As more and more brewery tap rooms become the focal point of local breweries, trends are starting to follow those of other restaurants and bars.
“Brewers are putting more efforts and money behind building out their own tap rooms, whether on- or off-brewery site,” said Mark Young, founder and CEO of BeerBoard, an integrated beer management and guest display system. BeerBoard has worked with restaurants and bars for years and is now starting to focus more on helping brewery operators to better track, manage and enhance their businesses.
How it works
BeerBoard’s platform syncs bar taps with digital menu screens, print menus, social media and websites, which allows operators to display real-time information for consumers and touch them in multiple formats. The platform also enables retailers to merchandise and better market their beer menus, increasing sales by an average of 10 percent. Furthermore, the company’s SmartBar Technology tracks every ounce of beer poured to better manage inventory and cut losses, as well as provide insights and reports to help operators make more informed decisions based on actual pour data and industry trends.
BeerBoard has recently partnered with a number of brewery tap rooms nationwide in support of the growing industry trend, such as Empire Brewing Co., Southern Tier, New Holland Brewery, Seneca Street Brew Pub, Lexington Brew House, Upstream Brewing Co. and BJ’s Restaurant & Brewhouse.
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Perspectives
“We have been a partner of BeerBoard for a number of years,” said Tim Butler, director of brewing operations for Empire Brewing Co. “But now, on the brewpub level, BeerBoard helps us create and track a brew schedule by showing us what beers are trending and the rate they are selling at. This helps with inventory management and allows us to make educated decisions. The customer-facing BeerBoard menu screens also keep the customer informed of what is available in real time and helps provide accurate descriptions with specifics on each beer including style and ABV.”
“BeerBoard’s services are tremendously helpful,” said David Harries, brew master at Southern Tier Brewing Co. “We feature a large portfolio of brands, and there is a lot of movement on-tap and off on a daily basis. BeerBoard’s system gives us a microcosm of the market and shows what we are producing on-site to see velocity of what’s moving. If it takes off with the clientele, we can now look at making adjustments to how often we make the beer available, potentially moving to year-round.”
