Axe Throwing, Stadiums, and Self-Pour Beer… The New Way!
As all the July 4th festivities are coming to a close, it’s the perfect opportunity for Table Tap to announce one of our newest customers in one of the most patriotic cities in America. Crazy Axes recently opened their second location in Foxborough, Massachusetts just outside of Boston. Crazy Axes is a family entertainment center where customers can eat, drink, and throw axes. To help out with the “drink” side of things, Table Tap installed a 10-tap beer wall, the first ever self-pour system in Foxborough!
To put the cherry on top of this awesome venue, it’s also located in the heart of Patriot Place. Patriot Place is a social hub with 1.3 million square feet of shopping, dining, and entertainment. Its main attraction is Gillette stadium, home of the New England Patriots football team. You could throw an axe from Crazy Axes and hit the 50 yard line! Self-pour beer is a concept that can apply to many different types of applications. Axe throwing venues and sports stadiums are no exception.
AXE THROWING
For the most part, the axe throwing demographic is also one that enjoys drinking beer. On the surface, drinking beer and throwing axes at the same time might not sound like the smartest idea. However, it’s important for an operator to be able offer both of these activities simultaneously in a safe and controlled manner. Some Axe throwing venues have a BYOB policy to avoid liability, but they are missing out on a lot of revenue. Self-pour allows operators to capitalize on this revenue stream while limiting liability.
Liability
If operators want to serve beer to axe throwers, it’s crucially important they do not over serve any of their patrons. A drunk person with an axe is a scary thought. Through a self-pour system, axe throwers can only drink a certain amount of beer before they are automatically cut off by our technology. Self-pour enhances the visibility and control for the staff to assess sobriety. An axe coach won’t have to worry about keeping tally on a customer’s consumption because the system knows when and by whom each ounce was poured. Instead of having to wrestle a beer away from a problematic customer, staff can be disable them with the click of a button.
Associated with each patron’s RFID card is a consumption limit. The highest this consumption limit can be is 32 ounces, but can also be lower if requested. Once they reach their consumption limit, a patron’s card automatically disables and they cannot pour unless a staff member manually reactivates their card. Through self-pour, an operator will be confident that axe throwers can only drink a limited amount of beer. Our system also comes with full consumption reports and history that an operator can reference if they ever need to.
Enhanced Customer Service
Axe throwing coaches are there to coach not bartend. By empowering patrons to pour their own beer, axe throwing coaches can focus on doing what they do best. The more focused they are and the more time they can spend on coaching, the better experience customers will have. Self-service is quicker service. Customers can pour their beers and get back to throwing faster as soon as possible.
Differentiator
Axe throwing and self-pour are both concepts that have caught fire over the last few years. Why not combine the two? As axe throwing venues become more and more common, operators need ways to set them apart from the competition. By having axe throwing and self-pour beer, customers may be trying two activities they’ve never done before at the same time!
Many axe throwing venues have membership programs and league nights. Through Table Tap’s member cards, members of these leagues may get exclusive discounts off all their pours. Operators might also choose to offer complimentary pre-paid beer cards as well to upsell lane reservations. Self-pour is a marketing tool with endless possibilities.
SPORTS STADIUMS
Have you ever missed your favorite player hitting a home run, catching a touchdown, or throwing down a slam dunk because you were standing in line for a beer? For that reason and many more, self-pour is becoming increasingly popular in sports stadiums.
6-tap beer wall at the Wichita Wind Surge Minor League baseball stadium
Speed of Service and Increased Sales
Fans go to stadiums to watch the game. They don’t go to wait in a line. Through self-pour, multiple fans can pour off the same system simultaneously and the number of touch points between fan and stadium staff is significantly reduced. For fans, self-pour results in less time in line and more time in their seats. For stadiums, self-pour increases consumption and ensures every ounce is paid for eliminating virtually all waste associated with draft beer.
Each sporting event produces tons and tons of aluminum waste. Offering more draft beer also presents the opportunity for increased sales of take-home commemorative cups. Draft beer is much more environmentally friendly than cans or bottles. It is also more friendly to staff and operations. The storage and transportation of beer kegs is much more efficent than trying to move that same volume of beer via cans or bottles.
Better Customer Experience
Because customers will be able to refill their beer quicker, they may not want to commit to a full pour of one type of beverage. They’ll be able to make more frequent visits to the taps to try different brands. People also always prefer cold beer. Whenever somebody purchases a large can of beer, they are committing to that can for sometimes a full quarter or three full innings (whatever the sport may be). By the time they finish half their beer, the rest of it may be lukewarm. Fans prefer self-pour so they can pour smaller amounts more frequently, so that they are always drinking an ice cold beer.
Many stadiums offer luxury suites or private party areas. How can they show their premium ticket holders that they are continuously improving and staying up to date with the latest and greatest? By implementing self-pour in these sections to enhance the exclusive guest experience and justify the price value of these tickets. With the purchase of these seats, ticket holders may get a beer card with 1-2 complementary beers. Once they redeem those beers, they can always add more money to their card.
