New App from Cambridge Firm Set to End Queuing at the Bar

Christmas is literally just around the corner and for many that will mean patronising a busy bar or two for Festive works drinks. An inevitable part of this annual ritual is queuing up and sometimes walking away with the wrong order.

Now, thanks to an app developed by a Cambridge-based tech agency, scenarios like this could become a thing of the past.

The BEAM app, developed by Cambridge Consultants*, allows users to order and pay for drinks using their smartphones from the comfort of their table. It then uses near-field communications tabs on the surface of the bar to guide patrons to the drinks they’ve ordered. The app also streams light bubbles that link drinks to customers’ phones.

With the app, the whole experience begins when a customer orders drinks from their table. After a short while (depending on how busy the bar is), the customer receives a notification telling them that a bartender is ready to prepare their drinks.

Once at the bar, light bubbles are emitted from the customer’s phone and form circles corresponding to the number of drinks they’ve ordered. The bartender then places the drinks in the appropriate circles, ready for the customer to collect them. It’s a setup that not only allows customers to spend more time with their friends and less time queuing for drinks, but also reduces the likelihood of mistakes occurring.

The app’s developers say the customer experience “is elevated, not just automated”. It also means that drinks are never left unattended at the bar because they are constantly linked to the customer’s phone as they are being prepared.

While an official launch date for BEAM hasn’t been confirmed, the app was recently demonstrated at Innovation Day UK** in Cambridge.

So what do you think? Is the BEAM app going to catch on and revolutionise the way people order drinks in bars, or is it going to be underutilised and, ultimately, not that useful? Tweet us @PolytecNews

* https://www.cambridgeconsultants.com/press-releases/elevating-bar-experience
** https://innovationday.co.uk/

Image credit: Cambridge Consultants