Shinya Ramen‘s Average Order Size Increased 17% with Chowbus POS and QR Code Ordering

Joey and her four other friends took over Shinya Ramen in October 2021. They brought on Chowbus POS with third-party integration and Qr code ordering in March 2022.

Shinya Ramen is located in the Bridgeport area, Chicago. It offers noodle soups & skewered snacks in a classic izakaya setting with a chill vibe & outdoor seating. Joey was a college student and a regular at Shinya ramen before she and the other four friends took over this restaurant. 

The relaxing atmosphere and late opening hours were what attracted her. So when the opportunity presented itself, Joey and her friends made the decision to take over this restaurant right away. 

Being a boss can be exciting and frustrating at the same time. Especially when Joey used to be a loyal customer who simply just wanted to enjoy great food and drinks. But now she has to focus on making all the guests experience what she had experienced and more. She spent a lot of time on elevating operations such as floor planning, hiring and training new employees, and making sure all dine-in and delivery orders are accurate.

One challenge Joey faced was floor planning during peak hours. They were using Menusifu POS and while it is a stable POS, it does not allow the “one button sent to the kitchen” function for all delivery platform orders. During peak hours, Joey had to assign one employee only to stand in front of POS and all other tablets to deploy orders to the kitchen. By switching to Chowbus POS, Joey can now assign this employee to do table touching and bring orders to guests. 

One labor is not the only thing they saved. By adopting contactless Qr code ordering, Shinya Ramen increased the table turnover rate by 20% and was able to cut off two more headcounts. 

“Some of our waiters and waitresses worry that by using QR code, they would not get as much as tips as before. “ Joey told us, “ The concern was quickly dispelled. Our average tip percentage was increased almost 20% because waiters and waitresses can now focus on table touching and making personal connections with the guests.”

We all have experienced being rushed when at a restaurant. By using Chowbus Qr code ordering, guests have full control of when to place their order and add items. We also have the “ call help” function. Wherever guest needs anything, they can simply press the button on their phones and one employee would come to check on them.

Another advantage of Chowbus QR code ordering is that it is a bilingual system. You could switch between English and Mandarin Chinese with one button. On their Mandarin menu, Joey playfully uses Jay Chou’s song to name their cocktails. 

Joey told us“ Like many other restaurateurs, we thought switching to a new POS system would be hectic. But Chowbus team makes sure we are being taken care of. They came to install the equipment and helped train all employees, which saved a lot of our time. And whenever we had a problem, the team is very responsive and resourceful. They’d come to our store to assist with anything that couldn’t be solved over a phone call. One time a local rep came here at 10 pm. We are very grateful.”

Chowbus's All-in-one POS system is also cloud-based. Whenever Joey or her partners couldn’t be at the store for a whole day, they can still log on to any device to check on each transaction and sales volume. 

“We feel very comfortable and secure with Chowbus POS system. We like working with Chowbus team as well.”