Liquor e-tailer to use digital ID, curb underage drinking

But the occupational hazard of underage revellers slipping through the crowds for a drink is yet another headache that hoteliers must deal with. But not for too long, as a city-based start-up is working on a digital ID, that aims to help establishments strictly adhere to the legal age restrictions when it comes to consumption or sale of alcohol.

Prasanna Natarajan, founder and CEO of HipBar, a pioneer in tech-enabled alcohol e-tailing, which operates through a delivery and payment app, says, “We are planning to come up with a digital ID for consumers, called the Chennai ID. This will ensure that patrons walking into the bars or clubs have a seamless experience vis-à-vis age verification. And clubs can ensure that the legal drinking age is enforced with respect to the guests. The patrons just need to flash their QR code, and once their ID flashes on the screen, their age can be instantly verified. We are hoping to make compliance a convenience and not a headache for the F&B ecosystem. Going forth, the ID will also offer value added services to the customer in terms of discounts and offers made available by the company.”

In markets like Bengaluru, customers can browse for drinks, pay for them and have them home delivered. In TN, the company has tied up with all the government-run Elite Tasmac shops located in malls, in cities like Chennai, Erode, Coimbatore and Tirupur. Through the HipBar Pay app, customers can pay for their drinks instantly, in advance and pick up their drinks later at these shops.

Natarajan adds, “Our mission is to help India drink wisely using technology. If the government wants to place a restriction on how much liquor people consume, it can very well use technology to implement that. For instance, using your cell number, they can set a limit to the number of times one can order their liquor and set a digital quota of sorts for drinks. It’s one of the best ways to track one’s drinking and ensure responsible consumption. It also builds a social milieu where people can openly ask each other as to how much one’s quota has been exhausted.”