Eastern Market Brewing Co. is set to open its new self-serve beer and wine taproom – Lincoln Tap – in Royal Oak in the coming weeks.
Lincoln Tap plans a grand opening in October at the former Roak brewery at 330. E. Lincoln, making it one of the first self-serve alcohol businesses in the state. Before it opens to the public the tap room will have a soft launch with some invitation-only events.
Michigan allowed self-dispensed drinks in July with the passage of new legislation in Lansing. All but four states in the U.S. now allow use of the self-dispensing machines for alcohol drinks.
Michigan’s legislation prohibits any straight liquor from being dispensed from the machine, but allows mixed drinks to be dispensed.
Lincoln Tap will have a 30-tap self-pour draft system operated with technology from a company called ipourIt, a leading company in self-pour technology.
“This has been in the works for some time and we’re excited to be able to partner with business owners and entrepreneurs to bring the self-pour experience to Michigan,” said Darren Nicholson, VP of Sales at iPourIt, in a news release. “The new legislation requires that patrons have their (radio frequency) ID token affixed to their bodies while using the tap wall so our system’s built-in wristband solution is perfect for this market.”
The Royal Oak City Commission in August signed off on beer-and-wine walls for Lincoln Tap and The North End Taproom, undergoing renovations before it opens inside the former Dixie Moon Saloon site at 111 S. Main Street.
Dayne Bartscht, a managing partner of Eastern Market Brewing, told city commissioners last month that Lincoln Tap plans to sell pizza and other food when it opens to the public.
Lincoln Tap is affiliated with the Ferndale Project on Livernois and is a subsidiary of Eastern Market Brewing Co.
Mayor Michael Fournier said Friday that city police carefully looked at the plans of operation for the self-serve beer and wine operation for Lincoln Tap before it was approved.
The location became a popular neighborhood gathering spot when Roak Brewing Co. operated there before closing and moving to Marshall outside Battle Creek a couple years ago.
Fournier lives several blocks away and said he plans to visit Lincoln Tap when it opens.
“The self-serve model shouldn’t overshadow the food and beverages that are going to keep the location vibrant,” he said. “I think it will be a great place to enjoy everything Royal Oak has to offer.”
Customers at Lincoln Tap will be able to self-pour themselves beer, wine and cold brew coffee at the taproom.
Customers get radio-frequency ID wristbands that track the ounces of alcohol they are dispensed. Touchscreens above the taps also give details for each beer and wine drink.
Bartscht and other leaders at Eastern Market Brewing were reluctant to open a self-serve beer tap room until they visited one early this year in Florida, he said.
“With self-pour technology, (staff) can focus on storytelling and creating an awesome, inviting experience,” he said. “Being able to operate more efficiently is also a big benefit and we like to innovate so being one of the first is exciting.”
The self-dispensed drink concept is already being used at a Native American casino in Michigan.
Such casinos are regulated by federal rather than state laws.
The Gun Lake Casino in Allegan County unveiled dozens of self-serve beer taps at a new Craft Beer Kitchen, part of three new restaurants that opened last year.
But with its pending opening, Lincoln Tap is expected to be the first business to offer a beer and wine wall among an urban population in the state.
“This is a concept that’s been proven in other states,” Mayor Fournier said, “and we have good business operators ready to open this one in Royal Oak.”
