Reading University unveils self-serve ‘beer wall’ in student union

The University of Reading is one of the first to use a new self-service “beer wall”, as it unveils a 16-tap device at its onsite student union.

The device, launched by Drink Command, allows users to pour and pay for their chosen beer at the tap. After selecting and pouring their preferred pint, users can buy the beer with the touch of a card using a contact-less payment device managed by Verifone.

Drink Command, whose device has also been bought by Hilton Hotels, has said that the self-service machine has the potential to “reduce queues, improve speed of service and enable customers to pay with contact-less, NFC and other payment methods at the tap” at venues throughout the UK and Ireland.

Screens at each tap allow customers to choose the brand of draft beer they want, as well display the cost, abv and other additional information about each beer.

Bar work has traditionally been popular students, however, Matt Tebbit, head of residential catering and cars at The University of Reading, insists that the installation of the new machine does not come at the expense of existing jobs.

Tebbit said: “Our 16 tap self-serve beer wall has allowed us to increase our capacity to serve more customers and hold our existing staff levels by giving patrons the option to order from the bar, or serve themselves at their leisure”.

Robbie Ward, marketing director at Drink Command, added: “There is a change of mind-set happening in the beer dispense industry, similar to how self-serve technology has improved the way we buy petrol for our cars, or how supermarkets have improved queuing times with self-scan checkouts.

“By focusing on beer industry ‘pain points,’ such as capacity issues at busy venues and payment complexity, we have created a solution that is being adopted by the beer industry at scale”.

Drink Command currently have self-serve draft beer technology installed in 26 countries globally, but this is the first time in the UK that their devices have included a contact-less payment option at the tap.

Kevin Freeguard, vice president and managing director, Verifone UK and Ireland, commented: “Consumer expectations are radically changing. They prefer spending money on events, or ‘experiences,’ but demand the speed of service they’ve grown accustomed to online. Drink Command enables hospitality venues to meet customers’ evolving demands in an innovative way, while also addressing their payment system needs, with a single ‘all-in-one’ solution”.

This is not the first beer-related “pay-at-the-pump” device to be used in the UK. The Telegraph reports that the Thirsty Bear pub in Southwark was among the first to install a similar device using iPads. Last year, it was reported that Barclaycard was testing a device over the Christmas period that allowed customers to purchase beer via contact-less payment at the tap. Pub chain Wetherspoon launched its Order and Pay app this year, allowing diners to order food and drink from their phones.

Meanwhile, in June this year, a pub in Stockton-on-Tees was reprehended and advised to curb its use of self-serving machines after being told it was violating licensing laws.