Technology is helping bars to cope with new-millennium needs, through various new and sometimes unexpected solutions. The main aim is to give customers anything they want, from breakfast cappuccinos to evening cocktails. And the opportunity to serve themselves or order directly from an app.

“We expect to see a more attentive, better-informed approach to wine consumption, also in bars,” says Daisy Romanini, of Wineemotion’s sales department. “In this sense, the use of self-service wine dispensers will be one of the main technological innovations. We have developed an app for the completely independent use of these dispensers.”

Product demand is also changing: “We are predicting a growth in consumption of organic products, including at breakfast. In addition, consumers are also increasingly demanding high-quality bread, freshly baked on a daily basis,” says Bottega S.p.A. “In the field of aperitifs, the traditional Spritz continues to be popular, as well as its variations, such as the Prosecco- and Limoncino-based versions Bottega has developed. And then there is the growth in zero-alcohol products. The younger generations are quite happy to enjoy an alcohol-free drinks session with friends, which means they can have long, clear-headed nights out, without the risk of getting a DUI and having their driving licences taken away. Sometimes it’s for religious or health reasons – important factors for many consumers. Bottega offers two alcohol-free sparkling drinks made from selected grape must.”

Finally, “establishments need to be able to organise events with music, themed tastings and other special initiatives to attract customers, also through social media channels.”

As for robotics, IoT and A.I.: “these technologies are bound to become more relevant. It will be possible to communicate with machines directly from your own smartphone, create your own personal drinks recipes and be served automatically by robotic arms,” says Erwin Pas, sales manager for Astoria.

Bars are increasingly being required to offer menus with plenty of choice, with an array of different types of coffee, milk drinks and other hot beverages that cater to a wide range of different customer demands. “We are seeing more and more drinks made from alternative types of milk, especially plant-based ones. The main trends influencing our sector are the need to have machines with a fast, easy-to-understand interface, the technology to whip up milk automatically to produce an excellent beverage and the opportunity to monitor and programme machines remotely.”