Taproom Guests Who Purchase To Go Beer Tip Higher
You’ve heard me go on about the importance of encouraging beer to go, and how the most straightforward strategy to generate those additional sales is simply asking. However, did you know that in addition to increasing the tab size, those guests who purchase to go beer also tip more? You read that correctly. Not only are guests who purchasing beer to go spending more in your taproom, but they are also tipping your staff on that overall amount at a higher percentage.
Looking a pre-March 2020 data, we see that guests who do not purchase beer to go, tip an average of 24.5%. Those who do purchase to go, tip an average of 24.9%. Looking at data from 2021 and 2022, the guest who does not purchase to go tips an average of 25.5%. Those who do purchase to go, tip an average of 25.8% - higher in both examples.
Let’s back up for a second and talk about your staff. As a manager or owner, you are constantly working to turn all of your taproom staff into engaging advocates for your brewery. It takes effort to train and maintain a high-quality team; however, when you are able to successfully motivate your team to engage at a high level, you see the following:
Greater passion
Greater teamwork
Higher tabs
Higher retention
Your job becomes easier
Greater taproom success
The data shows that staff who engage at a higher level, spend more money. There’s a 30% difference in overall spend between the team member who engages at a low level vs high level ($41.43 vs $53.60).
Not only is the average spend higher, but so is the tip, makes sense, right? A guest is more likely to tip higher when the staff takes the time to interact and build a connection. The average tip on a low engagement visit is 23.5% vs 27.1% when high engagement is provided.
A high engagement visit consists of a team member going above and beyond to enhance the guest experience. This means that server is more likely to introduce themselves, offer recommendations, encourage a second drink, you get the point. Staff that engage at a high level are also nearly 10 times more likely to encourage beer to go. 10 times more likely!
It should be no surprise that a staff member offering high engagement is tipped higher, and it should be no surprise that these team members are also encouraging much more beer to go. Of course, these highly engaging staff are encouraging to go beer, it’s part of their formula for success.
Think back to the transitive property from high school math:
If x = y and y =z, then x = z.
If “higher to go sales = higher engagement ” and “higher engagement = higher tips”, then “higher to go sales = higher tips”.
Building relationships is more than just numbers. Engaging at a high level requires training, guidance, motivation, and the desire from the team member to achieve these goals. Your team is the most important part of the formula. When you are able to successfully build a team of taproom staff dedicated to greater success, you will see the benefits from higher engagement and higher tabs.
Takeaway: When you team can build a meaningful connection, the guest will want to spend more and tip higher.
Bonus fact: Guests are twice as likely to purchase merchandise when your team engages at a high level, with these tabs on average $14 higher, and with an average tip of 27.4%.
Photo credit: Fire Maker Brewing Company