Revolutionizing the Hospitality Industry with Bars.com
Bobcats Coding partnered with Bars.com, an early-stage startup in the hospitality/SaaS industry, to develop a groundbreaking platform that connects guests, venues, and beverage brands in the US market, transforming beverage marketing and guest experience.
ABOUT BARS.COM
Bars.com is an innovative platform addressing a significant challenge in the $300 billion BevAlc industry. Traditionally, beverage sampling events in the US are heavily regulated, with brands receiving minimal information about the effectiveness of their marketing spend. Bars.com is delivering the first massively scalable experiential network, seamlessly connecting suppliers, venues, and guests while generating commerce, data, and engagement.
BOBCATS CODING’S ROLE
IN TURNING SIPS
INTO DATA
From day one, even before Bars.com's initial Angel funding, Bobcats Coding has been the secret ingredient in this cocktail of innovation. We're the digital mixologists behind the scenes, crafting the perfect blend of technology and hospitality. Our team, comprising about half of Bars.com's workforce, includes 2 senior developers, 1 mid-level developer, and 1 junior developer, complemented by a senior designer and a product manager.
From the outset, we've been responsible for turning Bars.com's vision into reality, developing and refining the platform that connects beverage brands, venues, and consumers. Our expertise spans from initial concept validation to ongoing product evolution, ensuring that Bars.com stays at the forefront of innovation in the hospitality and beverage marketing sectors.
BUILDING THE TECHNICAL CORE
Bobcats Coding has been responsible for developing and iterating on the key components of Bars.com's platform.
Our work includes:
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Validating the initial concept with a lean app
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Developing a mobile-optimized experience for guests to participate in beverage tastings
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Customizing the platform for multiple brands
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Creating an internal management system for enhanced user interaction, including:
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An admin interface for Bars.com's venue organization team
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Integration with the guest app
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Building analytics dashboards for brand representatives to track campaign performance
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Developing a demo version for brand representatives and investors
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Designing the Bars.com marketing website
This comprehensive technical core, continuously refined based on user feedback and market needs, forms the foundation of Bars.com's innovative solution in the beverage marketing and hospitality sectors.
FROM BITS TO SIPS
Our team brings a wealth of expertise to the Bars.com project. We excel in holistic design, encompassing interaction, UX, and UI design. This includes extensive exploration and experimentation at the mockup level, where we create numerous features and visualizations before finalizing the implemented version. We have developed a mini component library for the guest app and branded a third-party design system for the admin interface to accelerate design work.
Beyond digital solutions, we focus on service design and customer experience optimization. We've mapped out journey touchpoints for various user groups, aligning needs and addressing pain points across the entire customer experience. This holistic approach helps us focus resources where they're most needed and promotes the use of existing third-party software to reduce unnecessary development.
Our product management skills are evident in our long-term roadmap development, which we continually refine through prioritization and scoping. We excel at lean SaaS product building, often identifying ways to gather valuable feedback with minimal development costs.
In web app implementation, we continuously optimize our operations and processes to meet evolving challenges. We also provide crucial security and risk assessment expertise to ensure the platform's integrity.
TOOLS & STACK
BREWING FASTER DEVELOPMENT WITH AI
While AI is not a core component of the Bars.com product, Bobcats Coding leverages AI tools to enhance our development process. We use ChatGPT and Claude to accelerate learning of new technologies - for instance, the team adopted Terraform 2-3 times faster with the help of these AI assistants. Our developers utilize GitHub Copilot to reduce development time and create AI-assisted scripts for various tasks.
In design, we're experimenting with AI for UI copy generation and as an alternative to stock photos. These AI integrations allow us to work more efficiently, enabling faster iteration and innovation in the Bars.com platform development.
OUR 24/7 DEVELOPMENT RHYTHM
Our partnership with Bars.com is built on a structured communication framework that bridges the geographic distance between our teams. We maintain regular touchpoints throughout the week to ensure alignment and progress.
Our primary sync-up is the weekly "product weekly" meeting, which brings together both the US and Bobcats teams. This is supplemented by weekly interaction design sessions, along with regular design and development meetings. Occasionally, we conduct in-person workshops for more intensive collaboration.
We've turned the time zone difference to our advantage. Our team works while the US team rests, and vice versa, creating a continuous development cycle. We schedule most meetings for Mountain Time mornings and Eastern Time afternoons, minimizing the need for off-hours availability.
This approach minimizes periods where the project isn't being actively worked on or reviewed. There's almost always someone from one of the teams engaged with the project at any given time.
SHAKING UP CHALLENGES
& STIRRING UP SOLUTIONS
Over the past 2 years, the Bars.com project has presented the Bobcats Coding team with technical challenges in 4 main areas, which were the following:
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Rapidly shifting priorities
As an early-stage startup, Bars.com's focus and priorities were in constant flux. Our team had to remain agile, quickly pivoting development efforts to align with evolving business strategies. This required not only technical flexibility but also a deep understanding of the startup ecosystem and the ability to provide strategic input alongside our development work.
02
Complex POS integration
What initially seemed like a straightforward task - processing payments for drinks - turned out to be a deep, multifaceted challenge. We grappled with the intricacies of accurate accounting in an environment where product offerings, prices, and promotions (like happy hour) were constantly changing. In addition to this, we had to deal with the complexities of tax and tip calculations, and we found ourselves diving deep into financial workflows to ensure precise reconciliation.
03
Real-time data processing
Developing a system that could handle real-time analytics for multiple brands simultaneously, processing high volumes of transaction and interaction data, pushed us to optimize our data architecture and processing algorithms continually.
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Regulatory compliance
Navigating the complex landscape of alcohol-related regulations across different states added another layer of complexity to our development process. We had to ensure our platform remained compliant while still delivering a seamless user experience.
RESULTS: RAISING THE BAR(S)
Our partnership with Bars.com has impressive results: we truly turned their vision into a real, digital product. We have enabled rapid validation and iteration based on real-world feedback while efficiently customizing the platform for multiple beverage brands. Our custom admin interface slashed NFC card costs by over 90%, significantly reducing operational expenses.
Bars.com now offers real-time analytics to beverage brands, supercharging their marketing ROI and allowing for data-driven decision-making. This continuous evolution of the product offering, guided by market needs, has positioned Bars.com at the forefront of innovation in the hospitality sector.
By providing Bars.com with the tools to scale their technology efficiently, Bobcats Coding has freed them to focus on their core mission: onboarding more partners and revolutionizing the beverage sampling experience. As Bars.com prepares for their next funding round, they stand poised to disrupt the beverage marketing landscape, armed with a robust, scalable platform that's as refreshing as the drinks they promote.
“In a year that would’ve broken lesser mortals, Bobcats Coding have managed not just to survive, but to thrive. And I have had the joy and honor to witness it from the cheap seats. Launching a company amid a recession, with IT’s freeze tag in play, all while onboarding the toughest job—motherhood. But Barbara’s shown that with tenacity and the right crew, even the harshest climates can yield a harvest.
To the team, bravo. To the clients, especially the inaugural one, a salute. And to Tamas Kökény my long-time friend and co-conspirator for being the rock in the storm. Here’s to betting on—and winning with—grit - onward.”
Co-founder of
