Syracuse, NY — The Food and Drug Administration’s May 2017 enforcement deadline for labeling of standard menu items with calorie and other nutrition labeling is fast approaching. The looming FDA requirements apply to any restaurant or similar retail food establishment that is part of a chain with 20 or more locations doing business under the same name which includes more than 20,000 bars, restaurants, and breweries that must now provide calorie listings for every beer on tap or face the prospect of stiff fines.
To help expedite compliance, BeerBoard offers an easy solution to help operators meet the FDA requirement on nutritional labeling. Following over a decade of field experience, the provider of beer management and guest display systems has created a centralized platform that obtains and provides nutritional information from brewers to update rotating beer menus in real-time across multiple bar and restaurant locations.
“Chain restaurant and bar owners should recognize that the clock is ticking to meet the FDA compliance mandate and quickly find a solution,” said Mark Young, BeerBoard Founder and CEO. “BeerBoard uniquely improves both the back-end operations and consumer engagement by allowing business owners to not only meet the FDA requirements, but also give beer enthusiasts and guests a more informed, interactive experience with beer menus.”
Becoming FDA compliant takes time, but BeerBoard has worked with retailers of all sizes and created an estimation of how long it will take to gain adoption based on number of locations. When using their tool, bars and restaurants with up to 20 locations can anticipate a timeline of approximately 29 days to achieve compliance, while operators with 60 or more locations can expect a minimum of 119 days to do so, meaning if they have not yet started the process they will not be compliant by the May 2017 enforcement deadline.
In addition to supporting companies on the road to FDA compliance, BeerBoard’s programs also aim to make bars more efficient and save money on waste. Features include:BeerBoard Display – enables operators to merchandise their menus, events, and better market craft beers, increasing sales on average of 10 percent.BeerBoard’s SmartBar Technology – tracks every ounce of beer poured to better manage inventory and cut losses, enabling seamless operator control, even from mobile devices. BeerBoard clients receive insights and reports from SmartBar to make more informed decisions based on actual pour data and industry trends.BeerBoard’s “Claim Your Brand” Platform – an end-to-end, one-stop solution for breweries to enter style information, descriptions, and FDA-required data into unique brand profiles that integrate seamlessly with digital, print, and social media menus.BeerBoard’s patented technology is used to manage over 50,000 tap lines in thousands of bars and restaurants across the United States. For example, Buffalo Wild Wings already implemented BeerBoard technology to seamlessly manage tap lines, to incorporate local craft breweries in its regional locations, and to get ahead of the compliance issue.
“We are not waiting,” said Todd Kronebusch, vice president for guest experience and innovation at Buffalo Wild Wings. “We’re concerned about this, not only from a national level but from a local level. We want to be able to share everyone’s product with our guests and the only way we can do that is by having the calorie information available.”
BeerBoard has made available to the industry an in-depth whitepaper discussing approaches to accelerating FDA compliance, including how Buffalo Wild Wings is staying ahead of the pending mandate. Additional tools can also be found at unique, interactive microsite: http://beerboard.com/fda.
About BeerBoard
BeerBoard monitors over 50,000 draft lines and 35,000 products through its Integrated Beer Management and Guest Display System. Installed at thousands of client locations, its services include SmartBar, which generates pour data and trend-driven analytics, BeerBoard Display, a digital consumer-facing menu display, BeerBoard Menu, automated print and website menus, and a consumer mobile application. The company services high profile independent groups and major chain clients throughout North America, including Buffalo Wild Wings, Hooters, BJ’s Restaurant & Brewhouse and Miller’s Alehouse. BeerBoard is headquartered in Syracuse, NY, and has offices in Denver and the New York City area. For more information, please visit http://beerboard.com/.