If any industry needs to be more efficient, it's the restaurant and bar business. Profit margins are tight, employee turnover is a problem, and customers can be fickle. That's why I love shows like Bar Rescue which feature new technological solutions for one of the oldest industries.
Case in point, managing beer keg inventory. Traditionally, bars are caught off guard when a key runs dry, but SteadyServ aims to bring some predictability to the market. The company says their SteadyServ keg sensor collects and sends information such as how much beer remains, the type and style of the beer in the keg, when it was delivered, when it was tapped, its age, and when the keg may run out. It sends this information to SteadyServ’s cloud-based software, where it is paired with other information, such as how much safety stock remains, the next delivery date, previous order information, past consumption trends, event information, beer consumption trends nearby, and even local weather forecasts which may impact patronage trends.
And what high tech solution would be complete without an app? The SteadyServ service comes with a free companion app, called iKeg, naturally! The app is free, but without a login, you can't really use it; However there are videos on their site that show it in action. There are also interfaces for retailers and for distributors.
The SteadyServ sensor, their intelligent cloud, and the iKeg app are a practical application of artificial intelligence that could make the difference between a profitable bar and a losing proposition!