Cross Sound Deli
Cross Sound Deli, founded in 1975, provides food service on ferry routes between New London, Connecticut, and Long Island, New York. With a fleet of four boats year-round (and up to nine boats during the busy summer months), the company faced significant operational challenges around daily cash tip-outs, constantly running to the bank, counting out large sums of cash, and sometimes running short. By implementing TipHaus, Cross Sound Deli has drastically streamlined tip distribution, boosted transparency, and cut out grueling manual tasks, resulting in over 60 hours saved every month.
Connecticut & New York
4 boats year-round, up to 9 during peak season
Ferry service with restaurants
Patty Gran, HR Manager
Handling daily cash tip-outs for employees across multiple ferries was time-consuming and error-prone, creating compliance risks, security concerns, and operational inefficiencies.
TipHaus automates Cross Sound Deli’s entire tip management process. By integrating seamlessly with their Toast POS, the company gained real-time, time-of-sale tip allocation and Earned Tip Access®. Employees receive digital daily payouts through TipHaus (HausDirect or HausMoney), reducing the need for cash on hand and ensuring transparent, error-free tip distribution.
Reduce tip calculation time by 80% while eliminating manual errors and discrepancies—ensuring accuracy and legal compliance
Calculate your ROI
Cross Sound Deli operates ferry-based food services between New London, CT, and Long Island, NY. Established in 1975 and still owned by the Wronowski family, the deli’s operations vary widely with seasonal passenger traffic. During high season (Memorial Day through October), up to nine ferries run daily, creating a significant volume of credit card tips to be distributed.
Previously, employees relied on limited register cash for tip-outs. This approach forced frequent bank runs or bank services to bring the additional cash needed, and manual calculations exposed the business to theft, errors, and compliance risks. After 40 years, HR Manager Patty Gran recognized the need for a modern, streamlined solution.
"We switched from cash tip payouts to digital tip payouts with Earned Tip Access® in winter 2023, and our staff are much happier. Thanks to TipHaus’s daily tip payouts and the employee app, they can see exactly what they’re earning in real-time, and our management team no longer worries about cash shortages or theft. Many of our staff now prefer receiving their tips digitally because they tend to spend less money overall, and they love having 2 payout options. Younger team members often pick the free HausMoney to save every penny, while older, more established staff lean toward HausDirect for convenient daily deposits - even with a small fee. None of this visibility was possible when we were dealing strictly with cash."
Patty Gran
HR Manager
Daily cash payouts quickly became unsustainable as Cross Sound Deli expanded, leading to frequent bank trips (or visits from a bank service) and elevated security concerns. The reliance on manual counting and record-keeping left ample room for errors, theft, and minimal paper trails.
Complicating matters further, fluctuating seasonal staffing and customer volume demanded a highly adaptable, real-time solution, something that spreadsheets and physical cash registers simply could not provide.
TipHaus delivered automated tip management, integrating seamlessly with Toast POS. Key features include:
We used to pay a banking service twice a week to bring in cash, and it took us two hours each day just to get all the boats started. We’ve cut that by over 75%, saving roughly 60 hours of tedious work every month. We’ve also significantly reduced our security costs. On top of that, the physical labor of handling large amounts of coins for multiple boats wasn’t fun.
Patty Gran
HR Manager
By automating daily tip-outs and offering flexible digital payout options, TipHaus enabled Cross Sound Deli to refocus on what they do best: serving fresh meals on the water. The streamlined process, time savings, and enhanced security have made a tangible impact on both staff and management, setting Cross Sound Deli up for continued success for decades to come.
