Article

Self-service beer taps turn customers into bartenders

RFID-based beer taps refine the bar experience and put customers in charge of their service.

May 29, 2013 by Natalie Gagliordi — Editor of KioskMarketplace.com, Networld Media Group

The human tendency toward impatience has helped spawn a self-service industry rife with quicker, more efficient means of completing life's daily tasks.

So it was only a matter of time before a high-tech solution was created to solve one of mankind's greatest struggles in patience demonstration — waiting for a drink at a bar.

The what

Using RFID technology, the iPourIt system allows customers to pour their own beer, wine or other line-delivered beverages at their convenience. After checking in at a bar or restaurant with a state-issued ID and being deemed qualified to drink alcohol (in other words, no children or lushes allowed) the customer is given an RFID-encoded wristband and set free to choose from a tap-lined wall of beers or other beverages.

The system has configurable controls to limit the number of ounces that can be poured in a given amount of time based on the height and weight of the customer, the alcohol content of the drink or other limitations. The controls can be reset at any time by a bar employee or manager and all data is backed up on the cloud every five minutes.

For interactivity, personalization, loyalty programs and social media exposure, the solution can be installed with 10-inch touchscreen tablet displays loaded with kiosk software. The displays integrate with Facebook and Twitter, allowing patrons to share their experience with friends or locations to announce taps, specials and inventory changes.

The where

Four installation variations are available to tailor the solution to restaurants and bars, casinos, cruise ships or stadiums. The Santa Ana, Calif.-based company's CEO Joseph McCarthy said the key is customization.

"If you are designing something, we can make it work in your location," he said. "We are hardware agnostic and we can retrofit."

McCarthy and Brett Jones, the company's chief technical officer, launched iPourIt in October of 2012 and have since deployed the system at nine restaurant locations in California, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Alabama and Mississippi. Typically, the locations interested in the technology are fast casual bars and restaurants focused on craft beers, but the benefits apply to all establishments, McCarthy said.

"An extra wine or beer per party from an average check perspective significantly boosts overall sales," McCarthy said. "By using our system people pour at their leisure. That's the real key here. It's getting what you want, when you want, all while increasing transaction amounts."

Just as important as an increased check average is the opportunity to enhance the customer's overall experience at the establishment. With the explosion of the craft beer industry, sampling all of the options available can be taxing (and inebriating). McCarthy said the iPourIt system allows monitored sampling to narrow down options and refine taste preferences.

"We have one location with 20 taps, I always joke that I have a beer before I have a beer — a couple ounces here and a couple ounces there," he said.

The ROI

The TapHouse in Huntington Beach, Calif., installed two iPourIt systems, and according to Dwight Chornomud, the restaurant's general manager and co-owner, the business quickly realized a return on the investment.

"The system paid for itself in six months," Chornomud said. "The more people that become familiar with the self-pour technology, the more people use it, and the faster it pays for itself."

The TapHouse uses an eight-tap, self-contained mobile system on its patio as well as a 12-tap wall-mounted unit in the center of the establishment.

"Our customers love our self-pouring beer system," Chornomud said. "Once they use it, they never go back to the conventional method. We had customers drive all the way out from Arizona and Nevada to try it out."

iPourIt collects one cent per ounce poured with the system, but according to McCarthy, the fee is miniscule in terms of what the business saves in lost inventory. On average, more than 20 percent of every keg is lost due to over-pours, but with iPourIt, every ounce of beer is tracked and added to the customer's tab.

"All of our clients are interested in how to pour beer at less expense," McCarthy said. "We provide amazing tools to owners, from database marketing to loyalty programs. But at the end of the day, we don't see ourselves as a novelty — we see ourselves as changing the way people drink beer and wine nationally."

Check out the video below for a look at the system:

Read more about self-service in restaurants.