Want another beer? Guess how much that question adds to customer spending at your brewery

One of my favorite things to do is find how the little parts of a taproom experience impact the big picture. The value of a bartender offering their name? A tab that’s on average 20 percent higher. The extra spending that results from merely offering a physical menu? A whopping 35 percent bump versus visits without. The effect of encouraging guests to take some beer home? The average guest is 5 times more likely to make the final, added purchase.

These seemingly simple touches can transform a guest’s experience from enjoyable to memorable. Equally as important, paying extra attention to the little things can make a guest’s visit more profitable for your brewery.

The more your staff can build a connection with a guest over the course of their experience, the more that guest will be willing to spend. Sometimes, as demonstrated above, all it takes is the knowledge to ask the right questions.

Would you like another beer?

Yes, really. Simply suggesting that a guest consider ordering another beverage will increase the amount they spend in your taproom. 

While this question seems like an obvious service tactic, it isn’t happening as much as it should. Staff are failing to suggest another beverage during 44.9 percent of brewery visits charted by Secret Hopper customers. It should never be taken for granted that a guest will spend more time and money at your brewery.

Guests who are asked if they’d like to order another beverage spend on average 8.8 percent more time at taprooms, equating to roughly an additional 10 minutes.

So how much does suggesting a guest order another beverage increase their tab?

Based on 5,711 non-paid brewery visits collected through Secret Hopper to study spending trends, the average brewery tab studied includes 1.95 guests. The sample set includes nearly a 50/50 mix of men/women across various age ranges.

When guests are not asked if they would like another beer after completing their first, that’s an average tab of $39.83. When staff suggest they order a beer after completing their first, the average tab rose to $46.33. This is an increase of 16.3 percent, and $6.50 more, just by suggesting another beverage.

Let’s tease this out more. Currently, out of 100 tabs, 44.9 percent are not being asked if they’d to have another beer. If your staff asked this segment if they’d like another beverage, this could increase the value of those 100 tabs from approximately $4,341 to $4,633 – an additional $292 generated from a simple interaction.

Make this happen more!

A guest chooses to visit your brewery, but you can influence how long and how much they spend there. Interact, engage, encourage. There is power in suggestion. Safely serve them a memorable experience that makes them crave more of both your beer and your company. It’s the little things that ultimately make a big difference.

Andrew Coplon is the Founder of Secret Hopper, a mystery shopping company for craft beer businesses, and Craft Beer Professionals, a community dedicated to the growth and betterment of our industry. Check out all of his CBB articles here.