Courtesy of Tapped
Tapped invites its thirsty patrons to step behind the bar—sort of.
The self-pour bar and restaurant at 7278 Manchester in Maplewood is lined with 48 self-service beer taps. On one wall, 40 taps are dedicated to local craft beer, ciders, and nitro coffee; in another area, the eight remaining taps are dedicated to wine.
Tapped (formerly home to A Pizza Story) is slated to open in early May (40 South News broke the original story last September).
The concept comes from husband-and-wife team Ryan and Lindsay Reel. A few years ago, Lindsay visited the Wine Institute of New Orleans, where a self-pour setup was available for wines. The pair realized nothing like this was available in St. Louis. (A similar but more cumbersome wine concept—Bella Vita: A Taste of Wine—opened in Rock Hill in 2008 and closed a year later.)
"With it being St. Louis, we needed to definitely gear it toward beer as well as wine," Ryan says.They settled on the iPourIt system, which delivers beer and wine stored in different sized kegs.
When customers come into Tapped, staff verifies their ID, scans a credit card to start a tab (cash is also accepted), and activates a wristband for them to wear. "The check-in process takes probably 20 seconds," Ryan says. "It can probably happen even faster. It's really quick." Tablets are located above each tap with drink information, including the price per ounce. Wristbands activate the taps, and patrons pull the tap to dispense their desired amount.
Courtesy of Tapped
A focal point of the decor is the bartop that's covered in pennies—about $150 worth from three different banks, Ryan says.
The iPourIt system can measure one-tenth of an ounce for tasting, and it has a pour limit of 16 ounces for beer and six ounces for wine. There are also set limits on the amount people can pour overall.
Food service is similar. Customers order at the counter and receive a text message when it's ready for pick-up. Ryan says waitstaff will function more like hosts, available for self-pour assistance, offering water, pairing recommendations, and drink information.
"It's all about developing that social atmosphere," he says, adding: "We wanted to cut down on the floor staff because of all the movement going on in the restaurant. We wanted to leave more space for the actual customers."
Since the Reels inherited A Pizza Story's oven, the menu will focus on pizza. Ryan describes Tapped as more of a social house than a sports bar, and to expect more elevated fare, like a chicken artichoke sautée, bourbon-glazed wings, toasted ravs with a tomato-bacon jam, and its own take on meatloaf, fish 'n chips, and sandwiches.
Another reason the Reels settled on the self-pour concept, Ryan adds, is because of its recyclability. "The life of a keg far exceeds a bottle," he says. "It's a very green option, which is a big thing we believe in. It also fits into the mindset of the Maplewood community."
