Billy Joe’s: the bar that
knows its crowd.
Billy Joe’s Ribworks is a Newburgh, NY restaurant that turns into a nightlife venue after dark. They wanted a better way to reach customers; what they got was a loyalty platform — iOS and Android apps with fast-pass entry, loyalty points tied to the point of sale, door and bar sensors feeding the backend, and live push promotions targeted at what each regular actually drinks. Strategy first, 25 regulars in the test loop, launched in five months.
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No way to reach regulars, no idea who was in the building, promotions flying blind.
A packed venue with no memory: who came, how long they stayed, what they drank — none of it captured. Promotions went out blind, inventory ran on instinct, and the regulars who carried the business had no reason beyond habit to keep coming. “We wanted to find a better way to reach our customers.”
- 1Promotions flying blindNo data on who was coming or what they ordered — every promo a guess.
- 2No customer reachNo channel to the regulars beyond hoping they showed up.
- 3Inventory on instinctLiquor ordering disconnected from what was actually selling, night by night.
- 4Off-season slumpsQuiet months with no machinery to pull the crowd back in.
The crowd checks in, the data flows back, the promos land.
Strategy before software: technical documentation approved first, then wireframes, design, prototype — and 25 regular customers in the feedback loop before a line of production code. Bryan and the project manager worked onsite with actual users. Monthly standing meetings with the owners. “They spearheaded the project, becoming more like a partner rather than a vendor.”
- iOS + Android loyalty app — fast-pass entry past the line and cover, loyalty points on drink orders
- POS integration + door/bar sensors — who's in, where they hang, what they order, all flowing to the backend
- Custom web portal to manage it all · live push notifications with targeted drink promos · ongoing support since launch
Under the hood. Built on: iOS + Android, POS integration, IoT sensors, Web portal. Native mobile apps tied to the venue's point-of-sale for loyalty accrual; door and bar sensors feeding presence and dwell data to the backend; custom web portal for promotion management and live push targeting. Five-person pod: PM, two mobile devs, two web devs, plus dedicated testing.
They came for a loyalty app — they got a venue that knows its crowd.
More customers in the off-season than the prior year · liquor sales up via targeted promos · inventory managed by data.