3 Taproom Mistakes that Could be Costing You Money
Is your taproom leaving money on the table?
45% of taproom staff are not asking guests if they would like another drink. Guests who are offered another drink spend $6.50 more per visit than guests not offered one.
You can make guests’ visits not only more memorable, but also much more profitable. Think about how many times you’ve been to an establishment, enjoying a drink, and the bartender never asks you if you’d like another drink. Your patience wears thin, and you end up leaving. Our data shows that staff are failing to suggest a suggest second beverage during 45% of brewery visits. I repeat, nearly half the time, staff are not asking your customers if they’d like another drink.
Guests that are not offered another drink spend an average of $39.83. Guests who are offered a second drink spend an average of $46.33. This is an increase of 16.3% and $6.50 more, just by suggesting another beverage.
Think about the numbers. At the current figures, your average brewery is seeing approximately $4341 per 100 tabs. This is with nearly half of these guests not being offered a second beverage. If you can train your staff to suggest a second drink, these same guests become worth $292 more. No extra labor, no extra cost, $292 in additional revenue.
A guest chooses to visit your taproom. However, you contribute to how much they spend. Interact, engage, encourage. There is power in suggestion. Safely serve them a memorable experience that makes them crave more of both your beverage and your company.
45% of taproom staff are not offering recommendations. Guests spend nearly $4 more per visit when the staff offers recommendations.
This one is pretty straight forward. You love beer, right? And I bet if you’re working in a brewery, you love talking about it. Share this love! offer direction. This can include, “What’s your favorite style?” “Looking for anything in particular?” “Want to start with a flight?” The odds are just from general banter, you’ve already gotten to know a little bit about your guest, now get to know their tastes. This guidance will help you better serve them during this encounter and help you better assist them on future visits. Everyone likes to be remembered. Retain everything you learn from these brief questions.
Offering recommendations also has a bump in the average spend as well. Guests who are provided recommendations spend an average of $45.12, vs 41.38 for those not given any.
80% of taproom staff are not encouraging beer to go. When staff encourage beer to go, guests make the added purchase 49% of the time vs only 9% of the time when not encouraged. Guests spend an average of $13.27 more per visit when purchasing beer to go.
This is unfortunately my favorite, and possibly most repeated statistic. Your brewery isn’t just a place where people come for a drink or two. Your brewery is a brand. Your job is to build it. This happens via selling more beer inside your taproom, getting more people (including your team) excited about it, and then spreading the word everywhere you possibly can. More to go beer sales = more people drinking your beer outside your tasting room.
Before your guests leave your business don’t forget to encourage taking product to go. Think about how many times you’ve been asked if you’d like to take any beer home - whether growlers, crowlers, cans, or bottles. Our data shows that guests are only being encouraged to make the additional purchase on 20% of visits. I don’t know about you, but after I’ve had a couple drinks, especially something I enjoy, I can be easily convinced to take something home.
When not suggested, a guest only makes the added to go purchase 9% of the time, when suggested this increases to nearly 50%.
I sometimes play a game with my wife when I visit a business. I tell her, “Hey Stacie, I’ll only take beer home if the staff asks me.” And unfortunately, I typically leave empty handed. For the sake of me, please get better at this!
While guests are slowly visiting taprooms more frequently, they aren’t quite at pre-pandemic levels. Because of this, I would argue that they are even more likely to purchase to go than the data suggests. I don’t know a single guest who wouldn’t prefer stocking up on drinks while already at your taproom vs having to go back out to the grocery store, or wherever, to pick up more. Encourage them to take some home, and safely share it with their friends. That bottle in their fridge will serve as a reminder to visit your business when they’re ready to venture out again.
Once again, more to go sales help increase your bottom line. The average brewery taproom guest who doesn’t purchase anything to go spends $41.20. The average brewery guest who does purchase something to go spends $54.47, a whopping 32% more. Would you like some to go? Those 6 words, or a similar variation, can help increase tabs by 32%.
Is your taproom missing out on money? Find out.
It's the little things that ultimately make a big difference. Stay positive!
We would love to offer any brewery that reaches out after reading this article one free Secret Hop*. Please email andrew@secrethopper.com to schedule. Cheers!
*1 free visit per brewery per calendar year
This research was collected through Secret Hopper, based on 5711 non-paid brewery visits, studying spending trends among men and women across various age ranges. The average brewery tab studied includes 1.95 guests. The sample set includes nearly a 50/50 mix of men/women.