Steve Lakin, National Customer Relationship Manager at Innserve, explains how the latest innovations can transform all-round cellar efficiency while ensuring customer satisfaction, increased business and boosting the bottom line.
Quality is increasingly taking precedence over quantity, evidenced by drinking habits across many establishments. In fact, 95% of customers claim they would stop using a pub if the beer quality was poor. Luckily, thanks to innovative technology, delivering the perfect pint is easier than ever.
Striving for quality
When it comes to maintaining the performance of a cellar, hygiene and temperature control should both be crucial considerations.
Luckily, technology exists that can help maintain suitable temperatures and hygiene standards while reducing both workload and wastage by prolonging line cleaning intervals – from a week to
between three to five weeks.
Keep it cool
The importance of keeping a cellar at exactly the right temperature cannot be overestimated, especially when storing live products such as cask ale. Preferably, cellars should be kept between 11°C and 13°C to maintain the quality of the drinks being served.
If a product is too warm, residual yeast can begin to ferment, quickly leading to fobbing, and in turn excess product waste. If it is too cold, it may be flat with a chill haze. Even overcooling can become a negative. By overcooling by just one degree it can increase an outlet’s energy costs by up to 10%.
The slightest temperature change can also alter the entire taste and obviously the satisfaction of the customer.
The latest generation of cooling systems, which can be configured to exact requirements, takes the guesswork out of cellar temperature management by maintaining a constant temperature while emitting minimal noise and vibration. The added environmental benefit of such systems is a reduced carbon footprint.
Keep it clean
There is nothing worse than finally getting your freshly pulled pint only to find it’s cloudy, flat and has a vinegar taste to it. This is exactly what neglecting the beer lines and your cleaning regime can lead to. Not to mention the unsatisfied customers who take their business elsewhere.
To avoid the build-up of dirt and bacteria which can ruin products, it’s vital to ensure that beer lines are cleaned on a regular basis. The technology available ensures continuous cleaning by inducing a constant electromagnetic field within the whole length of the system, preventing scale and killing approximately 70% of bacteria. In addition, it can result in savings of up to £1,500.
A great tasting pint at the perfect temperature can attract a customer just as much as it can lose one if the quality falls short.
Steve Lakin, National Customer Relationship Manager at Innserve, has over 25 years’ experience in the licensed trade both as a Publican and working in the Technical Services Sector of the Brewing industry. Innserve services more than 80,000 licensed and unlicensed premises across the UK.
Energy Savings
Technology doesn’t just stop at maintaining, or improving quality, but can also provide you with an additional benefit. Substantial savings can be achieved by installing energy-saving devices. Intelligent power socket systems can be fitted to beer and soft drinks coolers, as well as ice makers, to ensure patterns of individual coolers, constantly monitoring and optimising energy use by adapting to all cellar conditions. By
reducing energy usage, some users have saved up to £600 per cooler per year.
Benefits that speak for themselves
The cellar is the engine room of any bar, and is where the beer begins the final stage of its journey before reaching the customer. With this in mind the general cleanliness of the cellar should be key, especially as standards rise and consumers demand more from their beer quality.
The benefits of a proactive approach to cellar management and employing the latest technology should be obvious. After all there are many of them; Improvements in drink quality, extensions in line cleaning intervals, reductions in wastage, boosts in bottom line profitability and, ultimately satisfied customers who will return.
For information visit: www.innserveltd.co.uk
