London bar installs world’s first self-serving beer pump

Barclaycard has developed the world’s first tap-and-pay pump in a bid to cut down queuing times during the Christmas party season.

Pay @ Pump allows customers to order and pour their own pint of ale in just 60 seconds by tapping their contactless card or device on the base of the pump.

It was developed to help pubs and bars speed up service and reduce drinkers’ queuing times during busy periods.

The prototype was tested at Henry’s Café and Bar in Piccadilly after a quarter of people surveyed for Barclaycard said that queuing for drinks was the worst part of a night out.

The average waiting time for a drink during the festive party season is 12 minutes per order according to the survey data, with Christmas revellers spending more than 35 minutes at the bar every night.

Nearly one in four (24%) of 2,000 bar-goers admitted they considered abandoning a drinks purchase because of long queues, while 20% said they have left a bar and gone elsewhere when wait times are too long.

“I’m sure everyone has been stuck behind the person who orders the most complicated cocktail on the menu or a round of ten drinks for their group of friends,” said Tami Hargreaves, commercial director of digital consumer payments at Barclaycard.

“When people told us that waiting time was one of their biggest annoyances, we wanted to help solve a common problem with a simple solution,” she added.

Barclaycard is hoping to roll out the technology across UK pubs, restaurants and music festivals next year, as one in five British card payments are now made using contactless technology.