West Wyalong, NSW
Fifteen years running pubs and motels in regional NSW. Now I build for the industry I came from — and I write about what actually happens in venues, as opposed to what the brochures reckon happens.
Most venue software is designed by people who have never had to make a call at 11:40pm with a full room, two staff down, and something building near the pool tables.
You can tell. Operators can always tell.
That gap is the whole reason I do this. I got tired of watching good venues get sold tools built on guesses, so I started building the things I wished existed when it was my name on the licence. The test I hold my own work to is the only one that ever mattered behind the bar: would this survive a Friday night?
AI-assisted alerts for human review, so venue staff can get onto trouble earlier instead of pulling up footage the morning after. It works with the cameras a venue already has, and a person makes every call — the software's job is to point somebody's attention at the right screen a bit sooner.
Still in build and not generally available yet. If you run a venue and want to follow along, get in touch or read more at offtapwatch.com.
Running venues, what tech companies get wrong about them, and what I'm learning building for an industry where a tool either works on a Friday night or it doesn't.
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One email a month: a story from behind the bar, one lesson worth stealing, and what I'm building. No spam, unsubscribe whenever.
I talk to industry groups and hospitality tech teams about venue operations, alcohol culture, and why so much software dies on contact with a real Friday night.
Whether you run a venue, build for them, or just want to argue about something I've written — flick me a message. Or email me directly at ben@benmurrells.com.