The Bar 4.0 in the Digital Revolution Era

Transition 4.0, industrial automation, wireless networks, bluetooth, social and various sensors. What do these technological words have to do with traditional Espresso Coffee?

It may not seem like much to do with Espresso Coffee, but if we widen the horizon a little, we realize that these “strange words” have a lot to do with the bar, and especially with those who manage the bar!

We’re talking about what we might call “Bar 4.0”, in the wake of the so-called Fourth Industrial Revolution.

The Fourth Industrial Revolution and the IoT

A definition of “Fourth Industrial Revolution” that I find very fitting reads after the Internet of Informations, we will have the “Internet of Things (IoT)”.

Internet of Things (IoT), a neologism used in the world of telecommunications that describes the process of connecting physical objects of daily use to the Internet. That is, more and more objects “communicate” with each other and with us through the use of sensors, internet connection and the ability to process data.

The goal is to incentivize companies (and our bars are companies!), to invest in equipment that “communicate” more and more with each other, thus facilitating the exchange of information in order to increase the automation and efficiency of the “machines”, favoring, consequently, investments in research and development, in low-cost and sustainable materials.

The Bar in the Fourth Industrial Revolution

Let’s now drop this industrial trend into the reality of bar management with a few examples.

Example 1
The espresso machine that communicates with the grinder: let’s suppose that we have decided that the extraction of our espresso is 25″ but, instead, we get the result in 20″ (too coarse grind). At this point the machine will communicate to the grinder this data and the grinder will automatically bring the grindstones closer together in the measure it deems appropriate.

Example 2
Another example is the intelligent refrigerator that communicates the lack of a product to the PC which, in turn, automatically prepares the order. The operator only has to confirm.

Example 3
Or the terminal that constantly updates itself according to the ingredients available, so that it no longer has to answer to a customer who wants to order “I’ll go ask in the kitchen.

Automated Bar

Yes, there are already bars in the world that are fully automated.
They are still few and with mostly demonstrative purposes.

In these automated bars you can comfortably order cappuccino and croissant from the table, see mechanical arms replacing the bartender in the preparation and another little robot with a tray gently serving it to the table: creepy? Maybe.

To see these machines as enemies is to attempt (futilely?) to counter the future. Instead, seeing them as an aid, a simplification, a facilitation of work can lead us to live with them profitably.

“I don’t have time to…” is the answer I hear most often, along with “we always have a lot to do here”.

Overjoyed that a lot of work gets done.
So having help that saves a few seconds for each preparation can only allow you to increase the amount of time you can dedicate to the quality of service, the serenity of the bartender and the care of the relationship with the customer.

After all, we’ve already made a big transition with WiFi, QRcode reading for the menu, mini-pads for take your order and smart checkouts.
All it takes is a little more effort. What’s more, today this move towards digitization is also supported by tax concessions. The important thing is to rely on competent consultants and serious companies in the sector.

In any case… don’t worry!
We can tell each other… maybe one day a robot will be able to get the right grind faster than us or prepare
a cappuccino similar to ours much faster, but it will certainly never have the genuine smile and warm
welcome that we give to our customers. So by all means, rest assured!