Self-service beer taps coming your way

There's also this: pourtaproom.com

Pretty much the same thing only it's not at the tables, just the wall.

 

Self-service on normal beer taps should simply be any time you wait longer than 5 minutes.

 

I feel like having taps on the wall for people to pour themselves is not a good idea. Just for the simple fact that some people get out of control sometimes and I could lose some serious cash that way either being a bar/restaurant. Some people don't really know how to pour a beer correctly and just waste money by over pouring though out the night.... Still seems like alright idea just thinking on the money side of things.

 

It only lets them pour a pint's worth of beer.

 

A good beer bar near me had a cart that did this but apparently noone ever used it and they got rid of it. Service is never bad there, so maybe that played a role in the lack of use...

Also I suppose this would only work at places where they card everyone at the door (which also tend to be the most croded and have the worse service...)

 

Twins debut self-serve beer machines at Target Field

 

Josh was on our podcast last week explaining how the systems only pour enough for two glasses per table. Seems like it would work best in really busy bars.

 

Sorry, two glasses per person that was carded, per table.

 

The customer gets charged by the once, so if their pour sucks and they waste a lot it' all on them.

 

I'm opening a bar like this in Denver this spring and yes, the customer pays by the ounce. We're having a wall of 40 taps and will have someone stationed at the taps to help with the pouring process.

 

When I saw this, I immediately thought of those coffee vending machines. I wonder if this kind of idea could work for self-serving beer as well. It would probably be better in a concert/sports arena setting as opposed to a bar and beer selection would be limited (and obviously larger than the traditional coffee vending machine), but it could also eliminate human error of pouring.

 

I'd probably buy one of those beers just to try out the machine. Curiosity alone helps make this a money maker.

 

So you are opening a place w/ 40 taps and someone there to assist pouring....isn't that called a bartender and just bar? I'm just teasing.

 

We don't have self serve gas stations in NJ. I doubt self serve bars would be allowed!

 

City Tavern in Culver City has what they call Table Tap Booths. Six person booths with three self service taps.

 

Nice! Where is this going to be? Cannot wait to try it.

 

And it's not like bartenders or servers are any sort of safeguard against wasting draft beer anyway. I'm always amazed at how much beer bartenders/servers waste pouring off foam, because they are too impatient to let the beer settle for a minute, or fix the pressure on tap lines if something is off. But servers don't have much incentive not to waste that foamy beer, because for them it's all about speed...customers are usually happier with faster service and the sooner the server gets their tip, they can move on to the next customer/tip.

 

I heard that one of our bar and grills is going for this in the not too distant future.

 

I guess it is a good idea in really busy bars, but I wonder how on earth they keep the taps clean and wiped down. I live in a part of Chicago with a University nearby, and I can see the frat bro's laying back under the taps...