How much do you hate waiting for another beer in a crowded bar?
It irked Josh Goodman enough to invent a pretty obvious solution -- self-service beer taps.
Goodman, 36, recalled the exact moment in late 2008 when his frustration boiled over.
"I was hanging out with my friends at a Baltimore sports bar before an Orioles game," he said. "We just couldn't get another beer served to us quickly."
Even more than being annoyed, Goodman was struck by how much money the bar must be losing. Almost immediately, he got to work on a self-service beer concept.
Within a few months, Goodman had launched PourMyBeer in Chicago (where he'd relocated to be with his wife).
He invested $20,000 of his own funds andpartnered with a U.S. manufacturer to make beer tables with two to four self-service taps.
In February 2009, Goodman landed his first client: A Baltimore tavern. He spent the next two years growing the business and adding more bars and restaurants.
In 2011, PourMyBeer introduced self-service "beer walls," which let people pour their own beer from taps on a wall.
"We've seen people waiting on line to use the self-service unit," said Scott Taylor, president and COO of Walk-On's Enterprises. The Baton Rouge, La.-based sports bar franchise has PourMyBeer's tables in four locations and plans to roll them out in three new bars.
"We're committed to this," said Taylor. "It's efficient and we're making a little more money on beer sales. Most importantly, our customers think it's neat."
It irked Josh Goodman enough to invent a pretty obvious solution -- self-service beer taps.
Goodman, 36, recalled the exact moment in late 2008 when his frustration boiled over.
"I was hanging out with my friends at a Baltimore sports bar before an Orioles game," he said. "We just couldn't get another beer served to us quickly."
Even more than being annoyed, Goodman was struck by how much money the bar must be losing. Almost immediately, he got to work on a self-service beer concept.
Within a few months, Goodman had launched PourMyBeer in Chicago (where he'd relocated to be with his wife).
He invested $20,000 of his own funds andpartnered with a U.S. manufacturer to make beer tables with two to four self-service taps.
In February 2009, Goodman landed his first client: A Baltimore tavern. He spent the next two years growing the business and adding more bars and restaurants.
In 2011, PourMyBeer introduced self-service "beer walls," which let people pour their own beer from taps on a wall.
"We've seen people waiting on line to use the self-service unit," said Scott Taylor, president and COO of Walk-On's Enterprises. The Baton Rouge, La.-based sports bar franchise has PourMyBeer's tables in four locations and plans to roll them out in three new bars.
"We're committed to this," said Taylor. "It's efficient and we're making a little more money on beer sales. Most importantly, our customers think it's neat."
