Taproom Lessons learned from a Flight Attendant

I recently had the opportunity to speak at CiderCon, alongside my frequent collaborator Kary Shumway (CraftBreweryFinancialTraining.com). We had a fantastic time connecting with cidery owners and taproom managers, learning their challenges, and helping them solve problems. We received top notch hospitality from a slew of Chicago restaurants. However, it was a brief experience I had on the flight back that resonated the most.

“Biscoff or pretzels?” That was the question the flight attendant first asked me. To me, Biscoff is synonymous with airplane cookies. It’s not just a snack, but the food pairing for my early flight coffee. It oddly makes me feel special, and excited, when enjoying. But, why?

When someone orders in your taproom, are you simply going to offer them a beer? Or are you going to recommend one of flagships or limited releases by name? Simply encouraging a hazy IPA or one of your many lagers isn’t going to build brand recognition. Offer and serve your beers by name to your guests who are already familiar, and to those who may not be, suggest the beer name along with the style. You want people to not just order a beer, but order a [your brewery name here].

Don’t just be a cookie, be a Biscoff.

This was the first lesson I learned from the flight attendant that day, and only part one of what stood out about their hospitality.

Lesson two was a brief masterclass in teamwork.

We all know how congested it can get when the flight attendants are moving their cart up and down the aisle. On this day, the attendants had 2 separate carts, one for the delicious cookies and pretzels, and a second for beverages.

The first flight attendant, who offered me the Biscoff, had finished providing snacks to the entire airplane and the beverage cart was working to catch up. The Biscoff attendant was not one to sit back and watch their fellow drink attendant struggle. They started at the back row and began asking, “would you like a beverage?”

They then walked down the aisle to the beverage cart, grabbed the ordered drink, and delivered it to the back of the plane. They continued to do this. This effort made their drink counterpart’s life easier, even if it required more effort on the Biscoff attendant’s end. The Biscoff attendant was literally going back and forth to help their team member.

Lesson 2: Teamwork results in more positive guest experience.

When it was my turn to order, they not only asked if I would like anything to drink, but when I responded “coffee,” asked the quick follow up, “cream and sugar?” They wanted to make sure I had everything I needed.

I loved watching the flight attendant support their team member, but their actions also demonstrated the desire to provide the guest with the highest level of service. They weren’t simply serving Biscoff and coffee. Together, they were able to transform the basic task of serving snacks on an airplane into a memorable experience.

This is going above and beyond. This is world-class hospitality.

We can learn from these flight attendants. Continually strive to offer high levels of engagement in your taproom and find successful ways to bring your team together.

When you can do these two things, you will see greater teamwork, higher tabs, and greater success in your taproom.

Update 3/26/23: Today, I visited my local Krispy Kreme and without any thought purchased a Biscoff Cookie Butter Cheesecake Doughnut.