Marlow & Pine Hospitality Group runs five popular restaurant locations across two cities. With a growing customer base, dozens of employees, and a mix of dine-in, online ordering, and private events, their operations depend on one thing staying consistent: technology that works.

But one afternoon, right before the dinner rush, three of their locations experienced sudden slowdowns in their POS systems. Payments were delayed. Orders weren’t syncing. Staff couldn’t access kitchen displays. At first, it seemed like a basic connectivity issue, but within hours, it became clear that something more serious was happening.

Behind the scenes, unauthorized access attempts were attempting to compromise their network. Without immediate action, Marlow & Pine was on the brink of a complete operational shutdown. Fortunately, they weren’t relying on a DIY tech setup or a part-time “IT guy.” They had managed IT support already in place.

In this case study, we’ll walk through:

• What went wrong
• How managed IT support stepped in
• And how a proactive approach prevented a cyber disaster that could’ve cost them thousands

If you’ve ever wondered, “Could my business survive something like this?” – this story is for you.

Marlow & Pine Hospitality Group started as a single neighborhood restaurant with a locally inspired menu and a loyal following. Over the past five years, it expanded into a growing restaurant group with five locations, over 60 employees, and a steady increase in online orders, private events, and digital payments.

But like many fast-growing hospitality businesses, their technology infrastructure hadn’t kept up with their success.

Each restaurant had slightly different setups, some with outdated POS systems, others with basic routers still running default passwords. Staff often shared logins. Updates were applied sporadically, and cybersecurity wasn’t a priority… until it needed to be.

They didn’t have an internal IT team. When something broke, they called a vendor, or asked whichever manager was “the tech-savvy one” to handle it.

As Marlow & Pine grew, so did the stakes. With more data flowing through multiple systems, online reservations becoming the norm, and payment security expectations rising, the cracks in their IT approach started to show.

They knew they needed help, and that’s when they partnered with SERVD I.T. for managed IT support, just in time.

It started like any other midweek afternoon: steady lunch traffic winding down, prep beginning for the dinner rush. But at 2:47 p.m., three of Marlow & Pine’s five locations reported the same problem: POS systems were lagging, transactions were stalling, and kitchen orders weren’t syncing.

At first, it looked like a minor connectivity issue. Staff rebooted devices. Managers toggled routers. But the issue persisted, and it wasn’t just affecting one system.

Behind the scenes, unauthorized login attempts were happening across the network. A vulnerability in their outdated firewall software, combined with shared admin credentials, had opened the door for a potential breach.

If left undetected, the impact would’ve been massive:

But this time, they had a safeguard in place. SERVD I.T.’s 24/7 network monitoring tools had already detected abnormal activity, and a technician was on the case before the staff realized what was really happening.

The hospitality group was on the brink of a business-wide meltdown and they didn’t even know it yet.

Within minutes of detecting unusual activity, SERVD I.T.’s monitoring system triggered an alert. Instead of waiting for a service call or escalation, a technician remotely logged in, assessed the traffic patterns, and saw signs of potential compromise across multiple endpoints.

Here’s what happened next:

Thanks to real-time monitoring, a standardized playbook, and expert response, Marlow & Pine avoided what could have been a complete operational collapse, without losing a single transaction.

Thanks to the fast response and proactive systems in place, Marlow & Pine never experienced a full outage. No reservations were lost. No customer data was compromised. Service never stopped, and most guests had no idea anything had even gone wrong.

Instead of headlines, apologies, or credit card processor freezes, here’s what actually happened:

Marlow & Pine now has:

• Centralized, cloud-managed firewalls
• Encrypted backups with automated testing
• Proactive patching and update cycles
• Endpoint detection and response (EDR) protection
• A dedicated partner who monitors everything behind the scenes

What could have been a costly, reputation-damaging event became a proof point for why managed IT services aren’t optional, they’re essential.

Marlow & Pine’s story isn’t unique, and that’s exactly the point.

If you’re running a hospitality business today, chances are you’re relying on more technology than ever: POS systems, online ordering, reservation platforms, guest Wi-Fi, inventory tracking, cloud-based scheduling. And yet, many businesses in the industry are still trying to hold it all together with patchwork solutions, outdated hardware, or occasional support when things break.

Managed IT support is about more than fixing problems, it’s about:

• Preventing downtime before it happens
• Protecting customer data and payment systems
• Freeing your team from tech-related stress
• Creating consistent, secure operations across multiple locations
• Helping you scale without introducing new risks

Whether you have one location or ten, modern hospitality businesses need real-time protection, reliable infrastructure, and responsive support—all of which come built into a managed services model.

Marlow & Pine got lucky, but it wasn’t by chance. They made the decision to invest in proactive IT support before something went wrong, and that choice protected their business, their customers, and their reputation.

Most hospitality businesses don’t have the luxury of an in-house IT team. But that doesn’t mean you have to go it alone. With a managed IT partner watching your network 24/7, maintaining your systems, and stepping in at the first sign of trouble, you get more than just technical support—you get peace of mind.

You don’t have to wait for a POS crash, a data breach, or a cyberattack to realize your current setup isn’t enough.

You can avoid your own close call. Let us help.