messing, Domino's vice president of digital experience and loyalty. "At a time when most brands are scaling back their loyalty programs and making it more difficult to earn and redeem points, Domino's is doing the opposite. We want to make it easier to reward our customers and give them more options so they can get rewarded faster."

Marketing a LTO 

From now until Oct. 22, 2023, rewards members can take advantage of a limited time offer to redeem 20 points for a free order of Domino's new Pepperoni Stuffed Cheesy Bread, which is normally a 40-point redemption, in celebration of the product's recent launch. 

Shiji, a global hospitality technology innovator, has partnered with IPORT, an award-winning manufacturer known for enhancing the usability of iPads and iPhones, to introduce an all-in-one software solution for hotel restaurants. This collaboration will provide hoteliers with a seamless combination of a tablet and payment device to maximize their F&B operations.

The integrated iOS and payment device solution simplifies guest service for hotel restaurant servers, providing them with an effortless tool to cater to their guests' needs. As a certified Apple partner, Shiji and IPORT guarantee exceptional performance and reliability. Hoteliers can choose from multiple device options, including iPad Pro, iPad Mini, and iPhone, ensuring flexibility and compatibility with their operations.

“IPORT products are built around modularity and flexibility that empower our hospitality customers to do more with the iOS platform. We are thrilled to partner with a leading iPad and iPhone cloud PMS and POS platform provider like Shiji,” said Chris Lawson, Head of Partnerships, IPORT. “We look forward to innovating with Shiji in disrupting legacy, monolithic providers who have limited the industry from harnessing the power of iOS and mobility. The future is bright, and the possibilities are endless with IPORT, iOS, and Shiji.”

"The partnership with IPORT is a significant milestone for Shiji in our commitment to provide innovative technology solutions for the hospitality industry," said Ryan King, Senior Vice President of Shiji in the Americas. "By combining our expertise with IPORT’s hardware solutions, we empower hoteliers to streamline restaurant operations and deliver exceptional guest experiences. This collaboration represents another step forward in our dedication to driving success in the Americas, and globally."

The tablet and payment device solution seamlessly integrates with multiple payment gateways, allowing hoteliers to choose the system that best suits their needs. By simplifying the payment process, it reduces operational complexities, minimizes errors, and saves valuable time and resources for hoteliers.

Cracker Barrel Old Country Store  introduces Cracker Barrel Rewards. Members of the unique program can earn Pegs (like points) through restaurant or retail purchases and redeem them for rewards.

Plus, members can enjoy more of what they love from Cracker Barrel with Birthday, Anniversary and Surprise Bonus Rewards, and one-of-a-kind digital experiences just for being a member.

Earn Pegs toward Rewards

The program is inspired by Cracker Barrel's iconic and beloved peg game. Members earn Pegs on qualifying purchases made at all Cracker Barrel locations, on CrackerBarrel.com and in the Cracker Barrel app for every dollar spent, including to-go, delivery, catering and retail merchandise.^* The program is free and easy to join, and members receive a complimentary Barrel Bite appetizer just for signing up. To enroll, guests can visit any Cracker Barrel location nationwide, the Cracker Barrel app or CrackerBarrel.com.

Starting Sept. 25 and through Nov. 6, Tims Credit Card holders can get up to $10 back on transit fares every Monday when they use their card to tap onto a transit system that accepts Metrolinx's Presto contactless payment.

"We're so excited to be partnering with Metrolinx and some of the largest public transit systems in Ontario to give Tims Credit Card holders the opportunity to save money on their transit fares every Monday for a limited time," said Markus Sturm, Senior Vice President of Financial Services and Digital at Tim Hortons.

Loyalty Pays

Fans can apply for the Tims Credit Card through the Tim Hortons app and once approved, immediately can  their card to Apple Pay or Google Pay and be ready to get up to $10 off on transit fares on their Monday commute with this offer.

• 78% of customers want to receive discounts from a restaurant’s or hotel's loyalty program, according to, according to HTs 12^th annual 2023 Customer Engagement Technology Study.

Cardholders can also earn 5 Tims Rewards Points per dollar spent on their transit purchases. Points can be redeemed for more free coffee, beverages and food at Tim Hortons restaurants as a way to help fuel their Monday commutes.

Mews, a hospitality cloud, released the Mews Data Snap, a real-time measure of hospitality’s performance during the summer of 2023 (June, July, and August). The report also compares this year’s data to summer 2022 to pinpoint how the hospitality sector is changing.

Based on data from Mews partners worldwide, the Mews Data Snap unpacks hospitality’s performance across five key areas: occupancy, ADR and RevPar, online check-ins and upsells, and additional bookable spaces. 

For the North American market in particular, key findings include:

• Travel continues to move in a positive trend: average occupancy for summer 2023 was 62%, up 5% YOY. June was the best-performing month, while August saw the highest percentage of rooms occupied.
• Increased rates didn’t deter consumers from traveling this summer: ADR and RevPAR saw clear, positive movement despite little change in occupancy. ADR rose 9% YOY ($25) to an average of $294, in part due to inflation among other factors. RevPAR saw a significant increase of 14% YOY ($22) to $178, including on average $30 higher in June YOY. 
• Travelers continue to embrace the convenience and instant gratification of online check-in and upgrades: while the number of guests utilizing online check-in remained relatively the same YOY (nearly 20%), more guests upgraded their reservations via online check-in, as upselling increased 31% YOY to $51 per upgrade. Top upgrades include early check-in, pet fees, late check-out, breakfast, and drinks or food upon arrival. 
• Non-room revenue is proving to be an excellent diversification strategy: nearly 20% of hotels in North America are selling additional bookable spaces to day guests and visitors (such as parking lots and meeting rooms), a 69% increase YOY, with average revenue generated per space increasing 22% YOY (an average of $362 extra per reservation). Monthly additional bookable service revenue more than doubled YOY. 

“It’s easy to talk about hospitality trends based on what we feel is happening, but there’s no substitute for real data,” said Matt Welle, Mews CEO. “Not only can we see that people continue to return to travel, but the data shows that hoteliers are embracing the idea of hybrid hospitality and a more creative use of spaces and reaping the rewards.”

To get the full picture of this summer’s performance across Mews hotel partners worldwide, download the Mews Data Snap: Summer 2023.