iPads on the menu at Halifax pub

[mr x]

Save for a candle and some salt and pepper, the tables at Rockbottom Brewpub are empty, with not a wine or beer list to be found.

Turns out printed lists are passe and the Spring Garden Road restaurant and brewpub has tossed its printed menus in favour of iPads that feature its evolving selection of cellared wines and cold beer.

“Our wine lists change a few times a year so this really makes it easy — and cost-effective — to change the list,” bar manager Buck Crombie said Thursday.

The restaurant purchased five iPads before the new year and purchased the Uncorkd iPad Electronic Wine List, a web-based platform for iPad that enables guests to browse the wine menu by categories created by the restaurant. The application also sorts wines by region, vintage, flavour profile or price and includes links to the producers’ webpage and pictures of the label.

Rockbottom uses the application to feature its in-stock wine and beer.

Server Anna Smith said the application has been a hit since Day 1.

“Every time we take it to the table, people are impressed,” Smith said. “They love it. People like to learn about what they’re drinking.”

If the guest is uncertain what beverage will pair best with prime rib, the server and the guest use Uncorkd to help find the best choice. The food pairing feature shows at least five recommended wines and beer and suggests similar drinks with comparable flavour profiles.

The use of such applications is a burgeoning trend in North America. Rockbottom is one of a dozen users listed on the Uncorkd website.

General manager Shane Robilliard said the investment was well worth the cost as it saves time and money and gives the servers confidence.

“It’s easier for us and the servers because instead of learning everything on the wine list, we can bring this to the table and let the guest interact with it and decide for themselves,” Robilliard said. “It cuts down on training time for us and our servers, which is good when you consider that that list may be changing a few times a year.”

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[mr x]

There's something wrong with this picture....

[Keggermeister]

I don't think this will last long. They will all get dropped eventually.

[mr x]

I don't understand why they are promoting wine culture after spending a couple dimes on a new brewhouse...

[KMcK]

I figured it was just the ignorance of the writer. There are only a few types of beer and they all taste the same so you don't need help choosing them, you know.

As for the iPads, I think an iNash would be much more effective at helping you choose a drink and pairing it with the food.