Ipourit RFID Technology

Ok, this could be pretty cool for those times when I want a couple of half glasses

 

I saw this (or somethink like it) on an episode of Bar Rescue.

 

I've been to a bars in DC where they have some tables with a tap handle secured to the table. Good for a group of people and if everyone doesn't mind drinking the same beer. Help yourself and charges based on how much you drink.

 

Good morning, I'm the CTO of iPourIt and thought I could give you some information of how our product is good for you (the beer advocates).

Unlike the table systems, our system is not limited to how many beers can be on tap at a location or how many people can use it at a time. With iPourIt, we bring the taps out to a common place where everyone can get to them. You wear a wristband that is read once you touch the tap handle - it then instantly checks to make sure the wristband is valid, that you haven't hit any limits the location has set, and several other checks. Once that is done, a valve in the line is opened and you can pour as little or as much as you want. You could, for instance, try an ounce or two of several beers to find one you like before committing to a full pint. The system automatically adds the exact ounces you've poured (to the 1/10th of an ounce) to your tab. At the end of the night your tab will show exactly how much you've poured of what and charge you by the ounce, not glass.

After you close your tab, the beers you've drank will be uploaded to our website, ipourit.com. From there you can log in and see all the beers you've ever drank at any location with our system and rate them from 1-5 stars and your preferences will create suggestions of other beers to try. You can search for a local beer nearby and see how much inventory they have left. You can even reserve a beer online where you pay for the beer on our website and it guarantees it will be there when you go in within 24-72 hours (location configurable) -- it's like RedBox DVDs for beer You can buy your friends a round online and the next time they go to a bar with iPourIt installed it will automatically deduct the amount you sent them from their tab and print your message on the receipt. You can also create wishlists of beers you want and you will be notified when a local bar taps it.

Here is our website: www.ipourit.com and if you or anyone you know has a bar and wants to know more about our self pouring draft beer system, check out this site: www.ipouritinc.com to see the benefits from the bar's perspective.

Cheers,
Brett Jones

 

Some cool ideas there. Any idea what the average premium will be? If I pay $5 a pint, what am I going to be paying per ounce (ballpark)?

 

Im a hardware engineer working in beverage appliances amongst other things. I'm curious as to what technology you use to measure volume and if/how it impacts the foam/head/carbonation/body of the beer. Flow meter?

 

I wish this company the best of luck with this product, but it's not for me.

1.) I don't like wearing wrist bands. I have hairy forearms
2.) A lot of blue collar bartenders are going to lose jobs.
3.) This further limits human interaction which, to me at least, is a bad thing. No one talks to anyone anymore. Now you won't be talking to the bartender either. I'm not one to chat the bartender up, but it's still not an interaction I'd like to lose.
4.) I have to ask for a reset on ounce allotmnet? I have to do this after 32 oz? Two pints? Fuck that. "Excuse me mamm, could you reset my ounces so I could drink more?" Horseshit.
5.) Making suggestions on what beer I should drink next based on my past beer purchases is a slippery slope to making suggestions on what TV I should buy. Tracking what I buy gets the middle finger from me everytime.

Again, that's just my take. I am sure many will love this and the company will be just fine. But it's not my cup of tea.

 

I don't see how this improves upon those self-serve wine dispensers you see at wine tasting bars. Except of course it's a wrist band, not a card.

And "limits" are subjective. Not sure how a 250 lb person would have the same drink limit as a 120 lb person.

 

Given what this system likely costs, I doubt that places employing "blue collar" bartenders are going to install them. Places like the Yard House and other national chains are much more likely to jump on this than the dive bar down the road. Plus, you'll still need bar tenders to answer questions, pour (non-beer) drinks, wash glassware, bus tables, etc.

Two thoughts on this:

1. 32oz of 9% (or higher) beer consumed in an hour is enough to elevate the BAC of a 200lb guy to .09, making you legally intoxicated. No bar that wants to keep it's license is going to use this system without a reasonable limit in place.

2. Any time you walk up to the bar and order a beer, the bartender is (hopefully) judging your level of intoxication before deciding whether or not to serve you. What's the difference between walking up and saying "I'd like a pint of X" vs. "I'd like to try a couple other beers, could you reset the wrist band?"

Just make sure your tinfoil hat fits properly and you'll be fine.

 

I get the 32 oz. of 9% beer argument, but most beers I like aren't 9%. And it's not the same as asking the bartender for another brew, it's adding a step. I have to go to the person in charge, ask permission, have them reset the ounces, then go get my pour. It's silly in my opinion.

To your first point, I don't know what you consider a blue collar job to be, but I'd say anyone tending bar isn't someone rolling in dough. Maybe the company that owns the bar is, but that person pouring beers still needs a living wage to make ends meet. Sure, they'll still pour liquor and wine (for now at least, but what's to say those won't be replaced with a similar system), but they'll obviously have a reduction in tips if they aren't pouring any beer whatsoever. That kind of reduction won't be made up for by bussing tables either.

 

This is not going to work for me
First off: I have been to bar with my buddy who pre-game super hard he is already over the limit when we get there which is why I drive
2nd : so if you are not driving you are limited to how much you can drink what a joke
3rd : if I want to buy a couple of friend a beer I will have to have them come up with me because I cant purchase three pints

this is just not a good system will not work for me anywhere that has it will not be getting my business

 

I dont mean to be a dick but (I agree with your points about tracking purchases, and confusion/inconvenience of drink limits) by this logic would you be against things like: Automatic Toll collectors on Highways/Subways, Movie ticket Kiosks, ect.

Technology has been taking away blue color jobs for years. The benefits are convenience and white collar jobs (those working for that technology) replacing the blue collar ones.

If this technology was well executed and well implemented it could also lower the overhead for the bar, (by elimination of employers) which potentially could result in lower prices for consumers. This might be an overly optimistic expectation but its feasible.

 

I'll just say I think the concept is good. I don't think any successful business person would think their product is without flaw. I think big consumer chains Like the Yard house (someone mentioned) would benefit from this.

 

Believe it or not I actually am disapointed to get an automatic toll collector as opposed to a person. The white collar job that built those automatic machines is good for that one white collar person, but it eliminated way more toll collector jobs. Of course, there is a limit to this. I don't wish every single automated convenience was gone, quite the opposite actually. I mean, how would everyone get vegetables if they were all still hand picked? I just wish the conversion from the human interaction to the interaction with a machine didn't have to touch every single industry. Bartending is one that I'd like to see left alone personally.

Also, you say that you're "overly optimistic" about prices potentially dropping as a result of reduced overhead. I say you're outright delusional, ha ha ha. Just busting balls, but honestly I don't think there are many business owners who are thinking about driving the cost of their product down as they buy machines that replace people.

 

My one question is how much does this cost to implement? I see a handy calculator on the website with reasonable rational. but is the ROI enough to justify a possibly large bar overhaul and large equiptment purchase, New employee training and computer software?

 

Doubt prices would go down. But margins for the establishment might go up, and with that, blue collar jobs could be created.

 

Why wouldn't they? So they install this magic doodad and cut out their bartenders, incurring a one-time cost in exchange for lower recurring costs. Maybe they keep prices the same for a while to pay off the new doodad, but once it's paid off they have two options:

1) Keep prices the same, make more money via the increased margins.
2) Lower prices, attract more customers, make potentially even more money on increased volume with decreased prices.

It's not obvious why they'd choose 1 when 2 could just as easily work.


Anyway, this system seems, uh, neat I guess, but it's like those automated checkout systems at big retail stores. They mostly work most of the time, but can be frustrating and need to be watched anyway. It might be a productivity increase, but the only people who will use it are big chains because small bars can't afford it and/or prefer the personal touch anyway.

Personally I never go to any big chain bars, so it's all a big "whatever" to me.

 

I suppose, but I doubt it would equal out to those that were lost.

 

Wow, I respect your consistency, however you must not have a commute that requires driving through a toll. Nevermind a blue collar job, I might be willing to kill a blue collar worker (Just Kidding!) to not sit in the lines that would exist if it was collected by hand (and required proper change on hand).