Hospitality

As craft breweries and bars have chased new and younger drinkers, they’ve also dumbed down their offerings and tap lists. It’s time to get back to education as part of what those drinkers crave: a worthwhile experience.

People may be drinking less beer, but they still crave welcoming third spaces and social connection. Greg Engert, beer director and partner in the Neighborhood Restaurant Group, explains how we can win new regulars by simplifying and refocusing on that guest experience.

People want to drink in bars again. Here are ways to help make sure it’s your beer they’re drinking.

When it comes to growing sales beyond the taproom, even smaller breweries can professionalize and secure wins.

Much of the real work of selling beer happens at the bar—and it often starts with a question. Here’s how to ready your taproom team with the answers that satisfy customers and promote sales.

Security for your brewery’s staff, guests, and property starts with proper preparation.

People are looking hard for value right now—and even when margins are tight, strategically offering deals on beer can pay.

With abundant amusements and comforts at home, people are going out less—a blow to hospitality, to draft beer, and to craft. Here’s how we can lean into craft beer’s strengths, aiming to lure drinkers away from their screens and back to the social life.

Borrowing methods from abroad—including Czechia, Germany, and Japan—more breweries are offering their customers an experience that explores the impact of foam and texture on the enjoyment of beer.

The boom days are over, but in many ways independent breweries are in a better place than other alcohol producers and other hospitality segments. Meanwhile, pockets of growth remain.

In Rochester, New York, a dream team of beer and hospitality pros has formed a brewpub Voltron that’s thrilling locals while rapidly earning state and national attention.

Winter has come. Across much of the North America, the post-holidays lull can be devastating to hospitality-focused businesses that aren’t prepared. Here are some strategies to survive until spring.

By taking some new approaches to pairing beer and food, we can energize the craft-brewing scene and create the kinds of experiences that keep people coming back for more.

Most people who operate small breweries don’t want to go into the restaurant business—yet food is an increasingly important way to attract customers and increase beer sales. For small breweries considering what kind of food program might be the best fit, here are some lessons learned.

It’s the toughest time of year for beer—cold weather, health kicks, and lots of people just staying home. For breweries barely hanging in there, these months can be a knockout blow. From a variety of voices in the industry, here are some ideas about how to make it work until spring.

Finding, keeping, and developing great hospitality staff has never been tougher. There are no quick-and-easy answers, but here are some practical measures for attracting and empowering a strong team—so they can better deliver the experiences that keep customers coming back.

Chasing flavor-driven trends on retail shelves is certainly one way to pursue growth. Yet smaller breweries may find more success by recommitting to an identity grounded in intentional brewing.

If you build it, they will come... Some breweries are discovering that investing in chargers for electric vehicles can attract more customers while serving wider company goals.

Simply having great beer is no longer enough, and on-site pie is a hit any way you slice it. Using pizza as a prism, here are three operational approaches to drawing more customers with food.

Craft beer on draft is struggling to make its comeback, but by focusing on certain details—and by helping to educate bars and restaurants on service and presentation—we can restore it to pride of place.