The Need for Human Connection in Taprooms

“The sound of a human pressing down on keys.”

 That’s how an ambient piano song was described on NPR’s All Songs Considered. Gia Margaret’s record “Romantic Piano” is a lot like your taproom staff. “You feel the love that goes into it.” The little human touches help create an experience. Whether I’m sipping my morning coffee with headphones on as the rain falls (dramatic, I know) or sitting at your taproom bar learning your brewery’s history from an engaged beertender, there’s an authentic quality to the moment that isn’t felt from pre-programmed New Age music or at a generic chain restaurant.

We live for human connections. From the emotions generated from a piano to the relationships built in a taproom.

Why this matters?

For brewery owners and managers, higher engagement equals higher tabs. Guests who receive a high level of engagement spend 30% more. You don’t feel a connection to elevator music and your guests won’t resonate positively to staff simply going through the motions.

For staff, they’re also going to make more money. Higher tabs equal higher tips. Visits with high engagement see an average tip of 27.1% vs 23.5%. The engaged beertender is going to make nearly $500 more over 100 tabs than the staff member not attempting to build relationships.

Creating an experience.

We are seeing more conversations about the importance of taproom technology. However, it’s about creating the right balance between all customer touchpoints – everything from the atmosphere of your brewery to technology to staff interaction.

Your taproom is an experience. In a country with nearly 10,000 breweries, and growing competition for the consumers’ dollars, you can’t just be generic. You need to be the sound of a human pressing down on keys.

Homework:

Ask your staff to write down their 3 most effective strategies to build relationships with guests. Have them share as a team. Challenge them to build deeper relationships. Taproom visits with more engaging staff see higher tips. Monitor which team members are receiving the highest tip percentage and reward them. Reward those showing improvement. Higher engagement will also lead to higher staff retention.