Restaurant’s Need to Automate & Educate

As reported in Volume 28 of Today’s Restaurant publication, restaurants expect to automate up to 51% of store tasks by 2025.  Improving efficiency and customer satisfaction are some of the main drivers contributing to this. With the industry still facing labor shortage issues, innovative products already on the market coupled with innovative technology in the pipeline are being introduced on a regular basis. 

Some of these technologies are being designed to directly replace humans while others are being designed to increase the productivity of the people already there.  Introducing and adopting innovative technology can be a challenge for operators, often faced with resistance and skepticism.  For example, many employees’ first impression of innovative technology that automates tasks is that they will be losing their job.  Management needs to be aware of this issue and explain that the new technology is here to make their jobs better, more efficient, and less mundane. 

To overcome this issue, Smart Bar USA, LLC, makers of the Smartender automated cocktail dispensing system created a training session with one of their customers.  The front-of-house bartenders felt that the Smartender was a direct threat to their jobs and that they could make a cocktail better than any machine.  A contest called Man vs Machine was created between the bartenders and their beverage manager (who was not a bartender). The most proficient bartender at the property was selected to go head-to-head with the Smartender automated cocktail dispensing system.

The Challenge:

• Make 5 separate cocktails.

• Make each cocktail according to the specified mixologist's recipe.

• Manage the order in the POS system. 

The Result:

• The bartender made all 5 cocktails in excess of 2 minutes. 

• The Smartender automated cocktail dispensing system completed the task in just 1 minute. 

• Both the bartender and the Smartender poured the cocktails according to the specific recipe. 

Conclusion:

The bartenders learned that the Smartender technology, if applied properly, was going to allow the bartenders to pour more drinks in a shorter period thus allowing them to make more money in tips.  By adopting technology that enhances performance and delivers improved efficiency, it delivers a win-win situation for both the operator and the employees.

Benefits of the Smartender Automated Cocktail Dispensing System:

1).  Increase productivity of existing staff.

2). Reduce shrinkage.

3). Provide faster service that increases customer satisfaction.

4). Provide a consistent product to every customer.