Why Taproom Data is Your Secret to Greater Success
Why Taproom Data is Your Secret to Greater Success
As we kick off the New Year, what are your goals for your taproom? If you haven’t created a plan, I recommend pausing right now and listening to this conversation I had with Kary Shumway (Craft Brewery Financial Training.com) on goal setting basics, strategies to stay organized, and how to make your goals stick. He sums it up really well and gives you the desire to get to it.
Now that you have these goals, let’s discuss one of the prime methods to help you measure their success. Taproom data.
When it comes to maximizing the taproom experience, it’s not just the guest who is involved. You should constantly be evaluating and implementing strategies to create the most successful experience for both guests and your staff. The short reason why? If Kary and I are behind the bar on a Saturday afternoon and don’t get along too well, it’s going to impact the guests’ taproom experience, and result in them spending a bit less.
TLDR: Happy people create more memorable and profitable brewery visits.
Simple, right? However, it takes effort to see the results and increases you want.
We can agree that the basic goal is to build a welcoming workplace where guests like to spend time and money. If it were as easy as “build it and they will come,” well, it would still be about 2015. But it’s not and as discovered by your goals (great job!), we need to understand where we want to be, create a plan, and use metrics to monitor our progress.
There are 2 areas of data I want to focus on: numbers and things that are not. Numbers are concrete figures and the second area represents non-financial metrics, which are harder to quantify. These non-financial metrics cover just as important aspects of your taproom, based around interactions and relationships.
First, numbers are vital, and should be one of your best friends. Understanding metrics such as average spend and number of total transactions give insight into where you stand, and where you can improve.
While these numbers often provide insight into the behaviors that got us there, they don’t tell the full story. We can make a fair assumption that your bartender who is receiving 26% tips is engaging with your guests at a much higher level than the staff member who is consistently earning 16%; however, what secrets is that rockstar server using to see those results?
This brings us to the second area of data you should be collecting.
The second type, taproom data detailing guest experiences, gives you snapshots of what’s going on in your taproom, for better or worse. This non-financial data creates a baseline and allows you to monitor trends. Are you collecting this data? If you’re just relying on numbers, then we can help fortify your hold on understanding the taproom.
This data set can include everything from experiential metrics like “did a staff member offer recommendations?” to “did they encourage beer to go?” The beauty of these non-financial metrics are that they can be customized to monitor the unique experience of any taproom.
Here are 5 reasons why you need guest experience data to be more successful.
To find out. Where does your taproom stand? How are guests perceiving the interactions and overall experience? Customized taproom data from guests can help you find out the quality of experience. Whether you operate a 20-seater or taprooms across the country, let’s get a baseline and go up from there.
To improve. Problems? Opportunities? Taproom data helps you pinpoint areas needing improvement and brings to light opportunities. Often the taproom becomes a place of work, and for better or worse, a blur. Fresh sets of eyes provide fresh perspectives, and insight into how you can see greater success.
To monitor. Finding out where your taproom stands is the starting point, and then continuing to monitor the quality of experience is the ongoing effort. Taproom data isn’t a single snapshot. It’s a fluid painting. Sometimes it can start out beautiful, and quickly go south, or with the help of data, and effort, can go from a few colorful strokes to a taproom masterpiece. Metaphors aside, relying on taproom data can help you monitor consistency and quality day-to-day, and year-to-year.
To validate. Pretty sure you’re already knocking it out of the park? Well, you probably are, but hopefully you’re not living at your brewery 24/7, so guest experience data can provide you the peace of mind when you’re taking a little well-deserved time off.
To recognize. Taproom data is a wonderful tool to see who is doing a great job, and then rewarding them because of it. Appreciation goes a long way to retain your staff. Data can help.
When you combine standard financials key performance indicators with non-financial metrics you have a deeper understanding of where your taproom stands, where you can be, and the steps necessary to get there.
I bet your brewer’s setup cost quite a pretty penny, and that they’re regularly investing in quality control measures to put out the best possible beer. If you’re not treating your taproom with the same level of respect, then you could be serving your guests that buttery popcorn-esque experience without evening knowing it.
Let’s brew better experiences togethers.