Technology Making Bars More Efficient

Las Vegas Food & Beverage Magazine
by Sasha Michael
May, 2006

"I've gotten so good, I just tilt the bottle and know when to stop." That's how my best friend, a bartender for 10 years, expressed the measurement of his drinks. This is probably not the ideal answer from a management standpoint. In reality, a great bartender can say they are "one with the bottle" and that they can pour a perfect shot. But typically, their egos don't align with the liquor costs.

Keeping liquor costs down is a project unto itself. Pour tests and a steady eye are suitable for monitoring product going out, but when a bar is '3 deep,' there is really one effective method for a manager to ascertain the control on liquor. That is with the use of monitoring systems.

Up until recent years, the systems implemented into busy bars and restaurants across the country were the "portion control" variety. Since the flow of alcohol stops abruptly after an exact ounce is poured, they are very inconvenient and easy to manipulate. As a bartender, the objective one has is to make a good, strong drink which will take care of the guest taking care of them. Investing in this type of system or having the bartender's use a jigger may work temporarily, but a long term difference to overall cost control is unlikely.

Then there is the RFID technology-as seen in the Capton Beverage Tracker — a globally advanced technology relying on radio frequency waves that transmit precise and accurate data to receivers. According to Tricia James, vice president of marketing for Capton, the technology acts essentially the same way that smart tags used in mass retail chains do — only it's even better. As one of the first companies to roll this high-tech system out on a product level, we can consider this the Superman of tracking systems behind a busy bar.

The Capton designed wireless spout looks like a regular spout to the customer; only the bartender knows it's watching! Inserted into the neck of any liquor bottle, it has a continuous free pour spout which obviously allows the bartender to go about their business, and gives the customer the great impression that the quality is being received. The spout is removed when the bottle empties, and then it goes onto another bottle. Every moment the wireless spout is tracking every single pour, accurate to 1/10 of an ounce, and the receiver captures this data into the Microsoft based software for reporting. Each spout has its own microchip and unique code which can tell which bottle is being used. The manager then has an easy- to-read, time and date stamped report that identifies the brand and amount poured from every bottle behind the bar simultaneously. How's that for genius? And, for those who think they can easily trick the microchip-you are sorely mistaken. Each spout is fashioned with a disengage switch. The spout knows exactly if it is tampered with, reports that, and then continues operation once refitted to another bottle. Variances in liquor data and overall shots distributed are reported also, so really there is nothing that the manager won't spot.