Growing up, Dylan Maisel saw the ins and outs of owning a business up close. Most school nights were spent doing homework and eating dinner at his parents’ restaurant. Unbeknownst to them, he was also watching the magic unfold. The hustle and bustle, the joys and disappointments, the smiles on customers’ faces — all of it stuck with him and he knew wanted to follow in his parents’ footsteps.
Fast forward to years later when he turned 23 years old, Maisel opened a bicycle juice cart in New Orleans, selling cold-pressed juices at local coffee shops and food markets, operating early iterations of what would go on to become The Daily Beet. Maisel recalls, “You wouldn’t think of this plant-based smoothie shop in New Orleans being the busiest stall, but I think it just really spoke to the demand and changing dietary preferences. And people wanted to eat healthier.”
He went from operating the busiest stall at a food market to opening his first brick-and-mortar store in New Orleans’s business district in 2017. He expanded the menu from juices and smoothies to include vegetarian brunch items, salads, and grain bowls, building on his dedication to healthy, quick service with a flare.
Today, The Daily Beet has two fast-casual locations in New Orleans and a third in Fayetteville, Arkansas, all powered by Square.
How it started: Stalled transactions with inefficient tools
In his food hall days, Maisel used Square because it was the point-of-sale (POS) used by the food hall he operated out of. When it came time to open his first brick-and-mortar, he tried out a different point-of-sale provider with lower, more enticing processing rates. “This only lasted a few months,” Maisel explained. “The functionality was pretty poor. When you’re handling volume, you need an intuitive interface that’s able to handle transactions smoothly and quickly.”
In addition to needing a platform that could handle volume with ease, he also needed a platform that could do so at scale as his business grew. For example, he always planned to offer online ordering. He knew he wanted to build customer relationships, and he knew he needed it all to be seamless.
How it’s going: $88k in attributed sales from Square Marketing and Square Loyalty alone in 2024
Maisel quickly switched back to Square after a short trial period. “My company has grown by a good amount. I went from selling juices on a bicycle using Square to having three locations, and Square has definitely made that journey a lot easier,” Maisel said. In addition to switching his POS system, Maisel switched his online ordering platform to Square Online once it launched because it conveniently integrated with his POS system, introducing more ease into the business. Sales grew by 27% within six months of making the switch.
Adding Square Online ordering definitely boosted our capabilities. You can only fit so many seats, so we couldn’t do our volume without it. It makes sense, and it takes the burden off the employees.”
Dylan Maisel → The Daily Beet Owner
The Daily Beet later adopted Square Loyalty and Square Marketing. This allows them to reward repeat visits and target lapsed customers via email and text to stay top of mind. For instance, a recent email campaign rewarded loyalty customers with a $5 coupon and earned The Daily Beet $13,124 in attributed sales in return. Overall, The Daily Beet earned $88,000 in attributed sales from Square Marketing and Loyalty programs in 2024.
“It’s said that 10% of your customers make up 75 or 80% of your revenue, so I don’t want to lose those customers, and Square gives me the ability to retarget those folks,” Maisel pointed out.
The impact: Business insights that help propel the business into the future
Having every facet of The Daily Beet on a single platform allows him to analyze his business on a deeper level. “Most POS give you the sales, but it’s nice to see: Are we growing new customers? Are we losing returning customers? What’s the average spend?” Maisel said.
This information enables him to proactively set his business up for success and build where necessary. For example, if he’s growing new customers, he’s able to learn more about what’s bringing them in. Are they all trying a new menu item? If they’re signing up for the loyalty program, what’s the biggest converter — bowls, smoothies, or something else altogether?
A singular platform helps him maintain high performance at his stores, and according to Maisel, it also helps him prepare for the next one, making the opportunities limitless: “Since Square has my menu and my information already, it’s pretty much plug and play. A lot of employees are already familiar with the POS, too. Square just makes it really easy to expand the business as we continue to grow.”
