In one week the MLB All-Star Game will take place at Target Field in Minneapolis, Minnesota. On Sunday, the stadium unveiled a self-serve beer station, and a second is expected to be put in the stadium the night of the all-star game.
The "DraftServ" machines are a partnership between concessionaire Delaware North and Anheuser-Busch. They allow for each customer to choose between four different beers and dispense how much they want after they receive a preloaded card with money on it. To get the card, proper identification must be presented to a cashier. $10 and $20 cards are available right now, but $50 cards will be available during the all-star game.
Beer is paid for by the ounce when dispensed from the machine: Bud and Bud Light will cost 38 cents per ounce and Shock Top Lemon and Goose Island 312 Urban Pale Ale will be 40 cents per ounce. Each customer can use their card to pour up to 48 ounces of beer every 15 minutes. Simply scanning the card at the DraftServ machine gives access to the alcohol.
"It's a way to engage with the customer and allows the fan to have greater control of what they're drinking," said Jerry Jacobs Jr., principal of Delaware North, whose Sportservice controls the concessions at 10 baseball stadiums, seven arenas that host NBA and NHL fans and seven NFL stadiums, in this ESPN article. "There's obviously some novelty value to this, but it also allows people to pour what they want. If they want half of a cup, that's all they will pay for."
Although many might believe (and it's certainly possible) that this both creates more work for the customer and eliminates the need for labor, Jacobs says it doesn't because an employee will be required to check IDs at each vending machine and also prevent visibly intoxicated customers from purchasing more alcohol. It still remains to be seen because it only had one day of use on Sunday, and now the Twins will spend their next six games on the road.
We'll see how it works out for the fans next Tuesday night at the 2014 MLB All-Star Game. You can read more about the self-serving beer machines in this Star Tribune article.
