By Nancy Dahlberg
The Miami Herald.
Need a drink and need it now? Whether you order at the bar or want your liquor delivered, several South Florida tech startups have you covered.
Fort Lauderdale-based SpeedETab helps users skip the line at crowded bars and restaurants, and order and pay directly from their phone. Users receive a notification when their order is ready, and head to a pickup area.
The service launched in its first 12 locations this month. Users can use the free iOS app in some of South Florida’s hottest venues, including Brick House Miami, R House Wynwood, The District Miami, RedBar Brickell and the upcoming Drinkhouse Fire & Ice. The app leverages Apple Pay.
SpeedETab (speedetab.com) plans to expand into other cities soon, starting with Boston this spring, said Adam Garfield, CEO and co-founder. “We really wanted to focus on creating a better in-store customer experience in the hospitality industry.”
Klink’s app, available on iOS and Android, and website, klinkdelivery.com, allow customers to order beer, wine and spirits for delivery in under an hour. The service launched three months ago in the Brickell-downtown-Wynwood area of Miami, but this week Klink announced it will be expanding its reach to North Miami, Sunny Isles and Aventura.
The company is offering free delivery to all first-time users in Miami with promo code “MIAMI.”
Klink co-founder Craig Bolz says the expansion marks the beginning of Klink’s push to service all of South Florida. Klink, which also operates in Orlando, Washington, D.C, and Ann Arbor, Michigan, partners with local liquor stores to facilitate its deliveries, which are usually done in 20 to 40 minutes. Customers pay $3.87 for delivery, with no markups and a $20 minimum.
“We have seen significant traction since launching and have been receiving great feedback from customers,” Bolz said.
These two services can say “Cheers!” to several already serving up libations in one way or another:
Minibar (minibardelivery.com), a New York-based alcohol-delivery startup spreading around the country, launched in Miami in January. And last year, Postmates set up shop to deliver just about anything, including liquor. And Miami-based BarEye (BarEye.com), another digital way to buy drinks in a bar, has been testing its service and is preparing to launch shortly, CEO Andrew Bennett said.
Skosh (theskoshapp.com) is a free social-sharing iPhone app that enables users to send a drink from across the bar or across the country — via Twitter.
“Sending a drink is a social gesture that goes beyond a simple ‘like’ or ‘favorite’ and harkens back to a sense of refinement and generosity,” said South Florida entrepreneur Gerard Bush, who launched the app with partner Christopher Renz at the Miami Open Tennis Tournament last month.
