The Convenience Factor: How Proximity Influences Taproom Visits
When a punk band I mildly enjoyed in my teenage years announced one of their first East Coast dates in nearly 20 years at a dive bar a mile and a half from my house, it seemed like a great excuse to spend twenty bucks, enjoy a few PBRs, and sing along to the five songs I could remember the words to. However, when the promoter announced, with less than a week’s notice, that the show would now be at a venue 30 minutes away, in the heart of a tourist area, during the busiest holiday weekend of the summer, I had to recalibrate my desire to go.
Now, instead of a nice walk, it would be a 30-minute drive plus parking (about $50 on Fourth of July Weekend) or at least $80 in Uber costs. The band wasn’t one I would’ve sought out, but it seemed like a cool opportunity to hop in the way-back machine just a few minutes from my house. As of writing, I’ve reached out to the promoter for a refund. If I don’t hear back, I’ll most likely chalk up a $20 loss and spend the evening with my family.
The Convenience Factor
Pretend you arrive at the end of your street. Whether you go right or left, you end up at a brewery with a quality atmosphere, quality beer, and quality staff. Everything else being the same, but the brewery to the right is a half mile closer. Where do you end up most often? For me, it’s nearly always to the right.
Of course, it doesn’t normally play out this easily, yet convenience can still be a prime driver of which taproom a person chooses to visit. It certainly impacted my motivation to attend a concert (note: the concert’s new location was even at a brewery). Often, we only think about the experiential factors that influence a person’s decision to visit. Things like, does the brewery have food? What’s the beer selection like? Is the staff friendly? Do I like the vibe?
Before we even get to those criteria, we pre-determine the radius of breweries we are even choosing from. Is it feasible for me to pick a taproom within 5 miles? 10? 20? 50?
In many decisions, that may come down to the occasion. Quick pint after work? Give me the closest spot. Half-day adventure on a Saturday? Any neat spots near that state park in Richmond? We live in a world with so many breweries to choose from. On most occasions, it may simply come down to how close a brewery is to your location.
This “convenient” rabbit hole led me to Joe Francica, who conveniently is the managing director of LocationIntelligence. Location intelligence is the information and insights derived from geospatial data. In a May 2024 blog post, Francica writes:
“Whether you realize it or not, location data is instrumental in helping you make everyday decisions. Sometimes, it’s as simple as noticing that the Ace Hardware store is nearer than Home Depot, and since you only need to pick up a few items, you’ll choose convenience first. Other times it can be as complex as selecting where to construct another Home Depot to capture new customers and maximize profits. In either case, the interaction between consumer choice and retail strategy lies in location intelligence.”
While the focus of this article isn’t on where to open your brewery, we’ve all heard the expression, “location, location, location.” The focus here is on the reverse. You have your location, who’s going to visit? The answer to this is no longer a blanket response of “everyone!” It must be more targeted. Outside of knowing your niche, it’s valuable to know how far people are traveling to come to your taproom.
How to know where your guests are coming from:
Dive into POS data. Does your POS show the zip codes associated with guest credit cards?
Your mailing list/loyalty/rewards program. Ask for addresses upon sign-up.
Ask. “But Andrew, I don’t have the data from those 2 bullets.” Well, ask your guests directly. Conduct an informal poll in your taproom to learn where your guests are coming from. Do this on multiple days and at different times.
It should be your goal to own your mile. This refers to the mile immediately surrounding your brewery. Once you own your mile, you can then expand outward. Whether you’re about to first open your doors or have been in business for years, take time to strengthen relationships with those closest to your brewery. This includes not only residents but also neighboring businesses.
One of my favorite strategies for owning your mile is an old-school approach: go door to door. This could involve leaving flyers in the mailboxes of all nearby residents or taking the local politician approach of knocking on doors and reminding people that you’re here. People like to see faces. The extra effort you extend could make that person more likely to visit your taproom, especially since it’s convenient.
Milford John-Williams, Assistant Budget Manager at Fulton County Government in Atlanta, comments, “In my time in Atlanta, almost all of my brewery trips are in the West End. Why? Because I live in the West End. It’s so close and easy to visit breweries in this area. When you live in a large metro area, within a city, it’s just easier to go to the local haunts near you.” He also mentions traffic as a factor that results in residents being more likely to visit nearby breweries.
Michael Varda, Founder of Craft Beer Advisory Services, states, “Over half of craft beer drinkers will only travel up to 30 miles to visit a new brewery. Among newer drinkers, namely Gen Z, nearly half are unwilling to travel more than 10 miles. This is a key directional indicator that drinkers overall, but particularly newer consumers are considering convenience as a top motivator when selecting a taproom to visit.”
Just like making things convenient for your guests in your taproom, they’re more likely to visit you if you’re convenient. You can’t change your location; however, you can work to own your mile and become the go-to taproom for those nearby.