Enhancing the ‘Spirits’ of Tabletop in Michigan

Good news for beer and wine enthusiasts in Michigan. According to a Grand Rapids news blog MLive.com, the Michigan Liquor Control Commission recently implemented a new rule that would allow a bar or restaurant with the proper license to sell alcohol on its premises via tabletop dispensing machines.

Prior to the commission’s implementation of the rule global establishments like MGM had run into legal walls trying to implement self service systems into some of their Michigan establishments.

Of course this is also good news for food service equipment companies like PourMyBeer who are eager to expand their self serve systems. PourMyBeer founder Josh Goodman told MLive an establishment can see up to 20 percent of a keg’s volume lost, but with a self serve dispensing system 100 percent of the beer gets to the customer. He claims while it may feel novel, it’s also more efficient.

What catches our eye is the idea of taps being at the table. We’ve seen this idea implemented before, whether its at Baltimore’s own Leinenkugel Beer Garden or more traditional bistro-bar settings like Walk-On’s Bistreaux & Bar. The implementation of self serve taps seem to differ from establishment to establishment. The main variables being drink cut off points, access to certain drinks, etc. However, in terms of the tabletop experience, there is certainly an appealing approach to the idea of not having to grab a waiter or bartender’s attention to get a refill.

We spoke with our resident cicerone and BLDG46 co-host Ross Miller who tells us while self serving taps are popping up sporadically all over the United States, there’s still a lot of grey area that needs to be addressed.

“A waiting staff or bartender would understandably be apprehensive to a self serve situation out of fear it would cut into their tips, while cops might be more concerned about how establishments prevent over serving. I think for bar owners the jury’s still out. It’s obviously an extra cost up front for them, but these self serve companies are really pushing the idea that every pour is accounted and paid for, which means zero waste,” says Miller.

Miller also added that while the idea is great, “its still a pretty new trend, even for beer nerds like myself. If you want to be the cool kid with the newest tech, I think self serve is a progressive choice to make. If you just want to up your guest’s dining and drinking experience, I’d focus more on the glass you serve it in and the quality of the booze for now.”

-HA

To read the entire MLive article, written by Emily Lawler, you can click here.

Ross Miller co-hosts BLDG46, a series that details what types of craft beer you should be looking to put on your menu as well as what type of glassware you should be pouring it into. To check out the series you can click here.