By Thomas Smith
Amid a recession and a pandemic, restaurants and bars are revamping beverage sales by putting cocktails on tap. Keg systems are more advanced and cost-effective than ever, and they help safeguard health by minimizing the number of things a bartender touches when concocting a drink. Implementing a top-notch draft program is not just a solution for beer and cocktails — any beverage can easily be put on tap, which is great for consistency, time and labor.
Restaurants that install a new draft system are likely to see it pay for itself within the first week. A seasoned bartender will typically take over a minute to make a 5-ingredient cocktail, but a cocktail on tap can be served in less than 10 seconds.
Even accounting for the 20 minutes it takes to batch over 100 cocktails, on-draft beverages are 87% faster than the average bartender. Not only are on-tap drinks a labor-savor, some bars have also increasing sales by moving higher volumes of beverages more quickly during peak times.
Draft Solutions is a highly profitable part of our Reset, Refresh, and Rebuild package. And, with draft beverage specialist Jason Anderson on The Spirits in Motion team, the program is a surefire success. Anderson said SIM’s kegs take every variable into account and are designed for maximum efficiency. The kegs have no breaking parts, are easy to install, and keep the delicious liquid inside agitated and ready to serve without needing electricity. Cocktail kegs also have a 98% yield, which makes them a great way to cut down on waste.
Anderson said consistency is everything for a bar, and Draft Solutions produces the same delicious drink 128 times in a row with minimal effort. Cocktail kegs have already seen great success in movie theaters, stadiums, casinos, and high-volume bars — but they are also perfect for post-pandemic openings, catering, pop-up concepts, and events on a budget. Plus, implementing a draft program is a creative way for restaurants to get rid of deadstock and accidental booze orders. The Spirits in Motion estimates that bars should be able to make thousands of dollars depleting 90% of their deadstock in as little as three kegs, which is another way the program basically pays for itself.
“it can live in any style of bar, but it has to fit that program,” Spirits in Motion co-founder Phil Wills said. “We’re still using fresh ingredients in the drink, and it’s the same type of cocktail — it’s just being served in a different manner that’s going to save on operations and labor.”
In addition to safeguarding the health of customers and employees alike, implementing a draft program presents opportunities for creativity and innovation. A fresh finish can take a draft beverage to the next level, and The Spirits in Motion offer our expertise in training and recipe development to make sure on-tap beverages are done right. SIM’s Draft Solutions program works with coffee and tea cocktails, mocktails, functional beverages, nitro drinks, sparkling lemonades, and so much more. Plus, serving a draft beverage to go further increases restaurant safety.
“The opportunity is vast,” Spirits in Motion co-founder Tony Pereyra said, “and the right program and strategy can be profitable for any operation. Draft Solutions offers customers safe and consistent beverage service while delivering a variety of options.”
