Oregon Developed App 'Porter' Emerges as COVID-19 Reopening Asset
A Eugene, Oregon developed app called Porter launched in mid 2019, designed to make it easy for customers to order beers without touching sticky menus or handling germ covered cash. In 2020, Porter is more relevant than ever with counties and states developing reopening plans calling for limited capacity and touchless ordering.
We have been recommending Porter in our statewide home beer delivery guide for the past month, and first covered it's launch last October. But no one knew how relevant the app would become, and it's developers have adjusted accordingly to offer even more advanced services in the times of Coronavirus. These advanced features include options for dining in customers to select their own seating, or to track pick-up orders and notify patrons with a text, pay by phone and place delivery orders.
“We didn't build Porter specifically to address social distancing or to help restaurants meet these new public safety guidelines, but it turns out that our service is perfectly suited to solve all of these problems,” says Chief Porter John Barry. “It feels great to be able to help out so many of our fellow restaurateurs in these difficult and uncertain times, and we’re all looking forward to using Porter to order from our favorite tables at our favorite local spots again soon.”
Porter was developed by the same team that operates Eugene's popular beer destinations Tap & Growler, Beergarden and PublicHouse. So they know the beer and hospitality business as well as the needs of the industry.
Porter is reportedly easy to set up with a website and an embedded “Order Now” button. This makes it easy for businesses to stop supporting the third-party menu hosting and delivery companies that charge exorbitant fees. According to Porter, their business customers report an average of 20% larger tickets and a 65% increase in tips.
Porter is already being used in Eugene hotspots like The Bier Stein and Coldfire Brewing, as well as Ordnance Brewing in Boardman, OR and On Tap in Bend.
"Porter has given us the flexibility to continue our business in this crazy time - and even offers us new ways to reach our customers," says Dan Hughes, ColdFire Brewing's co-founder and general manager.
About Porter
Porter is a digital platform to simplify and consolidate the back-of-house management for any taproom, café, restaurant, or coffee shop, as well as improve the front-of-house experience for patrons by providing more ways to order, reorder, and check out quickly and conveniently. Porter was developed by an all-star team of restaurateurs, designers, entrepreneurs, and computer geeks and launched in 2019. Visit heyporter.app.