Bartenders replaced by self-service
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It started in Ireland (shocker) and has now made it’s way to the shores of the US and not co-incidentally to one of the most familiar Irish outposts to thousands of emigrants: Boston. What am I talking about? The Pour-Your-Own-Beer Tables that Guinness trialled in Ireland last year to great success have now made it to the Littlest Bar in Boston.
Never have you ever seen such a high tech setup: patrons give their credit cards to the bartender, who turns on the table-mounted taps. After two beers, the system pauses and the bartender pops by to make sure no one is too inebriated to keep drinking. The Littlest Bar currently offers self-serve Smithwick’s and Guinness with a bartender available to show you how to pour the latter.
Personally I think it’s a bit gimmicky and the only reason these tables appear in bars around Ireland is the generous incentives Guinness offers bars to stock them.
At the end of the day, they take up a huge amount of space in small bars and remove the very reason for going to the bar in the first place: social interaction.
It’s a long time since I got a response from a table…..
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Hi Barry!
I think that's really sad...The essence of trotting off to the pub in the first place is to experience the personal interactions not just with friends and even total strangers, but with the bartenders who are the heart of the establishment (or at least should be). What could be next? Fully automated pubs with no personal interface at all? Hmmm...somewhat like an automated teller machine! :-) Oh! best of luck with that elusive Mojito.
I'll be interested to see if ti catches on...it hasn't turned out to be that much of a success in Ireland to be honest
Barry
WHO WILL THEY TELL THERE PROBLEMS TO .WHO WILL FIX THERE MIXED DRINK.THIS WILL NOT WORK IN AMERICA.
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About Barry Chandler
Barry Chandler works with bars and restaurants to bring more customers in the door through effective use of social media, online tools and customer engagement.
Since 2004, more than 2500 bars, restaurants and hotels have used his tools and services to improve their bottom line.
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Interesting. I agree it is gimmicky. On the flipside I would not be a happy camper if I went to pour and found out the tap was out, thus had to get back up and go over to the bartender. At the bar I would at least have the option to go for an alternative choice.
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