Hospitality

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.

In an increasingly competitive environment awash with beverage variety, craft beer can win by recommitting to what made it great in the first place.

Make it fun for them: Amid rising costs and changing customer habits, there are untapped opportunities to pack them in and maximize sales with creative events and activities.

These entrepreneurs outfitting classic hot rods and fire engines with draft lines and cold boxes say they’re in the business of spreading joy—and in the meantime, they’re winning new converts to craft beer.

In rural New England, Fox Farm Brewery is sticking to its winning formula: Create a peaceful, welcoming customer experience and studiously make the kinds of traditional beers that the team likes best.

Two tech companies that specialize in supporting independent brewing businesses are merging, as the Arryved point-of-sale developer says it is acquiring online-focused Craftpeak.

It’s not all four-packs and boss pours. Glassware chosen to elevate particular kinds of beer—and to help you sell more of it—still has a valued place at the bar and taproom.

Whether in your taproom, brewpub, restaurant, bar, or shop, there’s never been a more important time to double down on improving guest experiences. Here are concrete suggestions for training and developing a team that can rise to that challenge.