The pickleball boom is real. Tennis and padel are surging, too. But with explosive growth comes higher member expectations. Drinks, whether it’s coffee, soda, or a post-match beer, are one of the easiest ways to enhance the member experience and generate additional revenue.
But for many operators, the thought of running a food and beverage program feels overwhelming. It means hiring bartenders, managing inventory, dealing with liquor licenses, and learning an entirely new side of the business. What if there was a way to offer premium beverage service without becoming a restaurant operator?
That’s exactly what we explored in our recent webinar with CourtReserve, and the results might surprise you. Watch the full discussion here.
Why Traditional F&B Models Don’t Work for Most Sports Facilities
Operators know that offering food and beverages can elevate their facility. But the reality is, traditional F&B models bring complexity. Running a bar means:
- Hiring and scheduling bartenders
- Managing compliance and liquor licenses
- Investing in expensive bar infrastructure
- Tracking inventory, spoilage, and waste
- Taking on liability and higher insurance costs
For many clubs, this feels like starting a second business on top of their existing one. Self-pour technology eliminates those obstacles, delivering the benefits of beverage service without the operational headaches.
What Sports Facility Owners Are Discovering
The numbers from facilities using self-pour beverage technology tell a clear story. Pints & Paddle in Minneapolis, Minnesota, saw its investment pay for itself in just 12 days. Most facilities hit positive ROI within 3-4 months.
But here’s what’s really changing the game: you can offer beverage service without adding a single employee to your payroll.
Think about that for a moment. No bartenders to hire, train, or schedule. No worries about staff calling in sick during your busiest times. And with built-in pour tracking, operators gain precise visibility into inventory while reducing waste that’s common with traditional bar service. Your members get the drinks they want, when they want them, and you get the revenue without the operational headaches.
This became even more valuable during COVID, when labor shortages hit the service industry hard. Facilities with self-pour systems kept serving members while others struggled with staffing challenges.
Flexible Beverage Options for Every Player
Don’t let our name fool you. After Coca-Cola Europacific Partners invested in our company in 2022, PourMyBeer launched PourMyBev, the parent company, to expand beyond alcohol and bring the same convenience to non-alcoholic beverages like craft soda and nitro cold brew. Today’s sports facilities aren’t just serving beer, they’re offering a full range of drinks designed to meet members’ needs throughout the day.
Today’s sports facilities are serving:
- Nitro cold brew for early players who need their caffeine fix
- Craft sodas, kombuchas, and energy drinks with built-in portion controls
- Local craft beers and wines on tap
- Cocktails and seasonal beverages
The beauty of self-pour is flexibility. Start with what makes sense for your members and expand over time. Many facilities begin with coffee and soda, then add alcohol as they get comfortable with the system.
Curious what’s trending across hundreds of self-pour locations? Explore the data in our 2024 Impact Report.
Download PourMyBeer's Self-Pour 2024 Impact Report!
Seamless Integration with CourtReserve
The real power comes when self-pour is integrated with CourtReserve. Once installed, your members simply:
- Open the CourtReserve app on their phones
- Click the PourMyBev Scan to Pour button
- Scan their QR code at the tap and start pouring
- Get automatically charged to their account
No cash handling. No waiting for service. No staff needed during the transaction. The system handles age verification for alcoholic beverages and tracks consumption.
For you as the operator, it’s equally simple.
- Require saved payment profiles to pour
- Restrict access for inactive or suspended members
- Show or hide alcohol options by age or membership type
- Choose between daily or one-time ID verification
You set your prices, choose your beverages, and decide operating hours through your admin dashboard. The system sends you reports showing exactly what was consumed and by whom.
The result is a frictionless member experience with built-in accountability and compliance.
How It Works: From Deposit to First Pour
Getting started with self-pour is more straightforward than most operators expect. Here’s what the process looks like:
Once you decide on your system, for example, a 4-tap self-pour station, you place a deposit. From there, we assign you a dedicated project manager who ensures your site has the proper power and setup. Within about 8 weeks of receiving the deposit, your station arrives on-site.
We provide a detailed pre-install checklist so everything is ready once we arrive on-site. When the unit arrives, setup is quick. In most cases, you’ll be pouring within just a few hours, whether that’s handled by one of our team members on-site or done remotely, depending on the package you select.
For larger, more in-depth installations, like building out a full tap wall, we guide you through the design and coordinate with our draft systems team. Our team project manages both the tech and the draft system to ensure everything comes together seamlessly.
On average, installations take one to two days, with the final half-day reserved for training your team so you feel confident operating the system from day one.
Do I Need a Liquor License to Serve Alcohol?
Yes, you’ll need the proper license for alcoholic beverages, but it’s simpler than many operators expect. Most states require a beer and wine license, typically costing between $500 and $3,000. Some states even allow satellite licenses through local breweries.
Once licensed, you’ll work directly with distributors in your area to build your menu. The key is offering what members want: a mix of local craft options, a few familiar macros, wine on tap, and even pre-batched cocktails. For inspiration, explore our post, “What Beers Should You Carry?”
Real Facilities, Real Results
Sports facilities across the country are already using self-pour to boost revenue and deliver a better member experience. Want to see it in action? Visit our locations page and filter by pickleball to find facilities near you. Our operators are happy to share their experiences with PourMyBeer’s self-pour technology.
Why Now Makes Sense
The sports facility boom isn’t slowing down. Your members’ expectations aren’t decreasing. And the labor market isn’t getting any easier.
Self-pour technology lets you meet growing member expectations without taking your focus off what you do best, creating amazing sports experiences. You’re not becoming a restaurant. You’re just giving your members convenient access to the drinks they already want.
The question isn’t whether beverage service makes sense for your facility. It’s whether you want to do it the hard way (traditional F&B) or the smart way (self-pour technology that works with your existing operations).
Ready to Explore Self-Pour for Your Club?
Every sports facility is different, and we understand that. Whether you’re curious about starting with just coffee and soda or ready to explore a full beverage program, we’re here to help you figure out what makes sense for your members and your business model.
The goal isn’t to turn you into a bar owner; it’s to help you create the member experience you envision without the operational complexity you want to avoid.
Ready to explore what’s possible? Let’s talk about how self-pour technology can work for your specific facility and member base.
