Customer Success Story: Glacier Brewhouse Page 1

Success Story: Glacier BrewhouseBrewing Up Major Labor Saving with HotSchedules

Customer Success Story: Glacier Brewhouse Page 2

When it gets cold, the folks living in Anchorage, Alaska,

head over to the ORSO or Glacier Brewhouse restuarants. Dubbed "The place where Alaskans meet Alaskans," the restaurants have been warming up bellies for over 20 years in one of the city's oldest buildings.Michael Hurst, Director of Marketing for parent company Brews Brothers, LLC, is an ex-restaurant operations guy who has been in the industry for 25+ years. He is always on the lookout for ways to improve Glacier Brewhouse and ORSO’s operational efficiencies. While there were options in the industry, Hurst had his eye on HotSchedules. He had seen it in other restaurants. His wife had also used it. “My question was always, ‘Why wouldn’t we get HotSchedules? For a long time, I think there was a belief that spreadsheets and shift log books were just fine, but that’s a perspective of someone who doesn’t know the difference.”

The clincher in the deal was their move to Micros from an older POS system that needed some upgrading. Micros is one of the many popular POS systems that integrates with HotSchedules, delivering in-depth sales and labor forecast data, as well as real-time overtime alerts. It also enforces punctuality through the POS web clock.

Right-Sized TrainingOnce Brews Brothers made the decision to move forward, the HotSchedules team was at the ready to set up training. They scheduled orientation webinars for the managers, which helped managers get started using HotSchedules right away. Orientation was followed by a Q&A discussion where the managers could ask questions. Finally, there was a Best Practices webinar focused on teaching managers the most efficient way to use HotSchedules. Everything from time and labor saving tools, scheduling shortcuts, forecasting, and budgets were covered.

In a Snapshot

Their StoryAnchorage-based brewhouse finds significant labor and time savings through POS integration with HotSchedules web and mobile apps.

Challenges• Sought an easier way to manage the

tedious chore of shift-scheduling.

• Wanted a better communications tool for managers and team members.

• Had particular challenges due to the state's overtime rules and regulations.

Products• HotSchedules

Results• Labor savings through reduced

overtime and as a result of punctuality enforcement.

• Confidence that they are always compliant with state’s overtime rules.

• Convenience of remote access capabilities and mobile app means the entire team can check and update the schedule from anywhere. Managers and team members alike appreciate the convenient anytime, anywhere access.

Customer Success Story: Glacier Brewhouse Page 3

He adds that, “one of the things that made the training so great is just the way it’s organized. By breaking it into parts, we were able to digest each piece before moving on to the next. Our implementation specialist, Elizabeth, was a pleasure to work with too—she was friendly, patient and answered all of our questions.”

The HotSchedules team also held a separate training webinar for the corporate office members, particularly on the Above Store Console, which allows them to view reports for multiple locations and compare their performance across crucial labor data.

Hurst noted, “HotSchedules is just an incredibly great product, and the training has been excellent. It’s not hard to learn, but having someone walk you through it and show you all the things you can do with it really helped get us up and running smoothly.”

The Living ScheduleWith HotSchedules, building a schedule is fast and easy, so restaurant operators can keep up with all the changes that happen over the course of the week. “Sure, anyone can build a schedule in Excel, but it’s not a living document. HotSchedules is fluid—it can be updated instantaneously without a lot of hassle. Everything from vacation requests to shift trades, as well as the communications that used to go in the shift log have all been incorporated into HotSchedules.”

HotSchedules also helps managers write and update schedules that are compliant with Alaska’s overtime laws. Those labor laws mandate daily as well as weekly maximum hours. “In Alaska, we have to pay overtime to anyone who works more than eight hours in a day, regardless of their total weekly hours. HotSchedules has helped us build schedules that keep us compliant and we’ve seen a drop in overtime ever since,” says Hurst.

Overall labor costs are down thanks to the reduced overtime and enforced punctuality capabilities. Because HotSchedules pushes the schedule and any subsequent changes directly into the POS, employee clock-in times can be closely regulated. “HotSchedules’ enforced punctuality definitely helps us manage our employees better. And I can definitely see the labor savings too,” adds Hurst.

Overall reduction in overtime.

Convenience of mobile app saves

managers and employees time.

Significant labor savings through

punctuality controls.

Customer Success Story: Glacier Brewhouse Page 4

Anytime, Anywhere AccessAside from all of the clear and measurable benefits that HotSchedules provides, there are also softer, less tangible, but equally important improvements. One of these is the convenience of anytime, anywhere access to the system that allows employees at all levels of a business stay connected to store operations and to each other. These types of perks are important benefits that contribute to reduced turnover rates. It gives managers and employees a tool to actively balance work and life.

“I love having my coffee and remotely logging into HotSchedules to see what’s happening with the restaurants," says Hurst. "The convenience of checking in from wherever I am means I check in a lot more often too—just because I can. It really helps us all keep up with what’s going on at both locations.”

“HotSchedules is truly a great product—and unlike some, it’s not just a bunch of empty marketing,” adds Hurst. “It makes operations run more smoothly so the team can stay focused on our guests."

Yes, anyone can build a schedule in Excel, but it's

not a living document. HotSchedules is fluid

—it can be updated instantaneously without

a lot of hassle.-Michael Hurst,

Director of Marketing, Brews Brothers, LLC

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