Heine Brothers Coffee

How Heine Brothers Coffee uses technology to stay competitive

In business, it used to be that if you had 18 locations, especially in one region, you were the "big guy." Today, at least in the coffeehouse arena, that’s no longer true. So, for Louisville, Kentucky-based Heine Brothers Coffee ─ with 18 lively storefronts selling fair trade and organic coffee concoctions, plus a variety of online coffee subscriptions ─ staying ahead of the competition is key to their success.

Heine Brothers, co-founded by Mike Mays in 1994, has approximately 250 employees ─ baristas, roastery experts and other coffee aficionados ─ in Kentucky and Southern Indiana who keep the business running. And of course, there are the many local coffee drinkers who depend on Heine Brothers for their morning and afternoon jolts.

Additionally, the company works with numerous community groups, recycles and buys locally and chose its headquarters location, in part, to help reinvigorate that area. This adds up to a lot of work and responsibility for Mays and his team to manage.

Time for a change

For Mike, that means choosing technology partners that can help him take payments, increase sales, streamline ordering and update prices, menu options and other information quickly and uniformly across all Heine Brothers’ locations.

The previous software he had been relying on, he says, was “a legacy point-of-sale system stuck in the 20th century.” To update the price of a cappuccino or a Snickers latte or add a new seasonal menu item such as a white chocolate pumpkin latte, he and his team had to enter the change at each location. It was a tedious, time-consuming and frustrating task that he describes as “clunky.”

Several years ago, he’d had enough. He began a new “21st century” partnership with Qu (formerly Gusto) and its next generation point-of-sale (POS) system, powered by Worldpay.

Qu delivers an enterprise-scale, cloud-based POS solution for fast-casual and quick-service restaurant chains, plus a core suite of omnichannel ordering solutions, that’s fast, flexible and easy to use.

A perfectly brewed partnership

A speedy payment processing system is imperative for Heine Brothers’ customers, as they seek faster, easier payment methods so they can focus on relaxing and chatting with family, friends, the baristas or just enjoying their morning coffee in quiet solitude.

When he describes Worldpay's payment processing solutions, Niko Papademetriou, co-founder and senior vice president of sales and business development at Qu, says simply, "They're faster and easier. Worldpay has been a valuable partner.”

All of this increased flexibility and efficiency has been a boon to Heine Brothers’ business. Mike says working with Worldpay and Qu allows him and his team to concentrate more on what matters most to them ─ satisfying customers and being an active and valuable partner to the community.

At a glance

Objective

Leverage technology to improve business operations and the customer experience.

Worldpay solutions

Enterprise Payments Capabilities

Impact

• Faster, easier payments methods
• Enhanced business efficiencies

"Worldpay has been a valuable partner.”

Niko Papademetriou, Co-founder & SVP, Sales and Business Development, Qu

Note: Not all products, solutions or capabilities mentioned in our client stories are available in all geographic regions. Please consult your relationship manager or customer care (existing customers) or sales (prospects) for more information.