Cafe and coffee shop mobile apps have been a hot topic for years, from the 2009 launch of Starbucks’ in-app loyalty program to the number of delivery app integrations we predict will skyrocket in 2025.
And, while you’re likely familiar with the range of customer-centric mobile app benefits like loyalty and delivery…
You might have a few other cafe-centric questions before you’re totally sold. Questions like:
"Does a mobile app do anything for cafe owners and operators?”
“Can a mobile app benefit my cafe as much as it does my customers?”
“Do mobile apps have any benefits that actually impact my cafe’s day-to-day?”
Fortunately, the answer to all three questions is yes — and we’re about to show you how.
In this blog, we’ll take you through three ways a mobile app can streamline your cafe’s operations, from helping your staff easily handle daily rushes to integrating with existing systems for a seamless customer experience.
We’ll also show you three mini case studies, detailing how Sips Coffee streamlined their cafe operations with a Craver app and what it’s meant for their business.
Let’s get into it, shall we?
How Perfectly Timed Pickups and Deliveries Improve Cafe Operations
A mobile app can streamline your cafe’s operations through perfectly timed pickup and delivery estimates, a highly important feature because people don’t like waiting.
According to Waitwhile’s “The State of Waiting in Line” report, 43% of consumers feel “less satisfied with businesses that require them to wait” in a line. And, what’s more, 80% of consumers won’t wait in line longer than 15 minutes, with 6 in 10 reporting they’ve left a too-long line before their turn.
But if your cafe has a mobile app with online ordering capabilities, that means no more waiting in line, right?
Right, as long as your mobile order pickup or delivery orders are accurate — which they aren’t always.
(The growing frequency of inaccurate order pickup times is why “more accurate mobile order pickup times” is one of our top five cafe trends this year, by the way.)
That’s where having a mobile app that integrates with your cafe’s KDS comes in handy, just like Craver’s mobile app for Sips Coffee.
Craver x Sips Coffee: A Case Study in Streamlined Cafe Operations
Sips Coffee’s business largely revolves around pick-up and delivery orders, making perfectly-timed orders a “must-have” for their cafe — not a “nice to have.”
But when the coffee business started using Craver’s KDS-integrated mobile app, accurate pickup and delivery times became a non-issue for their cafe operations.
Our mobile app’s order throttling feature helped the cafe manage the influx of orders during busy or rush periods, preventing staff from getting overwhelmed and falling behind on order preparation.
Craver’s mobile orders also stand out from in-person orders, both visually and with a unique notification sound. That made it easier for Sips Coffee’s staff to distinguish between online and in-person orders, making sure online orders never got left behind.
Guests ordering through Sips Coffee’s mobile app are also kept in the loop with real-time tracking and pickup notifications, from when the order is sent to the cafe’s KDS to when it's ready to be picked up.
Improve your cafe’s pick-up times — and see sales growth up to 40% — with Craver.
How Easier Order Management Improves Cafe Operations
The second way a mobile app can streamline cafe operations is through improved order management — because easier order management means everyone wins.
Take your cafe’s staff, for example.
When your staff handles “order management” by calling out orders or jotting them down on cups, feeling overwhelmed becomes part of the deal. And, when your staff members are overwhelmed, it’s easy to fall behind or make mistakes on orders… two things guests won’t always forgive.
In a customer experience survey by PwC, 17% of respondents said they’d “stop doing business with a brand they loved after one bad experience.”
Even the most loyal guests have taken their money elsewhere because of inconsistent in-store experiences (~15%), inefficiencies (~45%), and unfriendly service (~68%) — all possible outcomes when staff members are overwhelmed and scrambling to catch up on orders.
Luckily, a lot of these “make or break” issues can easily be addressed when your cafe has a KDS-integrated mobile app — just like Sips Coffee does.
Craver x Sips Coffee: A Case Study in Streamlined Cafe Operations
With a staff largely composed of high school and college students, Sips Coffee quickly noticed a trend:
Their young employees were great at picking up new tech solutions with ease, but less great at consistently following manual processes and procedures.
That led to consistency issues that Sips Coffee knew they had to correct… and that’s where the cafe’s brand-new Craver app stepped in to smooth things out.
Our mobile app seamlessly integrated with Sips Coffee’s existing systems, automatically sending mobile orders directly to the cafe’s KDS and Square POS system. This reduced the number of orders for staff to enter manually, improving Sips Coffee’s speed of service and order accuracy.
Plus, the integration was easy for Sips Coffee’s tech-savvy staff to adapt and adhere to.
That meant staff had an easier time following the cafe’s newly digital processes and procedures, while guests enjoyed a faster, more accurate experience at Sips Coffee than they’d had before.
“The integration has helped staff stay more organized, and our sales have gone up.” — Nina Laughlin, Manager of Sips Coffee
Want to increase your cafe’s average order value by up to 20%? A Craver app can help.
How Convenient Ordering for Guests Improves Cafe Operations
The third (and final!) way a mobile app can streamline cafe operations is by offering guests a more convenient ordering experience.
According to the National Restaurant Association (NRA), “[convenience enhacing] options” have become a “deal breaker” for guests.
For example, 84% of respondents said mobile apps were their preferred technology for placing orders, with 40% stating they want more tech-powered solutions that “make ordering easier [and] faster.” A DoorDash survey also suggests convenient ordering can support more frequent ordering, with 49% of consumers placing repeat orders online at least once a week and 70% having used online ordering in the past month.
What’s more, consumers associate tech-powered, convenience-first ordering options with a more positive customer experience, too.
An NRA survey found that consumers believe tech options can “[speed up] transaction times, provide more accuracy, and [promote] more efficient [service]” — exactly what Craver’s custom-branded app did for Sips Coffee.
Craver x Sips Coffee: A Case Study in Streamlined Cafe Operations
Not long after launching their Craver mobile app, Sips Coffee started seeing impactful changes in their guests’ online ordering behaviors.
First, it became clear that the convenience-focused mobile app encouraged repeat purchases from existing guests. Regulars began placing their usual daily orders through the mobile app, seamlessly integrating Sips Coffee’s new mobile ordering into their existing coffee routines.
Second, Sips Coffee’s highly convenient Craver mobile app started attracting new customers, with the cafe noticing brand-new signups daily. To make things even better, Sips Coffee also saw those new users become regulars thanks to the app’s speed and ease of use.
Finally, the mobile app proved highly accessible for Sips Coffee lovers of all ages. The cafe received feedback from guests well into their 70s that the app was user-friendly and easy to use, proving that a well-designed app can be a barrier-free experience for users of all ages and technological capabilities.
“Customers have been raving about how easy it is. They love it. It’s super user-friendly for every age. I have one gentleman who's 75 and he just learned to use the app and he uses it three times a day.” — Nina Laughlin, Manager of Sips Coffee
Wrap Up
At the beginning of this blog, we flagged a few questions you may have had percolating (pun intended). Now, after seeing the operational improvements Sips Coffee accomplished with a mobile app, we’ve got one more question to ask:
Don’t you want to see what a Craver mobile app can do for your cafe operations, too?
“I have absolutely nothing but great things to say about the whole thing. If we open a second location I would integrate this again.” — Nina Laughlin, Manager of Sips Coffee
With Craver, stronger, more streamlined cafe operations are closer than you think.
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