In the last issue of G&L,
you read about the innovative
technology being
implemented at some
restaurants around the
country – being able to
place orders at your table
using a tablet or smartphone.
The technology allows you to order
food and drinks without having to wait for a
server to come and ask for your order and to
pay without having to wait for your server to
bring you the bill.
What could be better, right?
Well, have you ever waited in line at a busy,
packed bar waiting to be acknowledged by a
bartender who is trying to hear the orders of
hundreds of people while simultaneously
attempting to focus despite the din of the horrendously
bad music by One Direction in the
background? Your worries about having to wait
in line for the drink of your choice may soon be
over because just like your favorite restaurant,
some bars and nightclubs are venturing down
the technology path also. (http://www.trendhunter.
com/trends/social-media-drinking)
One potential solution called the “Social Media
Drinking Machine,” uses Facebook and Twitter in
combination with QR tags to streamline the drink
ordering process. The technology is a fully robotic
bar which mixes your favorite cocktail. So now,
instead of a bartender, you are served by “bot-tender.”
The process is pretty straightforward; all you
have to do is to scan the QR code displayed next to
the machine with your mobile phone. It will get
you to a Facebook application which enables you to
choose the drink you want. Once you have decided
what you want to drink, the application displays a
large QR code on your mobile phone. You show
this to the machine camera, and you will get your
drink prepared. Actually, a robotic machine will
prepare it for you. All you have to do is to place the
glass, which is then moved back and forth until all
of the ingredients have been mixed. And if you
want to brag about this, the application allows you
to post on Facebook about the intense conversation
you just had with your robotic bartender.
John P. Goetz is the author of the critically
acclaimed novels “The Protocol” and
“Souls of Megiddo.” His next novel, a psychological
thriller called “Doorway to Your
Dreams” is due out in the Fall of 2014.
He co-wrote the self-help book entitled
“Life is Short Then You’re Dead Forever”
with a 80’s hairband rocker. When not
writing novels, John spends his spare time
reading and editing G&L.
John P. Goetz
THE BOT-TENDER: THE LATEST
TECHNOLOGY IN DRINK AUTOMATION
F&B
Photos courtesy of Robofun http://www.robofun.ro/create/the-social-drink-machine/