Compared to what I do today

• How is this different from Square POS?+

  Square is a register — payments and receipts. We're the event layer above it. Guests order from their phones, the cart isn't a checkout line, the couple shapes the bar beforehand, and there's a keepsake after. Most operators keep Square for the rare paid-drink event; the two don't overlap.

• Why not just use a paper ticket pad?+

  Paper works. We replace it with three things you can't do on paper: (1) the guest gets an SMS the moment their drink is ready, no name-yelling at the bar; (2) walk-ups + QR orders share one queue with cup-label tracking so nothing falls through; (3) the host gets a magazine-style recap of the event. If those don't matter for your gigs, paper is genuinely fine.

• How is this different from Toast / Clover?+

  Those are full POS systems with hardware, payment processing, inventory tied to SKUs, and a monthly fee designed for restaurants. We're event-software-only — no card reader, no payment processing, no monthly base fee at the per-event tier. Toast is for a cafe; we're for the cart that pops up at a wedding or a private celebration.

• Can I use Alongside alongside my existing POS?+

  Yes. Lots of operators run Square at their main shop and Alongside at their event side-gigs. They don't share data — by design. Your Square sales stay your Square sales; your event clients stay in your Alongside client list.

• What's in Alongside that bare-bones QR-ordering tools don't have?+

  Three things the QR-only tools don't ship. First, the host's bar — a customizable page with their palette, monogram, welcome note, and signature drinks they name themselves. Second, the keepsake — a magazine-style recap microsite they share the next morning, plus a 1080×1920 share card for Instagram. Third, the operator-side rig that makes the day-of calm — per-drink ready station, walk-up POS with TCPA-safe consent, drink-cap policies, priority code for VIPs, cross-iPad sync, vendor-staff link, client roster, analytics, print-ready signage, and a native iOS cart app. Plus the unglamorous parts most tools skip — spam protection, rate limits, demo-event guards. Price: first event free, $30 per event after, or $79/month. No per-cup fees. No contract.

• Does Alongside work for events that aren't weddings?+

  Yes. Pick 'private event' when you create it and the surface adapts: a guest-of-honor field, an occasion picker (birthday / anniversary / housewarming / dinner), themed palette presets, a hero photo for the recap, and a scheduled toast-prompt SMS that nudges guests to leave a note partway through the night. Same price — first event free, $30 each after. Corporate offsites (cost centers, brand co-display, multi-day) are in a design-partner preview; email us if that's your calendar.

• Are there any per-event SMS limits?+

  100 sends on the free first event, 1000 on paid events. That covers ~500 orders. If you have a bigger event coming, email us and we'll raise it.

Features

• Do you take a cut of my drink sales?+

  No, never. Alongside doesn't touch payment for drinks — operators charge guests their own way (free for the couple, drink tickets, tabbed bar). We just run the ordering and the keepsake. The $30 is the platform, not a per-cup share.

• Do I need a printer?+

  No. Barista mode shows the queue on the iPad and the barista writes the order number on each cup with a Sharpie — fast, foolproof, no extra hardware. Label printer integration is in private beta on our own carts; if you specifically want it for your event, email us and we'll set it up by hand.

• Can the host actually customize their page?+

  Yes — colors, typography, monogram, background effects, the welcome note, and the drinks themselves. The couple names their own signature drinks (we offer a quick questionnaire if they want help shaping them). They get an edit link before the event and can tweak anything without you in the loop. The page they shape is the page their guests scan into.

• Is the SMS to guests TCPA-compliant?+

  Yes. Guests check an explicit opt-in checkbox on the order form before any text fires. Our SMS body identifies the sender (Alongside), names the reason (“your drink is ready”), and includes STOP / HELP keywords on every message. We send up to two transactional texts per order (an order confirmation and a ready alert) and never market. Operators are not on the hook for opt-out flows — Twilio handles the keyword reply and our system honors it.

• Where does my data live? What about my guests' data?+

  Your data is yours alone — no other operator can read your client list, your menu, or your guest contacts. Guest phone numbers are deleted about a week after the event. We never sell, mine, or share them. Full details in our privacy policy.

• What if I get slammed mid-event?+

  Two safety nets. Auto-throttle pauses new orders for a couple minutes when the queue hits a depth you set. Manual pause is a one-tap button. Orders sitting more than 15 / 30 minutes glow louder on the queue so nothing slips.

• What if I'm working the cart solo vs with a second barista?+

  Toggle Solo mode in the barista header. Solo collapses everything into one screen for a single barista. Pair mode splits across two iPads when you have help.

How it works

• How long does setup take?+

  A couple of minutes once you've done it once. The first event is the longest — that's where you pick templates, add your menu, upload the cart photo. After that it's mostly clone-and-adjust per booking.

• What do guests use to order?+

  Their own phones. They scan the QR, the microsite loads, they pick a drink. Nothing to download — works in any modern browser. We text them once when the drink is ready.

• What's the recap microsite?+

  A private magazine-style keepsake the couple gets the morning after — cover with their monogram, photos guests took, handwritten notes, drinks of the night. Save as PDF or share to Instagram. Yours forever.

• What's adaptive flow?+

  Set a lean (iced or hot) and the guest menu quietly re-ranks so the matching drinks land on top. No banner. No nag. The menu just leans.

• Can I see the operator side of things before signing up?+

  Yes — book a 20-minute walkthrough with Roman. He'll spin up a sample event, run a few orders through the queue, and show you the recap. No slides.

Studio (analytics + client roster)

• What does the $79/mo Studio plan add?+

  Unlimited events at no per-event charge, plus the analytics and client roster that turn Alongside into the booking system itself. You see booked revenue YTD, what's outstanding, repeat-client rates, and a pipeline view of every event from inquiry to wrapped — the same numbers you've been keeping in a spreadsheet.

• Who is Studio actually for?+

  Operators booking three or more events a month. At that volume the per-event charges match the subscription, and you're keeping a separate spreadsheet anyway. Studio replaces the spreadsheet and pays for itself from the third event.

• Can I see clients across years?+

  Yes. The client list is org-scoped (only you see your clients) and tracks every event ever attached to that client — repeat bookings, total spend, last booked date. New event creation lets you attach to an existing client so the history compounds.

• Is my client data safe?+

  Each operator's data is isolated by row-level security in the database — no other operator can read your client list. We use private storage for photos and brand assets, all served via short-lived signed URLs. The full architecture is in our privacy policy.

Pricing

• What counts as one event?+

  A single date + venue. A weekend with a Saturday wedding and a Sunday brunch is two events. Your first event is always free; after that it's $30 each — or unlimited under Studio.

• Should I pick per-event or Studio?+

  Run the math: at three or more events a month, Studio pays for itself and you get the client roster + analytics on top. Below that, per-event is cheaper and you don't lose any of the event-day features. There's no lock-in either way.

• Are there per-drink fees or hidden costs?+

  None. We don't see drink prices and we don't take a cut. The $30 (or your Studio subscription) covers the platform: ordering, barista mode, SMS to guests, the recap microsite, all of it.

• What if the event gets cancelled?+

  You only pay when an event actually runs. Drafted-but-cancelled events cost nothing — and you can keep the work in case the host reschedules.