Self-Pour Vs. Staff-pour
For any restaurant, bar, or other establishment serving drinks, there are a number of considerations the owner must think about in order to keep things efficient and profitable, as well as maintain a positive customer experience.
How often do customers buy drinks and in which size? Are patrons able to get beverages of their choice in a timely fashion? How much wastage is there? Is the amount of staff optimized for both peak hours and slow times? All of these factors need to be carefully considered in order to run a bar or restaurant in a way that increases both profit and efficiency.
In addition, there is a very high level of competition, and anyone in the hospitality industry must consider customer needs very carefully. Preferences are ever changing, and the demands of the restaurant and beverage industries are different than they used to be. Customers demand efficiency and speed for their experiences much more than they ever used to, and with many emerging technologies to fit those needs, restaurants, bars, and other drink-serving establishments have to put a lot of effort in to keep up with the industry.
This trend towards efficiency and convenience is especially driven by the younger generations, led by millennials, who rely on this kind of service efficiency regularly. In addition, customers in this generation like to support businesses that are environmentally friendly, locally focused and ideally unique.
This is where PourMyBeer’s technology comes into play. It manages to resolve several of these issues at the same time, offering a lowered carbon footprint, convenience, and speed to customers. It also brings something different to your neighborhood, as self-pour is still a novelty only used at around 400 bars, breweries, and restaurants around the U.S., compared to well over a million restaurant locations in the U.S. as of 2019.
So how are the two service structures different? How are they the same? Let’s take a look at what staff-pour and self-pour look like in practice, and how they compare to one another.
This trend towards efficiency and convenience is especially driven by the younger generations, led by millennials, who rely on this kind of service efficiency regularly. In addition, customers in this generation like to support businesses that are environmentally friendly, locally focused and ideally unique.
This is where PourMyBeer’s technology comes into play. It manages to resolve several of these issues at the same time, offering a lowered carbon footprint, convenience, and speed to customers. It also brings something different to your neighborhood, as self-pour is still a novelty only used at around 400 bars, breweries, and restaurants around the U.S., compared to well over a million restaurant locations in the U.S. as of 2019.
So how are the two service structures different? How are they the same? Let’s take a look at what staff-pour and self-pour look like in practice, and how they compare to one another.
Staff-Pour
Staff-pour is what you imagine when you think of a traditional bar or drink experience. Customers order drinks from their table, and wait for a bartender to make it and then a waiter to serve it. The majority of bars, restaurants, and other entities in the hospitality industry use this traditional method of beverage dispense.
The problem? The time spent waiting can be long, especially during peak times. And in the case of a bar when the establishment is really busy, it can be almost impossible to get ahold of a bartender or a waiter in the first place, which can lead to lost sales. Challenges also extend to the owners’ side with things like wastage, free samples and staffing/overhead costs being significant hurdles.
And this is precisely where self-pour comes to play…
Benefits of Self-Pour
What is Self-Pour?
Simply put, self-pour is a technology allowing patrons to pour their own beverages by the ounce. With self-pour beverage walls, customers use an RFID card or a wristband linked to their payment method to pour beverages of their choice and pay by the ounce.
Self-pour is an emerging technology and represents a major revolution for drink service. Thanks to its extremely simple and flexible model, there are a large number of benefits over traditional beverage dispensing.
Sampling is a Win-Win
Since guests taste and pay for beverages by the ounce, sampling is quick and easy. They can try many different beverages and avoid spending a notable amount of money on drinks they don’t like. Instead, they find the right drink that suits their taste with samples that cost very little. For the owner, without free samples, no profit is lost to them.
Increased Efficiency
One of the best things about a self-pour setup is that it puts the power entirely in the hands of the customer. They can pour whatever they want, whenever they want.
With incredibly reduced wait times and easier access to beverages, increased freedom encourages guests to experiment and drink more freely. And ultimately, guests drinking more means more revenue for the establishment.
And on the vendor side, you’re actually better able to serve customers their desired drinks with more ease and speed. This means that no customers will be left waiting, and their overall satisfaction with your service is likely to improve all at the same time.
Enhancing Your Brand
Self-pour might not be for everyone, perhaps especially for more high-end places that pride themselves on in-person drink service. But, it is a fantastic way to differentiate yourself and stand out from many types of establishments. Especially for fast-casual style restaurants, bars, or taprooms that wish to speed up their service, self-pour is a great fit. Roman Maliszewski, the owner of a self-pour taproom called Tapster (which now has three locations), says:
“Tapster is focused on creating an inclusive atmosphere, so offering wine is very important to us as a brand. Seasonally, it is very valuable to include different varietals for our customers.” He also adds, “Customers enjoy the ability to pay for the wine by the ounce, rather than buying a full glass before knowing if they like the wine. Our experience offers more freedom of choice and less pressure on our customers. I believe our dispensing method provides a more stress-free and exploratory environment for our customers, and they truly appreciate it.”
With places like Tapster, the concept of self-pour becomes fully integrated with the brand itself, so that when people think about Tapster, they think about the unique self-pour experience they always have there.
No Waste
Because self-pour charges for every ounce, customers are much less likely to waste anything they pour. No free samples are necessary anymore, tabs will never be left unpaid, and the POS is automated so human error is eliminated.
Sustainability
This is especially visible with wine serving establishments. Rather than having hundreds of bottles to keep track of as they go in and out of your bar, you only need to keep track of a few kegs. This significantly reduces the carbon footprint of your establishment and presents a great sustainable solution for businesses that want to lower their environmental impact. Read more on the benefit of self-pour wine here.
Consistent Quality
The other benefit of keg storage is that they are vacuum-sealed and chilled, which allows drinks to be kept fresh and cold for longer periods of time. This is especially true for beverages like wines, kombucha, cold brew, and such.
Customers Love It
Self-pour also has lots of benefits on the customer side. In addition to the fact that wait times are almost completely eliminated, self-pour allows customers to consistently pour fresh drinks, sample to their heart’s content, engage with others for a fun and social drink experience, and more! Our customer locations have consistently seen high engagement from their patrons, and it’s because self-pour isn’t just loads of fun – it’s the most unique and efficient drinking experience you can get!
If you have any questions on where to get started or are interested in knowing more about the technical side of things, you can get in touch with us directly at cheers@pourmybeer.com or by filling out our contact form below.
Self-Pour Operations “Do’s” and “Do Not’s”
Curious to learn what really sets self-pour establishments up for success? As a leader of the self-pour revolution, PourMyBeer has helped 370 businesses across 24 countries to bring self-pour fun to their communities and neighborhoods. Based on our experience with opening so many different establishments of various types, we have created some basic “Do’s” and “Do Not’s” when opening up a self-pour business. Simply fill out the form below to download our guide, cheers!
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