The status quo is simply unacceptable.

In a past post I referred to a time some decades ago, when my aunt lived in Chicago and worked at Sears.  She stopped by the local tavern on her way home to buy a bucket, the fore runner of today’s growlers, of Pabst Blue Ribbon to take home. It’s a safe bet that the tavern only served Pabst on tap.  In fact, in the years I visited her, I never saw her drink any other beer than Pabst, ever!

Consider the way my aunt bought beer. Her choice is the personification of a time in the beer industry which will never return. In a day and age when shopping is done on line and malls are dying, these changes are also bleeding into the beer industry.

Technology is now tapping into beer, literally.  A number of bars have installed self-serving pouring systems.  This eliminates the need for bartenders.  The customer is provided a wireless bracelet or card that enables them to operate the tap.  Providers have systems for table, wall-mounted and mobile units for events.

The customer is charged by the 10th of an ounce!  The pitch is that customers tend to be more careful than a bartender, who might be prone to spill, over pour or give away a beer on the house.  Perhaps the vendor believes all customers are experts in pouring beer?

Besides being able to charge by the sip, the technology is said to cut labor costs and boost revenue by encouraging customers to sample what can be a bewildering array of many expensive types of beer.

Obviously each bar that has this system must provide someone to watch over the customers ensuring no product is sold to an inebriated customer.  The system, therefore, blocks a customer after a certain amount of beer is poured.

Then the questions is: what good is a certified cicerone if self-serving becomes a staple?  Pizza restaurants have this type of system and have only four taps, which makes sense.  Even some sports bars with only six taps might work.  What about an establishment with 40+ taps?

Some recent studies have shown that with a certified cicerone server, an account can increase its beer sales by 35%+.  These certified experts are educated in helping the customer with beers for which they have indicated a preference.  Such a selling technique could easily increase volume by selling a flavor the customer enjoys from the start.  Upselling is much easier, just ask a sommelier.

It is obvious that in this industry there is a place for both models.  It just comes down to which model is right for an account and what is the account trying to accomplish?

In the beer industry today, the status quo is simply unacceptable.