Now, When You Pour, It Rains Data
So much for flirting with the bartender, hoping to score a free drink. San Francisco-based Barmate Corp. has developed an electronic spout that tracks how much liquor is poured--and who’s doing the pouring.
The mouth of each bottle is covered with a spout, which has a wireless tracking system built inside. A bartender picks up the bottle and turns it over. The spout automatically releases a designated amount of liquor. It then transmits a radio signal to a nearby receiver, which is connected to a computer situated somewhere away from the crush. With each pour, the accompanying Barmate software tracks the amount served, the brand of the liquor, when it was poured and how much should be charged.
Though other proprietary electronic tracking systems have long been popular with budget-conscious bar owners, Barmate users say they prefer this solution because it’s wireless and the software is compatible with any Windows-based PC. Barmate has sold its system to nearly 50 nightspots, ranging from cozy eateries in Monterey to a three-story mega-dance club in the Bahamas. Staff at the Euro-Asian restaurant Thanh Long in San Francisco plan to install the system in their Beverly Hills location.
“This prevents owners from having to weigh the bottles and interrogating the staff about discrepancies at the end of the night,” said Michael Mogadam, chief executive of Barmate. “The nightclubs and the local bars are using it the most right now. We’re hoping the big hotels will follow.”
The Ritz-Carlton in Dana Point won’t and, say hotel staffers, neither will other upscale locales.
“Barmate demonstrated [its] product for us, and I can see that it could appeal to someplace where cost control is of the essence,” said Ted Chappell, beverage director for the Ritz-Carlton. “But we are an establishment that wants to create an environment of elegance. You cannot be elegant while yanking off a metal device every time you open a new bottle.”
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P.J. Huffstutter covers high technology for The Times. She can be reached at (714) 966-7830 and at p.j.huffstutter@latimes.com.
