Advances in bar inventory technology provide you with more options than ever before to meet your inventory needs. As a result, it’s important to take the time to research a variety of services in order to identify the right one for your bar.
In our previous post, we compared two products – Bar-i’s new Speed Count system and Partender’s bar inventory system. These are the lower end products offered by Bar-i and Partender. However, there are also upgraded versions of these products that provide you with a higher end service.
In this post, we’ll evaluate the similarities and differences between the high end products, Bar-i Speed Count Pro and Partender Platinum, so that you can gain a better understanding of how they can help your bar.
As with the basic versions of these products, the high end options provide a very similar service. Neither is necessarily better than the other. The right option for you will depend on the needs of your bar and your goals for the inventory process.
Both of these products build on the more basic versions by offering additional functionality. The lower end Speed Count and Partender systems are simply counting products that allow you to see how much product you have on hand. This information is then compared to your pars in order to determine what needs to be ordered.
However, comparing what you have on hand to a par doesn’t provide you with any information regarding how much you’ve used or sold. The upgraded Speed Count Pro and Partender Platinum both dig deeper and integrate more data in order to provide you with this important information.
Both systems accomplish this goal by integrating sales data from your POS system and deliveries data into the process. This allows you to compare the amount of each product that was poured to what was actually sold. Ultimately, this information should help you identify products that are underperforming so that you can correct these problems. By doing so, you can significantly reduce your shrinkage below the industry standard of 20%.
There are also several important differences between these products that will impact which option is right for you. These include:
Measurement methodology (weighing vs. “electronic tenthing”)
Speed Count Pro uses a scale to weigh each bottle and determine precisely how much is left in the bottle. Partender Platinum uses an “electronic tenthing” method that estimates the amount of liquor left in the bottle by placing a line on the picture of the bottle that shows up on your smart phone app.
The weighing method used by Speed Count Pro is accurate to the hundredth of an ounce and is completely objective, making it a superior measurement method than Partender Platinum’s tenthing system that is much more subjective and lacks the accuracy to identify the subtle differences in inventory that occur on high end bottles which are only poured once or twice each inventory period.
Having extremely precise measurements are much more important with the higher end inventory products than the basic versions since you’re trying to match your usage to your sales data. The less accurate your measurements, the less value you’ll receive from the data provided by these systems.
Upfront Costs
Since Partender Platinum can be run using an app that is downloaded on your smart phone or tablet, there are no upfront equipment costs, making it significantly less expensive to start using than Speed Count Pro.
Bar-i offers two setup options for Speed Count Pro. If you choose the self-setup option, your upfront costs will be $1000 to cover the equipment. However, once you purchase the equipment, it’s yours to keep even if you discontinue the service.
You can also choose the full service setup option, which costs $1500 plus travel expenses. In this option, Bar-i will come to your bar for two days and set up the equipment for you. There are three important benefits to this option:
Start-Up Time
You can start using Partender Platinum instantly. It only takes a few minutes to download the app and then you’re ready to go. This is significantly faster than the start-up time associated with Speed Count Pro since you’ll need to order the equipment and wait for it to be delivered to your bar. This typically takes 3-4 days.
Level of Support
Speed Count Pro provides you with a higher level of support than Partender Platinum. This is achieved through the following services:
Cost
The monthly cost for Partender Platinum is $499. The cost of Speed Count Pro varies based on how frequently you have the service performed:
If you choose to have the service performed monthly, you’ll save $300 compared to Partender Platinum. For biweekly service, you still save $200 per month compared to Partender Platinum.
If you choose the weekly service option, the price is very similar; however, you’re receiving a detailed report regarding your bar’s performance once a week instead of once a month. This allows you to address issues with your staff as they’re happening instead of having to wait until the end of the month to identify problems.
Fixed Monthly vs. Flexible Schedule
Partender Platinum is only offered on a monthly basis. Speed Count Pro provides you with more flexible scheduling options:
This flexibility allows you to choose a schedule that is most ideally suited to your bar’s needs.
Spot Checker Tool
With Speed Count Pro, you have the ability to use Bar-i’s spot checker tool. This allows you to run precise audits over short periods of time. If you’re having problems with recurring variances, the spot checker tool will let you run audits over individual shifts to identify precisely where the problem is occurring.
When you’re performing audits of individual shifts, it’s even more important to have extremely accurate data. Every ounce matters in such a small sample size, and having the ability to measure inventory to the hundredth of an ounce provides you with the accurate data you need in this situation.
Keep in mind that both of these products provide a great service that will significantly improve your bar’s operations, especially if you’re still performing inventory with a clipboard. But since they involve a substantial investment of your resources, it’s important to carefully examine the different benefits offered by each product in order to identify the right one for your unique business operations.
To learn more about how Bar-i’s inventory system can help you streamline your processes and maximize profitability, please contact us today to schedule a free consultation. We serve clients nationwide from our offices in Denver, Colorado.
