EBar, the UK-based startup that makes an automated beer pouring machine, served roughly 10,000 drinks during the month of August — a record for the company.
Ebar’s vending machine is pretty straightforward and prety awesome in its simplicity. It serves two types of beer. That’s it. Plug the kegs into the back, order on the touchscreen, pay and place your cup under the spout. In under 90 seconds you have yoursef a perfectly poured pint.
In addition to its simplicity, what I love about EBar is its mission and its business model.
It’s mission is simple — crank out hundreds of beers at big events. This means people get served more quickly so they spend less time standing in line and more time enjoying the game/concert/whatever. It also means humans can spend more time slinging more expensive drinks and fare.
EBar’s model is also clever. The machines are mobile, so they move about the country from event to event, and the company make money by taking a cut of the sales. So there’s no up-front fee for the venue, and EBar’s ability to make money is more dynamic.
While some live events are coming back, their immediate future remains a little unclear (thanks, Delta variant). But what is clear is that we’re going to see more automated beer service coming to venues around the world to take over the repetitive work of pouring pints. Though now I hope the company works on replacing single-use plastic cups.
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