DECC Introduces ‘Fast Two’ Pre-Drink Ordering For Duluth Shows

If you've attended a concert or an entertainment show at the DECC in Duluth, chances are you've encountered the problem:  The longest lines concession-wise are for alcohol sales.  Whether it's beer or mixed drinks, the lines for those concession items tend to grow long and clog up the hallways and other concession items quickly.

Well, the DECC has a solution!

It's called the "Fast Two".  The concept allows event-goers to the DECC to pre-order two drinks right from the same website area that they've bought their advance show tickets.  Once the "Fast Two" drinks are pre-purchased, customers will get a QR code stamped right on the concert ticket.  On arrival, once they get through the doors and into the DECC venue, they'll be able to have that QR code scanned and they'll get their pre-ordered beers.

The system is designed to help unclog those beer concession lines.  In an article in the Superior Telegram [paywall], the DECC's Executive Director Dan Hartman explains:

"It'll be (a) nice way of not wasting your time in line, but actually enjoying the show.  If this goes well, you'll see it slowly creeping to a variety of other things."

While customers will see a "little bit of an upcharge" for the convenience, most probably won't notice the increase or will accept it as a way of losing the line wait. There's also the ability to order "additional drink pairs.....via concertgoers' smartphones".

Either way, the "Fast Two" promises to at least be a solution to a problem that has plagued concert events at the venue for a while.  Hartman points out that the DECC "can go through almost $100,000 in beer in a sold-out Amsoil show".  Historically, the longest concession lines have always centered around the vendors that sell beer and spirits.

The DECC promoted the new system on their Facebook page:

For now, it's a trial run.  DECC patrons will get their first taste of the "Fast Two" pre-order system during an upcoming show on July 10 with country singer Travis Tritt as the headliner. If it's successful, it could become a regular thing for the DECC.