A recent survey showed that people rated 'taking a long time to be served' as the second most annoying aspect of visiting a pub, club or bar, with the most annoying being 'not being served in turn'. Seventy-five per cent of those questioned rated long waits as 'very annoying' with half of those being willing to pay an extra 10p per drink to solve the problem.
Now Warwickshire firm QBeta is offering five readers of The Publican the chance to win a three-month trial of one of its new 'virtual queue' systems, which allow customers to wait away from the bar for their turn to be served, knowing that nobody is going to push in front of them.
This is especially useful for smokers who do not want to lose their place in the queue when they nip outside for a quick cigarette, but it can also benefit customers who want to stay with their friends and avoid the stress and frustration of queuing at a busy bar.
Like the systems found at most supermarket delicatessen counters, QBeta uses small numbered tickets and one or more electronic displays visible throughout the pub. A customer takes a ticket from a bar-mounted dispenser and keeps an eye on the display, getting to the bar just before his or her number appears. Barstaff then serve each person with the corresponding ticket to the electronic number displayed.
To be in with a chance of winning a three-month trial of a QBeta system, simply answer the following question:What aspect of visiting a pub, club or bar was found to be most annoying in a recent survey?
a) Taking a long time to be served
b) Poor toilet facilities
c) Not being served in turn
Post your answer and your contact details to Jim Thomason, QBeta Ltd, 2 Princes Drive, Leamington Spa, CV32 6AE, or email him at jim.thomason@qbeta.co.uk. Five winners will be picked at random on July 16.
For further information see www.qbeta.co.uk