After a long day of hustling at your startup or employer, many people hit their local watering hole to relax, have some fun conversation, and even blow off some steam before heading home. Grabbing a drink and some downtime with coworkers has been a part of various work cultures for a very long time. Many of todays coworking spaces and modern offices are even adding a beer tap to go right next to their water cooler – creating a space for after-hours congregating. So it’s not a surprise to see a brewing company like Anheuser-Busch looking to capitalize on this trend, with a technology twist. With that I introduce to you the Office Bud-E connected office beer fridge.
Meet the Office Bud-E
The Office Bud-e is an advanced, fully-stocked premium office refrigerator that arrives at your office ready to work, filled with a wide variety of beers (up to 180 beers to be exact). Attempting to be seen as the best advancement in corporate culture since the invention of the water cooler, the Office Bud-e is giving the fridge away to companies in the tech savvy cities of New York City and Chicago for free (we’re assuming the beer is the primary cost) and it may soon be available in Los Angeles for $181.72 annually.
How Does The Office Beer Fridge Work?
This is no ordinary beer fridge. The Office Bud-E is connected to wifi so you can select your favorite beer brands and, like the milkman of yesteryear, the beer is delivered to your office beer fridge. The beer fridge has an app for iOS and Android as well if you prefer to order from your phone. If you watch the video below it shows how you might use the app to get a beer.
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The Work Culture Debate
There’s been a lot of discussion around the drinking culture associated with the tech and startup world. Some are questioning if startup culture has a drinking problem. While the industry has been adding taps to kitchens and ushering in a more casual work environment, the emphasis on alcohol doesn’t necessarily promote a healthy lifestyle, can create issues around over consumption and related personnel issues, and can create an uncomfortable situation for anyone who doesn’t consume alcohol for personal or religious reasons. To head off any issues, tech startup Zenefits banned alcohol from the office. What do you think? Tell us your thoughts in the comments.
Regardless of where you come in on the debate, it’s interesting to see a new model and tech gadget being rolled out by a company that has been brewing since 1852.
Looking for other office ideas? Check out some of our tech startup office tours on TechCo.
