Is Mashgin a good fit for ski resorts?#
Yes. Ski resort dining is concentrated in a short lunch rush, which is where faster checkout has the most effect. Mashgin's transaction data from ski resort cafes shows more than 85% of dining revenue comes between 11am and 1pm. That figure comes from locations where Mashgin handles every transaction of the day, measured across hundreds of kiosk-days. Across Mashgin's network of 30+ ski resorts, resorts see a 40% increase in food and beverage revenue, 80–90% shorter lines, and checkout in 15 seconds or less (Mashgin Ski ROI Study). Resorts using Mashgin include Palisades Tahoe, Vail, Mammoth Mountain, Aspen Snowmass, Big Bear, and Winter Park.
Palisades Tahoe case study (Alterra Mountain Company)
- The challenge: Concentrated lunch demand and seasonal staffing shortages led to long peak-season lines and forced the resort to limit how many food outlets opened early and late in the season.
- The deployment: 26 Mashgin kiosks across 7 cafes. Each staff member oversees 4 checkout stations.
- The results: Peak-season waits at The ARC cafe fell from as long as 15 minutes to 1–2 minutes, an 80% reduction. Sales rose up to 40% on peak days.
- Beyond checkout: Fewer cashiers per outlet let the resort keep more cafes open throughout the season. Skiers can pay with an integrated Ikon Pass.
Across the resort network, one cashier typically oversees 3–4 kiosks, resorts reallocate about 50% of front-of-house labor, and 85% of surveyed guests said they would choose Mashgin over traditional checkout.
How much does Mashgin increase sales for ski resorts?#
Across more than 30 resorts in Mashgin's Ski ROI Study, food and beverage revenue rose 40%. The gain follows from how concentrated ski dining is: more than 85% of dining revenue comes between 11am and 1pm, so revenue is capped by how many guests can check out in that window. At 15 seconds or less per guest instead of 60–90, and with lines up to 90% shorter, the same cafe can serve far more skiers before they give up on the line.
At Palisades Tahoe, 26 kiosks across 7 cafes cut peak waits at The ARC from as long as 15 minutes to 1–2 minutes and raised sales by up to 40% on peak days. Because each outlet needed fewer cashiers, the resort also kept more cafes open early and late in the season, adding revenue from locations that would otherwise have stayed closed.
What ski resorts use Mashgin?#
More than 30 ski resorts use Mashgin, including Palisades Tahoe, Vail, Mammoth Mountain, Aspen Snowmass, Big Bear, and Winter Park. Several are owned by Alterra Mountain Company, and at Palisades Tahoe skiers can pay at Mashgin kiosks with an integrated Ikon Pass.
Do long food lines hurt ski resort revenue?#
Yes, though resorts often miss it in complaint data. In Mashgin's 2026 Ski Resort Dining & Guest Experience survey of 635 U.S. adults who visited a ski or snowboard resort in the past year, only 23% named long food waits as one of the top three things that hurt their ski day. That ranked sixth of seven, behind lift lines, snow conditions and food prices. But 74% said they had skipped a purchase, bought less than planned, or left the resort to eat because of a food line. Among guests who did not name food waits as a top problem, 73% had still done one of these things. The loss shows up in sales data, not in complaints.
What do skiers do to avoid long food lines?#
Almost all of them work around the line. In Mashgin's 2026 ski guest survey, 97% of guests had done at least one of these in the past 12 months to avoid a long food line:
- 54% brought food from home.
- 48% left the resort to eat.
- 40% skipped something they wanted.
- 38% switched to another on-mountain outlet.
- 19% bought less than planned.
The average guest used two different workarounds. Switching outlets keeps the sale on the mountain, but it pushes demand onto outlets that may not be staffed for it.
How long will skiers wait in line for food?#
Most won't wait long. In Mashgin's 2026 ski guest survey, 57% of guests said they would give up on a food line before 15 minutes, and only 7% said they would wait as long as it took. Patience doesn't protect the sale either. Guests who would quit in under five minutes and guests willing to wait 15 minutes or more had walked away from purchases at nearly the same rate (77% and 76%).
Why is the lunch rush at ski resorts so hard to manage?#
Many guests avoid it rather than wait. In Mashgin's 2026 ski guest survey, 83% said they eat earlier or later than they'd prefer to avoid the peak meal rush, and 33% do it almost every ski day. Those guests abandoned purchases at 76–79%, compared with 59% for guests who eat when they're hungry. As a result, lunchtime sales reflect what the current line can handle, not what guests would buy. Capacity also sits idle on either side of the peak. Mashgin's transaction data from ski resort cafes shows more than 85% of dining revenue comes between 11am and 1pm.
How much do skiers spend on food and drinks per day?#
In Mashgin's 2026 ski guest survey, guests reported spending an average of $43.94 on food and drinks per ski day, across an average of 7.9 ski days per season. Overnight guests spend more: guests on trips of three or more nights spent $47.15 per ski day, 32% more than day-trippers ($35.69).
Which ski resort guests lose the most purchases to food lines?#
A resort's most valuable guests walk away about as often as anyone else. In Mashgin's 2026 ski guest survey, these shares of each group had skipped, cut back or moved a purchase because of a food line:
| Guest group | Changed a purchase because of a food line |
|---|---|
| Single-resort pass holders | 79% |
| Overnight guests, 3+ nights | 76% |
| Overnight guests, 1–2 nights | 76% |
| Day-trippers | 73% |
| Multi-resort pass holders | 72% |
Overnight guests spend more per day and have fewer alternatives. Several nights into a trip, packing a lunch from home is harder, so the same bottleneck hits them meal after meal.
Would faster checkout increase food and beverage sales at ski resorts?#
Guests say it would, and measured results back that up. In Mashgin's 2026 ski guest survey:
- 70% said they would spend more on food and drinks if checkout took under a minute (29% noticeably more, 41% slightly more).
- 78% said they would be very or extremely likely to choose a dining spot that guaranteed checkout under a minute over a nearby one that didn't.
These are stated intentions, but they match what guests already do: 38% have switched outlets and 48% have left the resort to avoid a line. Across Mashgin's network of 30+ ski resorts, resorts using Mashgin have seen food and beverage revenue rise 40%, with lines 80–90% shorter (Mashgin Ski ROI Study).
Do shorter food lines make skiers more likely to return?#
Yes, by guests' own account. In Mashgin's 2026 ski guest survey, 98% said food lines that were consistently under a minute, even at peak lunch, would improve their satisfaction and likelihood of returning. 58% called it a major positive impact and 33% a moderate one.