JAWing On – Life on Okinawa

There is a report on CNN about a new coaster that signals a bartender when a beer mug is getting low on contents. I don’t know about other bars, but it isn’t uncommon for the patrons to move about through out the evening. That would make locating the depleted beverage holder difficult. Not only that, just because someone’s glass is emptying doesn’t necessarily mean they automatically want another beverage forced upon them. However, there are some promising possibilities for this product. Suppose the coasters were set into the tables. If each table had a small keg somewhere under it with an above table dispenser attached, and the coaster signaled the dispenser when a beverage was getting low, customers who did want to replenish their beverage could simply deposit a pre-purchased token into the dispenser and refill the container with a pre-specified quantity. This would help eliminate an unnecessary waste of time on the part of bartenders and waiters, as well as eliminate any waiting on the part of the patron.