For years, bar management professionals have struggled with this thing called transparency. They looked a their bottom lines and saw acceptable profits. But they knew that for a number of reasons that the real potential of the bottom line wasn’t being reached.
It was a very uncomfortable issue for the bar operating business professional to come to grips with. The owner often finds themselves somewhere between their top bartenders skimming profits by free or over zealous pours and knowing that the very same person keeps customers happy and coming back.
Finally, there is technology that can make sense of that intersection of profit and culture. With Skyflo, liquor loss and unrecorded sales can be eliminated with key staff members till feeling respected. The installation of the Skyflo system can save operators tens of thousands of dollars per year.
After installation of the Skyflo management system in a bar, owners see the difference immediately in the reduction of liquor costs. At an average savings of $5 per bottle, not only can Skyflo perfectly pour 4 preprogrammed quantities of liquor every time, the patented innovative management system tracks all the data that is used with each drop of liquor that is poured. Management has a chance to analyze all liquor sales and keep track of stock with the Cloudflo software system. The individual electronic pouring spouts stay charged for months and are able to function hundreds of feet away from the
master unit.
“Skyflo will make owners more profitable and provide peace of mind. They know they are in control of their pouring costs,” said Bill Muise, director of Skyflo sales. “At a time where food, labor and energy costs are growing, Skyflo can help reduce a hidden expense that takes place in most restaurants and bars.”
Leading industry experts including Jon Taffer of Bar Rescue are consistently profiling the issue on television. Now there’s a solution that can deal with the variety of challenges. “The vast majority of bars rely on the jigger and the skill of the bartender to manage portion control in liquor,” Muise explained. Inventory, if done at all, is usually a manual count and paper records. There are some liquor management products available that will help, but Skyflo is a reliable wireless, fully programmable system available.”
Skyflo provides a previously unavailable suite of features such as allowing up to four programmable pour sizes, date/time stamping of all pours and spout activities, security features such as On/Off Bottle reports and product specific tracking customized to each client’s bar. The data collected from Skyflo can be utilized in concert with POS and Inventory records to provide all the information needed to ensure the lowest costs and highest margins possible.
The Skyflo line accomplishes the goal by reducing cost and increasing profits. It is easy to install and use and immediately provides real time sales data from any location. In this Golden Age of the craft cocktail, it ensures product consistency with quick and precise dispensing.
The company has become a focus for its parent company The Middleby Corporation. In 2017, it was shifted to Middelby’s L2F unit. L2F designs and builds custom robotic manufacturing equipment with a focus on helping hardware based start-ups move their concepts from the laboratory to full-scale fabrication.
With the guidance of its founders, Shawn Lange and Derek Pietz, its vision is to bring Silicon Valley culture and innovation to the world of industrial automation. They are no strangers to the food and hospitality space with Zume Pizza and CafeX being two prominent clients. L2F has also created automated production processes for chocolate, fruit, and ramen noodles, to name a few.
The L2F umbrella will enable Skyflo to adapt to the ever changing needs of its customer base. “It’s all about unparalleled data collection and management tools focused on profit maximization,” Muise said. L2F will soon be offering an even wider variety of unique services for the Skyflo customer made possible through the application of technology, imagination and deep industry knowledge.
Skyflo is designed for bar owners and operators interested in the application of technology to control costs and improve sales. “Old habits die hard but Skyflo provides the best combination of tighter controls for the owner and the freedom for bartenders to still be bartenders. We believe that one of our key roles is to work with the bar staff and owners to change the old mindsets that have plagued the industry for so many years and offer opportunities for all players to make more money through higher customer satisfaction and better cost controls,” Muise continued.
“Consumers are often creatures of habit. So we eat and drink where we feel we get good value and the best quality for a price we can afford. One key factor to building a customer base is a consistent experience. Within that experience is getting the drink you want, made the same every time. Skyflo gives the bartender the tools they need to provide a consistent drink, every time, while at the same time improving speed of service. We are convinced that with that consistency it maximizes the gratuity left for the bartender. We need them to succeed,” Muise concluded.
Skyflo offers extensive training to all clients and their staff to demonstrate the advantages of integrating Skyflo into their bar and how to maximize the benefits to all. Skyflo has also reduced the barrier of entry with a special new customer offer. The company is offering a $300 per month special for 20 Skyflo spouts. The offer includes all training and has no long term contract requirements.