Case Study: Benny's Barbecue

Introduction

IN 2022, during the COVID-19 pandemic, Benjamin Slan started smoking meat in his parents’ backyard. He’d just graduated from university with a business degree and needed something to help pass the time. The hobby soon turned into a passion (one he clearly had a knack for), and he started to sell his food via Facebook and Instagram. People loved it, and seven months later, Slan decided it was time to expand his business. He found a restaurant space on Toronto’s Yonge Street where Benny’s Barbecue has now been operating for the past three and a half years.

The business grew rapidly, thanks to a strong social media following and influencer collaborations. He was open four days a week at first, but quickly expanded to six as Benny’s Barbecue became a popular destination with a reliable crowd.

But with success came the challenge of managing a lineup that was stretching out the door. While it’s a problem most business owners dream of having, Slan knew that a slow, inefficient POS system could create a bottleneck, frustrate customers and staff, and ultimately limit how many people he could serve.

In search of the right tool

When opening his brick-and-mortar restaurant, one of Slan’s top priorities was finding a POS system that could handle the pace of a fast-moving, growing food business. He investigated several options, trialling different systems to see what best suited his needs. He ultimately decided on Clover. “The simple and intuitive process and clear interface were what I really wanted,” he says.

For Slan, one of Clover’s biggest benefits is that it allows his team to handle transactions quickly, which is essential as the lines at Benny’s Barbecue keep growing. A key feature is the customer-facing display, which lets customers review their items and totals while staff quickly build their orders. This transparency helps prevent ordering errors and provides clarity for the customer. The smooth, intuitive process keeps customers satisfied and the line moving.

Online ordering powers growth

However, Slan’s favourite Clover feature is the online ordering system. “Customers can order in advance and pick it up,” he says. “It’s a very easy-to-use interface, which we’ve been using pretty much since the start.”

The Clover app also allows staff to quickly update menu offerings or mark items as sold out in real time. This efficiency is indispensable for a business that makes everything fresh daily and closes when it runs out of meat. Slan even recommends the online ordering system to other small business owners, emphasizing the ease of removing or adding items to their offerings.

Clover’s reporting features also provide useful insights by giving Slan a general overview of what’s selling well, be it the St. Louis-Style Side Ribs, the Chopped Brisket Sandwiches, or the Texas Trinity Platter. He also appreciates the reliable customer support. “Whenever we’ve had a problem, it’s been solved quickly, which is important, because we can’t have our system down,” he says. Knowing he can run the restaurant with minimal interruption offers him invaluable peace of mind.

A way to ensure growth

While running a restaurant is always a little stressful, Slan credits Clover’s smooth transaction process as part of the reason for the company’s success. “A streamlined system where we can do transactions quickly is very important,” he explains.

Slan’s advice to other small food businesses? Investing in a good POS system is a necessity for growth. “Having an up-to-date system will help you not only get through transactions quicker, which will keep customers happy, but it’ll allow you to serve more people as well,” he emphasizes.

As Benny’s Barbecue continues to grow, Clover is helping them focus on what they do best: serving up delicious, Texas-style barbecue. Now when Slan sees lines stretching out the door, he doesn’t feel stressed — he sees success.