Say "Cheers" to Breath Alcohol Testers
Bars and Clubs Love the Machines. Vendors Love the Profits.
Oct 8, 2009
A number of companies sell breath alcohol test machines but Chris Shannon, in an interview with Suite101.com, said he discovered the vending opportunity at his neighborhood bar in Citrus Heights, CA. Shannon had been looking for a way to become self-employed and immediately recognized the vending opportunity the machines presented as he watched people line up to pay a dollar, insert a straw and test their breath alcohol reading on a busy Tuesday night.
"It was incredible," Shannon said. "I would have never thought people would want to know what they'd blow (breath alcohol-wise). But it dawned on me that it was better to test then- in the bar, than to test later."
The former advertising salesman purchased 10 of the machines and found immediate acceptance from Northern California bars and restaurants serving alcohol to moderate and large-sized crowds.
Vending as Public Service? Breath Testers are Popular with Bar Owners
"The sports bars were the easiest because they get younger, bigger crowds and the security people became the biggest fans of the machines," he explained. "I charge a dollar for each test and was amazed at how popular testing yourself became." Shannon attributes it to a mix of genuine curiosity and amusement.
He explained bar owners provided the proof by relating their experiences watching customers use the machine. "It broke down into two groups," he related. "First, you have the people who really, for whatever reason, don't want to risk getting a DUI. Then you have the crowd who goes back and forth with one another over who should drive and who has had too much to drink. They'll test themselves right up until leaving. And they seem to get a lot of laughs out of the results."
The most popular breath alcohol tester is, according to Shannon, the type that uses a fuel cell sensor. The sensor reacts to alcohol in a predictable, consistent method that allows for an accurate reading. It is also the type utilized by law enforcement agencies.
That consistency was key to gaining the confidence of what has grown to become a "route" of 30 machines in bars and clubs throughout Northern California. "Once they trusted the reading, they wanted not only to have the machine but most of them offered to buy them outright," he explained. Instead, he refused to sell a machine and offered each establishment a percentage of the weekly revenue. Even with the revenue sharing, he said he broke even in the first few months of operating his vending business.
The physical labor is minimal according to Shannon, who said it took him a maximum of 15 minutes to install each of the 13 pound units. He spends less than two days collecting the revenue and restocking the alcohol testers with straws he purchases from a local restaurant supply outlet.
In short, he says, it's the easiest income he has earned, citing the lack of restocking or carting supplies in and out. "It's basically straws and dollars," he said. "The more straws I go through, the better off I'm doing."
A DUI Checkpoint Before the Drive
Shannon's advice for anyone interested in a similar vending business is very simple: "Let the machine sell itself. Once a doorman or security guy sees it, they go nuts for it because they see the self-policing possibilities it gives customers. Bar owners love it because it's one other feature hanging on a part of the wall that didn't make money for them before. They also love the self-governance their customers use by checking themselves."
And after meeting other vendors through his new enterprise, Shannon said, "This certainly beats the amount of effort the pool table and dart board guys have to put out. All I really do is stock straws and collect dollars. And hopefully a few people have stayed off the road after checking themselves. Even once, if someone decided not to drive after using my machine, that's a good thing. I think it probably happens a lot."
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