Tableside Technology: New ways to present wine lists

[Roy Hersh]

A topic near and dear to my heart: http://www.winebusiness.com/suppliernew ... taid=88883

[Todd Pettinger]

Wow, they must have had SOME pitch to get Apple to agree to let them reprogram the iPad specific for that application. Smart idea. Wonder how much that service costs and the effect on the markup of the wines that a restaurant carries in order to pay for the appliance and unit rentals.

Sounds very cool though.

[Eric Menchen]

So they made an app that puts an interactive menu on an iPad. Meh.

[Andy Velebil]

So they made an app that puts an interactive menu on an iPad. Meh.

Considering how out of real time date most wine lists are, I think it's great to be able to see what is actually available. NOthing worse than pouring over a long wine list only to find out they are out of stock of the first two wines you've choosen. Had that happen more times than I can remember.

[Peter W. Meek]

The App is not the big thing. The database they are running, and whether it is kept up-to-date and accurate, is the real question.

Otherwise, the App is just a fancy electronic menu/wine-list, that is just as likely to be wrong as a paper wine list.

Either way, it could be set up to allow sparse listings for an overview of what wines were on the list, with an ability to "drill" deeper for things like detailed descriptions, tasting notes, and even pairings tied to the restaurant's own food menu (including daily specials).

The down-side, would be keeping someone on-staff or available to maintain the database, the wine-list, and any details they include.

Another downside might be keeping the iPads from getting dropped, liquids spilled on them, or walking out the door, at about $600 each.

[Eric Menchen]

The App is not the big thing. The database they are running, and whether it is kept up-to-date and accurate, is the real question.

Agreed.

Another downside might be keeping the iPads from ... walking out the door, at about $600 each.

There's an app for that! Seriously, you can install an app on Android phones, and probably on iPads, so if it gets stolen you can track it, have it take pictures, etc.

[Andy Velebil]

The App is not the big thing. The database they are running, and whether it is kept up-to-date and accurate, is the real question.

The easy way around this is using bar codes, so each bottle removed is scanned as it's removed from the cellar. The local University near me has a hotel/restaurant management program with a open to the public student run restuarant. About a year or so ago one of the students installed a computer in their cellar and cataloged/barcoded every wine in their large cellar using CellarTracker.com In talking to the professor there it has been a huge help and has made it very easy for them to track what is there and what has been removed. Far easier than the old paper method that was never accurate.

[Peter W. Meek]

The App is not the big thing. The database they are running, and whether it is kept up-to-date and accurate, is the real question.

The easy way around this is using bar codes, so each bottle removed is scanned as it's removed from the cellar. The local University near me has a hotel/restaurant management program with a open to the public student run restuarant. About a year or so ago one of the students installed a computer in their cellar and cataloged/barcoded every wine in their large cellar using CellarTracker.com In talking to the professor there it has been a huge help and has made it very easy for them to track what is there and what has been removed. Far easier than the old paper method that was never accurate.

I keep my cellar inventoried with CellarTracker (which has several iPad Apps that interface with it). The problem is I DON'T MARK BOTTLES AS CONSUMED when I drink them. And I'm pretty lazy about adding new bottles to the inventory. Every 3 months or 6 or 9 or 12 or 15 or whatever, I have to go back and do a "hard" inventory (which means I have to associate every single bottle in my inventory with a bottle from my cellar, and associate every single bottle in my cellar with a bottle in my inventory). This takes a day or two if I have help, and many months ( I keep drinking and buying wines) if I have to do it by myself.

For a restaurant to keep an accurate inventory would require that there be one single person who is responsible for every single bottle that moves in or out of the cellar. I don't think it can happen.

[Andy Velebil]

[For a restaurant to keep an accurate inventory would require that there be one single person who is responsible for every single bottle that moves in or out of the cellar. I don't think it can happen.

Not really, the school has the computer next to the cellar door. So as students remove bottle(s) all they do is swipe it across the bar code reader next to the computer and it removes it from inventory. As long as you make it easy and convienent for everyone to use then the system will work. problem is most larger businesses make things overly complicated and the ensuing result is employees doing whatever they can to avoid using the system properly.

[Eric Menchen]

For a restaurant to keep an accurate inventory would require that there be one single person who is responsible for every single bottle that moves in or out of the cellar. I don't think it can happen.

Instead of a bar code, put an RFID on each bottle when it comes in. Then you don't even have to have the person taking it out actively do anything. I thought it might not be worth the expense, but wikipedia says passive RFID tags run $0.05 these days.

[Glenn E.]

For a restaurant to keep an accurate inventory would require that there be one single person who is responsible for every single bottle that moves in or out of the cellar. I don't think it can happen.

Instead of a bar code, put an RFID on each bottle when it comes in. Then you don't even have to have the person taking it out actively do anything. I thought it might not be worth the expense, but wikipedia says passive RFID tags run $0.05 these days.

Yep, RFID is the way to go. Cheap and virtually foolproof provided you put the detector(s) in the right place. If you're clever, you can even set it up so that the cellar keeps track both as bottles are added and deleted, and all that needs to be done is for the RFID tag to be placed on the bottles as they arrive but before they're put in the cellar. That way if a customer wants to look at a bottle before purchase they can and it won't screw up the inventory. It gets checked out when removed, then checked back in if the customer decides not to buy.

This puts inventory control in the hands of the stocker or purchaser as the bottles arrive. Seems like a good thing to me!

[Roy Hersh]

Back in the day ... I used software in restaurants that removed items from the cellar inventory, whenever a bottle was rung up and sold. There was a four digit code next to every bottle on our wine list. As bottles were purchased, the receiving manager would give a copy of the invoice to the beverage manager, who then input the incoming wines into inventory. When a bartender, bar server or wait staff person sold a bottle, it would automatically be removed from inventory when they put in the 4 digit code. The inventory levels shown by the software had to correspond to the manual (physical) inventory that was taken twice per month and any variation from what was on the computer had to be brought to the attention of the GM who had to "investigate" ... back track. That was nearly a decade ago now. I am sure there are far more sophisticated programs now.

[Todd Pettinger]

For a restaurant to keep an accurate inventory would require that there be one single person who is responsible for every single bottle that moves in or out of the cellar. I don't think it can happen.

Instead of a bar code, put an RFID on each bottle when it comes in. Then you don't even have to have the person taking it out actively do anything. I thought it might not be worth the expense, but wikipedia says passive RFID tags run $0.05 these days.

Yep, RFID is the way to go. Cheap and virtually foolproof provided you put the detector(s) in the right place. If you're clever, you can even set it up so that the cellar keeps track both as bottles are added and deleted, and all that needs to be done is for the RFID tag to be placed on the bottles as they arrive but before they're put in the cellar. That way if a customer wants to look at a bottle before purchase they can and it won't screw up the inventory. It gets checked out when removed, then checked back in if the customer decides not to buy.

This puts inventory control in the hands of the stocker or purchaser as the bottles arrive. Seems like a good thing to me!

Now here is a topic close to my heart! Using RFID coupled with an Access Control system that can chain I/O events is a high-tech, but simple way to go. The Access Control system makes the employee badge in, so you have the added benefit of keeping the line cooks and front of house staff who have no business being in the cellar out. You tie an exit event to require either a double swipe (the RFID tag on the bottle + the emplyee badge) so now not only do you know when the bottle left the cellar, you know which employee walked out with it. This can obviously be tied into a POS system and cross-referenced to be sure Joe isn't selling the bottle of 1945 Croft as a $13 bottle of dry red. Then, of course, to tie it ALL together, you install additional video surveillance cameras (my other passion/job) and if an employee exits the cellar without swiping a bottle, the manager can be notified to check video (image or email can be sent to a PDA including the aforementioned iPad - of course, if you have the network capable of it, you can just launch the live video or a replay of the pre-roll - the time just before the person walks out of the cellar - and determine whether he did indeed exit without a bottle.)

The possibilities are limitless... you can tag your "special" bottles and require an authorization for them (either manager to swipe and authenticate the removal from the cellar of that bottle of 31 Noval Nacional or to "check up" on an employee who is attempting to remove said bottle.)

I design access control and video surveillance systems like this, usually on a large scale, but this would be a fun project to partake in!

Sorry, I'm done techno-geeking out now!

[Moses Botbol]

Seems over kill for most restaurants, but an easy bar code scan "in and out" should be enough to keep the database up to date.

A lot of additional wine needs to be sold to re-coup the cost of the device, software, and administration. I could see it work for establishments with a large collection or a list that is constantly changing. I bet between hardware and licensing were talking 15-20K for under 30 iPad deployment; that's a lot of wine to sell.

I don't think someone needs to "reprogram" an iPad to do this. Just lock the application when it launches with a password on a standard config iPad and that's it.

Todd mentioned some RFID tied to events that would work too.