To Create a Great Customer Experience, Consider the DIY Approach

While a growing number of fast casuals are employing touchscreen kiosks, some are taking self-service beyond the order station. From self-serve frozen yogurt to cupcake dispensing machines to pour-your-own beer walls, these help-yourself systems are giving customers the power to choose their own portions while having fun with the experience.

For many brands, the most logical menu items to go self-serve are soft drinks. From the standard carbonated beverage dispenser to the Coke Freestyle, which offers a creative interface for customizing Coca-Cola products, beverages have become more fun for guests to mix and pour while eliminating a tedious chore previously handled by employees.

Expanding the beverage self-service to beer and wine can add fun for guests while at the same time increasing alcohol sales in the fast-casual segment, says Darren Nicholson, vice president of sales and marketing for iPourIt, a provider of self-service beverage systems.

Nicholson says that as more fast-casual concepts serve beer and wine, there are challenges to overcome. Technology that allows guests to be their own bartenders can be the solution to some of these challenges. For example, when beer and wine are offered in bottles and cans, it discourages alcohol sales beyond one drink because customers don’t want to get back in line. In addition, workers in the fast-casual segment are sometimes too young to handle alcohol.

With most self-service alcohol tools, after servers check a customer’s ID, they open a tab tied to a credit card. Users preload a certain amount to get started but can add to their tab later. Customers then receive a card or other tool that allows them to measure what they pour. They can try as many beers as they like, and they only pay for what they pour.

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