Riding to Success: What Balance Bikes Teach Us About Efficiency in Taprooms

My 5-year-old just learned how to ride his bike without training wheels. And I feel terrible saying it, but it wasn’t because I spent hours pushing him and praying he could stay upright. Sure, I spent a ton of time outdoors with him, but much of the credit goes to his practice—and to the concept of the bike itself. I believe his quick mastery of bike riding is largely due to the type of bike he started on: a balance bike.

When many of us grew up, the process of learning to ride a bike looked something like this:

1. Practice riding with training wheels

2. Remove training wheels

3. Struggle to balance without them

4. An adult tries to steady the child by pushing from behind

5. A few wobbly strides forward

6. Wipeout

7. Band-aid

8. Try again, going slightly farther

9. Gradually improve balance

10. Finally, balance and pedaling come together, allowing the child to stay on the bike for longer stretches

These 10 steps may be a slight exaggeration, but learning to ride a bike was a lengthy process.

Watching my son practice on a balance bike, his first focus was—yes—balance. As for me, when I was five, I struggled to balance even with training wheels, and it was even harder without them. But my son was able to master balancing before we even introduced pedaling or training wheels. What I liked about his balance bike was that it allowed him to control his speed and stopping, which made him feel safer and more in control than training wheels, which can wobble.

And what did this do? It made him more confident.

Since balance bikes mimic the natural movement of a regular bike, kids can seamlessly transition to pedal bikes without needing additional balance aids like training wheels. His model of balance bike did have the option to add pedals and training wheels, which we took advantage of to ease the transition. This made him even more prepared. Children can easily maneuver balance bikes on their own, helping them build skills and independence faster than relying on an adult to push or guide a traditional bike.

After countless trips up and down the block on his balance bike, he was gifted a “big kid” bike from his grandparents. When we got home, he put on his helmet and told us to watch. And he did it—not perfectly, but on his first try, he went about 10 revolutions. We were impressed. After two hours of continuous practice, without me helping him balance, he was riding around the block without stopping. A week later, he was confidently going down ramps at a skate park.

Watching him learn to ride a bike, it felt like he skipped a part of the process. Now, I get to enjoy family bike rides—a much better option than chasing after him as he figured it out.

But after 500 words and a heartwarming story about a kid learning to ride a bike, how does this apply to your taproom? By understanding your taproom processes and identifying areas where you can make them more efficient.

Now, let’s talk about pouring flights—everybody's favorite! Picture a single bartender behind the bar on a busy Saturday, trying to pour countless flights while also managing a long line. It can be quite frustrating. What if you could streamline this process? If you’re moving that many flights, would it be beneficial to bring in an extra person for a few hours to focus solely on filling those tiny glasses? I believe so. This would allow the bartender to dedicate more time to customer engagement and create a more efficient process for getting beverages to guests quicker. It’s a win for everyone: guests, staff, managers, owners, and the bottom line.

As taproom managers and owners, you can make a difference. By analyzing your processes, better understanding them, and empowering your team, you can create more profitable taprooms. A big part of this comes down to how well your team believes they can complete their jobs. For the 2024 Employee Satisfaction Report, 57.5% of those surveyed agree or strongly agree that they were properly training for their role. Training builds confidence. Just like a balance bike, training and preparing your team for common processes and challenges ahead, can better position them for success.

A balance bike provided my son with a more efficient and speedier route to get from point A to point B.

What can you do to simplify taproom processes? How can you make them more efficient? Take a moment to jot down 10 tasks that a staff member completes during a taproom shift. The odds are that most of them are pretty streamlined, but what if you discover a system that’s making your team’s job harder, more complicated, and less profitable?

We don’t use the word “efficiently” enough in the beer industry. Wearing my other hat with Craft Beer Professionals, I enjoy monitoring trending terms from proposals submitted for our virtual conferences and in-person events. I remember when we first started to see an uptick in terms like “technology” and “data.” Initially, these concepts crept into the brewhouse and then infiltrated the front of house. Currently, I’m seeing more and more discussions centered around 'efficiency' and 'leadership.'

As taproom managers and owners, you can make a difference. By analyzing your processes, better understanding them, and empowering your team, you can create more profitable taprooms. A big part of this comes down to how well your team believes they can complete their jobs. In the 2024 Employee Satisfaction Report, 57.5% of those surveyed agreed or strongly agreed that they received proper training for their roles. Training builds confidence. Just like a balance bike helps children prepare for riding a traditional bike, properly training your team for common processes and challenges can better position them for success.