“The next level of convenience transforms the fountain or coffee cup itself into the technology by leveraging radio frequency identification (RFID). The aim: to speed up the payment process so that stopping in for a drink can be as fast as fill, tap and go.“The biggest draw for consumers is how RFID delivers on the fastest possible speed of service for dispensed beverage with how it gives guests the ability to bypass the register,” says Greg Edelson, president of ValidFill, part of Warren, Pa.-based Whirley-DrinkWorks.

Ultimately, it all comes down to speed. “It certainly helps to be able to convince your consumers that you aren’t going to slow them down in the morning. We’ve seen our coffee sales reflect this,” Riggs says.

RFID is also proving to be a surprise win for other customers. “One of the less obvious positive outcomes to this program is that it allows for a faster average transaction for the rest of our customers because all of our RapidPay customers have been taken out of our main transaction queue,” Riggs says. “It’s really a win-win for us.”

(via RFID Redefines Convenience for Dispensed Beverages)

“ While innovative solutions like plant-based packaging have gone a long way to promote more sustainable practices, the prevalence of single-use plastic remains rampant and ubiquitous, particularly when it comes to plastic cups. But a different kind of plastic cup has emerged on the events scene in recent years — one that’s designed not to be chugged and dumped at will, but to be used again and again, drink after drink.“