Why Pool Is The Crowd-Pleasing Tool For Cashless Concession Stands

Everyone knows where to find you this school year. You're running the concession stand at games and events. Serving up snacks, drinks, and spirit gear is fun—but managing the money behind it can be a challenge.

Between purchasing inventory, coordinating volunteers, tracking expenses, and planning for future events, there's a lot more to running a concession stand than what happens at the register.

That's where Pool comes in.

Pool gives concession stand organizers a dedicated place to manage funds, collaborate with volunteers, and keep finances organized throughout the season. Whether you're stocking up on supplies before the next game or tracking fundraising proceeds after a successful event, Pool helps keep everyone on the same page.

What is Pool?

With Pool, you don't transfer "my money" or "your money." With Pool, you have a dedicated place to collect, manage, and spend "our money" with multiple collaborative users. How's that for teamwork?

It's ideal when you need to share expenses, like concession supplies, food, and merchandise. Pool is a smart solution for school events and booster clubs. Organize concession stand funds, track expenses, and collaborate with other organizers—all in one place.

Fans like it because they spend less time waiting in line and more time watching the game.

Why Pool is great for managing concession stand funds

Running a concession stand involves more than selling snacks and drinks. Organizers need to purchase inventory, manage budgets, coordinate volunteers, and keep track of expenses throughout the season. Pool helps make all of that easier.

1. Keep funds organized: Create a dedicated Pool for your concession stand so money stays separate from personal accounts. This makes it easier to manage budgets, track expenses, and stay organized from one event to the next.
2. Collaborate with volunteers: Concession stands often rely on multiple organizers, booster club members, and volunteers. With Pool, trusted members can help manage finances and stay informed about available funds and upcoming expenses.
3. Track spending in one place: From food and beverage inventory to equipment, supplies, and merchandise, Pool helps keep concession-related expenses organized and visible.
4. Manage event budgets: Whether you're planning for a single game or an entire season, Pool gives organizers a clear view of available funds and spending activity so it's easier to stay on budget.
5. Reduce administrative headaches: Instead of juggling receipts, spreadsheets, and personal accounts, Pool provides one dedicated place to manage concession stand finances.
6. Stay aligned as a team: Everyone involved can stay informed about concession stand finances, making it easier to coordinate purchases, plan future events, and support fundraising goals.

Is there another app for concession stands?

Pool isn't the only option for your concession stand, but it's the easiest and most cost-effective. Take Fanfood, for example. It's like Grubhub and delivers concessions to your seat at the venue. But it earns revenue by billing venues for installation. It also takes an undisclosed cut of the concession stand's income.

Plus, it doesn't just charge $3 for in-seat delivery. It charges customers $1 to pick up their orders. To top it off, payment processing fees range from 1.5% to 3.5% on every transaction. What about Venmo for concession stands?

According to Venmo, this popular app does not belong at your concession stand. Venmo users can't use the app to accept payment from another user for a good or service unless explicitly authorized by Venmo or if they have a business account.

Pool doesn't work that way. You can always accept payments for menu or merchandise items.

How to organize concession stand funds with Pool

Create a dedicated Pool

Set up a Pool specifically for your concession stand. This keeps concession money separate from personal accounts and makes it easier to track spending on inventory, supplies, equipment, and event expenses.

Invite organizers and collaborators

Concession stands often rely on multiple volunteers, booster club members, or event organizers. Invite trusted members to join the Pool so they can help manage finances and stay informed about available funds.

Customize your Pool

Personalize your Pool with a name, photo, and description that reflects your concession stand, school, team, or organization. This makes it easy for everyone involved to identify the Pool and understand its purpose.

For example:

• Tigers Football Concessions
• Amherst Booster Club Snack Stand
• Eagles Basketball Concession Fund

Stay aligned throughout the season

Pool gives organizers a shared view of concession stand finances, making it easier to coordinate purchases, manage budgets, and prepare for upcoming events. Whether you're stocking inventory before a game or planning for a busy tournament weekend, everyone can stay informed and organized in one place.

How to set up Pool and run a successful concession stand

You now know how easy it is to run a concession stand with Pool. Here's how to get your Pool ready for events.

1. Create your free Pool at Poolmoney.com — We don't check your credit history or report anything to the credit bureaus. We need to verify your identity, but it only takes a few minutes online. Once completed, you're free to use Pool.
2. Manage your Pool with other concession stand team members — Unlike popular peer-to-peer money-transferring apps like Venmo, Pool is designed for multiple users. To share your Pool, send others an invitation with their email to join so they can become admins with you. Once they sign up at Poolmoney.com, they can accept your invitation and share admin tasks with you. These include viewing the Pool and checking the balance at any time, tracking contributions, and spending Pool funds with the Pool card.
3. Share concession stand expenses — Use your Pool to buy what you need to purchase supplies, food, or new signage. You don't need to transfer funds to a bank account to spend them. You can spend Pool funds directly using your free digital Pool debit card wherever Visa is accepted. You can order a physical card, too. With zero transaction fees, maintenance fees, or overdraft fees, you can spend 100% of your Pool funds to cover concession stand expenses. If you need to transfer Pool funds to a bank account, use your Pool account and routing number. It's that simple. With Pool, you don't have to worry about transferring money back and forth between personal accounts, misplacing cash, or losing receipts. Everything happens in the Pool.

What is in a concession stand?

If you're getting ready to start your first concession stand, you probably have some questions: What concession equipment do I need? How much does it cost to get a booth up and running?

Before ending this post, we thought we'd provide answers, along with suggested amounts to collect into your Pool.

• Booth: Should you spend money on your booth and signage? Aren't people coming for the food? Yes, but when a stand looks rundown, people might think the food is low quality. A nice-looking booth can attract people and increase sales. Suggested Pool amount: $1,000–$7,000
• Equipment: High-quality, durable equipment is safe and efficient. Plus, it looks better to prospective customers. Suggested Pool amount: $6,000
• Supplies: You need napkins, straws, cups, lids, and carrier trays. You'll also need to keep a regular budget for these supplies. Suggested Pool amount: $300
• Food: Serve fans the honest-to-goodness fare they expect: popcorn, cotton candy, nachos, pretzels, roasted nuts, snow cones, corn dogs, ice cream, etc. Because food is an ongoing and regular expense, you'll need a recurring budget. Suggested Pool amount: $400
• Merchandise: Are you selling school spirit gear at your booth too? You'll need a Pool for that. Suggested Pool amount: $300
• Space and permit fees: Check local regulations for space and permit fees, especially if you take your concession stand on the road. Pool funds with other organizers to cover these expenses.

Concession stands are a fun way to participate in school and community events. With more people expecting cash-free payment options, it only makes sense to use Pool. With Pool, every transaction is quick, hygienic, and secure at your cashless concession stand.