Self service beer comes to British sports venues

You can now use self service tap walls to pour your own pre-match pint in a selection of British sporting venues.

To help fans beat the queues during busy matches, beverage technology company Drink Command has installed self-service tap walls at Villa Park, Twickenham and Cheltenham.

Speaking to the drinks business. Drink Command’s UK & European director of operations and sales, Peter Robinson, said: “Technology is being introduced in all sectors, and hospitality, events and F&B is no different. With many businesses struggling to retain and employ staff, it is inevitable that self-pour will become more and more prominent.”

The self-serve systems reduce wait times for customers with a total interaction time of less than 30 seconds allowing guests to avoid the long queues and get back to the action with a pint in hand. The company revealed that, with a cashless payment system, guests follow the instructions via a touchscreen system and pull a pint in seconds, whether that be a stout or a lager.

The customisable tap walls allow venues to integrate the walls to fit the space and interior and each venue can choose between 1 to 200 taps for their wall, giving guests the option to choose a variety of drinks.

According to Robinson, the technology also provides operational benefits for venues by shifting the responsibility from the bar staff to the customer, meaning that any employees are free to perform other tasks including age verification checks with customers and increased guest interaction.

Robinson told db: “Our self-pour systems aren’t looking to replace bars in their entirety but add to the customer experience. Venues will still retain their atmosphere through the customers, entrainment and general ambiance.”

Robinson explained that the kit would be used “predominantly on-trade but can be used [in the] off-trade”.