Organization That Drives Sales: Why Birria Lovers Ditched Pen and Paper and Trusted Their Operations to Loyverse

Could you tell us the name of your business, where you are located, and how long you have been operating?

My business is a Mexican restaurant named Birria Lovers. We are located in Guatemala, specifically in Malacatán, San Marcos. We have been using Loyverse for approximately seven months. The venture began as a food truck; we did not have a permanent physical location, so my wife and I set up in strategic spots using my pickup truck, as this is a family-run business. By God's grace, our reputation grew, and demand increased substantially; customers genuinely appreciated both our service and the authentic flavor of our food. That momentum led us to search for a brick-and-mortar venue, which is when I began researching and familiarizing myself thoroughly with Loyverse’s features and capabilities. I adapted quickly given my professional background in technology prior to opening the restaurant, so the learning curve was straightforward.

You mentioned that you started using Loyverse seven months ago. Was there a period during which you operated without any point-of-sale system?

Yes, absolutely. We operated for about four months using traditional pen and paper. However, during peak hours with heavy foot traffic, we lacked an orderly queue system. Orders were occasionally served out of sequence because, without a structured process, operational efficiency suffered.

Could you share an example or explain what was most challenging about running the business prior to implementing Loyverse?

Order management and kitchen ticket routing were the most difficult aspects. Beyond that, we lacked structured oversight of accounting and core performance metrics; we had a general sense of the numbers, but no certainty about peak sales hours or exact revenue metrics.

What improvements have you noticed since?

We achieved immediate operational order and the ability to analyze our metrics from a technical standpoint, alongside significantly better administrative control. I regularly utilize the analytics and visual dashboards to benchmark our daily sales performance against previous days and weeks.

Was there a specific feature that convinced you that Loyverse was the right solution without needing to evaluate further options?

What stood out most was its simplicity. It is remarkably practical, straightforward, and uncomplicated. It provides exactly what an operator needs.

What was your experience during the initial setup of Loyverse? 

Setting up the printers presented a slight challenge. I initially purchased a printer that proved incompatible, so that was the only minor hurdle; everything else was exceptionally smooth. About a month ago, I started utilizing the profit margin feature to calculate our financial metrics. Aside from the printer setup, operations have run seamlessly. I would, however, like to share a suggestion for a potential feature addition, if appropriate.

Sure. Your feedback is valuable to us.

We currently have a head server on staff as part of a five-person team. It would be beneficial to refine access permissions: there is an administrator/manager password and a separate PIN for floor staff. When a server takes an order at a table and the guest requests a soda, but subsequently asks to cancel it in favor of fresh juice, there is currently no visible cancellation log accessible to the business owner. While I appreciate that manager credentials are required for certain actions, the system does not generate an audit trail for cancellations. Refunds generate clear digital documentation, and it would be ideal to implement a similar audit log to permanently record item cancellations in the back office.

Thank you for that feedback. Moving to daily software utilization, which one or two features do you rely on most frequently?

I rely heavily on the open ticket table management feature. I also frequently use the Dashboard app; while the desktop Back Office is comprehensive, I prefer reviewing performance metrics directly on mobile. Open ticket table management is definitely our most utilized day-to-day feature. While we plan to roll out customer loyalty rewards in the future, we actively use item variants for specific food and beverage offerings, and that functionality has proven exceptionally useful.

Have you observed tangible improvements in inventory tracking, sales performance, or customer service?

Customer service has improved noticeably. Previously, we simply stated the total amount owed verbally. Now, we provide an itemized receipt, enabling customers to clearly review every item consumed alongside transparent pricing.

Have the Loyverse reports helped you make strategic operational decisions?

Yes, it allows me to identify high-turnover items and optimize purchase orders accordingly. Those specific reports have been instrumental in maintaining adequate inventory levels for our highest-demand products and in identifying our peak operating hours.

You currently subscribe to the paid Employee Management add-on. What was the primary driver behind that decision?

The main factor was separating my administrative account privileges from the permissions granted to the shift supervisor who oversees the floor in my absence. This is why having an audit trail for cancellations is so vital to me. I invested in the add-on specifically to segregate permissions between the manager and service staff.

Are there specific features you consider essential to restrict from floor employees?

The current restriction parameters serve our workflow well. Staff members cannot view more than five previous receipts; they cannot adjust inventory levels, and they cannot see gross daily revenue. Those restrictions are well calibrated, and activating the subscription was essential to safeguard inventory records and proprietary sales analytics.

Which tool would you most recommend to similar food-service establishments to streamline daily operations?

Loyverse POS for front-of-house order management and the Loyverse Dashboard app for administrative tracking. Both are indispensable to our daily workflow, and I recommend them without reservation.

What advice would you offer to business owners who are still running their operations manually with pen and paper?

I strongly advise establishing structured operational controls, as organization directly drives revenue growth. Generating sales is of little value if you cannot analyze your top-performing products or identify which items deliver healthy margins. For that reason, I recommend Loyverse completely. The ultimate cornerstones of business success remain consistency, attentive customer service, and the authentic flavor of the food. Order goes hand in hand with sales! 

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