Cheltenham Festival punters to pull their own pints at first-of-its-kind bar in bid to ease queues
PUNTERS at Cheltenham Festival will be able to toast their winning bets by pulling their own pints at a first-of-its-kind bar.
The ‘self-serve bar’ at the Cottage Rake area of the racecourse received rave reviews at last month’s Trials Day.
The new self-pour bar at Cheltenham Festival will help ease crowds, say bosses, after a successful trial run last month
The new self-serve bar means there are 12 more pumps in the popular Cottage Rake bar at Cheltenham
In what is believed to be a first for any racecourse in Britain, punters will select which drink they want on a touchscreen and then literally pull the pint themselves.
The self-serve tap wall is the brainchild of Dublin-based Drink Command – who originally pitched the idea on Dragons’ Den.
They say it will take just 45 seconds for someone to pull a perfect pint of Guinness.
And they reckon that by allowing racegoers to serve themselves it will cut down on waste and make ‘much higher profits per keg than traditional bartender pouring’.
It already proved a success at Twickenham Stadium during last year’s Autumn Internationals and has been used worldwide.
Punters recently vented their fury when it was confirmed a pint at next month’s Festival will cost £7.50.
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Complaints in recent years of the Festival – where attendance this year will be capped at 68,500 per day – have centred on queues for drinks and toilets.
But bosses are certain increasing the number of pumps from 16 to 28 in the Cottage Rake bar will make it better for punters.
Simon Hanna, Jockey Club Catering’s Regional Director for Cheltenham and the South West, said: “We were delighted with how the trial went at our raceday last month.
“The feedback from racegoers who used these self-pour taps was incredibly positive too.
“By installing this technology we’ve been able to increase the number of pumps from 16 to 28 in the Cottage Rake bar, reducing the queuing time in the process.
“For anyone using these taps for the first time we still have experienced and skilled team members in the bar to help them and we’re looking forward to more racegoers taking the opportunity to pour themselves a pint at The Festival next month.”
It was estimated some 260,000 pints of Guinness were guzzled by thirsty racegoers at last year’s Festival.
Cheltenham Festival is the jewel in the crown of the National Hunt season and will run from Tuesday, March 14 to Friday, March 17.
One punter was impressed by the new self-pour system trialled on Trials Day
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