5 Ways Self Pour Can Differentiate a Taproom
It’s a fact that more and more breweries and taprooms are popping up all over the country. Taprooms come in all shapes and sizes, but it’s a very crowded market. To stand out from the crowd, successful taprooms must differentiate themselves – lets start with Self Pour.
Secret Hopper is a company that consults with taproom owners to help them improve their customer experience and, of course, make more money. They have deployed secret shoppers to 125 taprooms across the country and have collected data on each one. From that data, they were able to grade each taproom based on how each venue scored across a wide variety of metrics. After analyzing the data, they found that there were five substantial differentiators that separated the high performing taprooms from the low performing taprooms.
In this blog post, we’ll dive into each of these differentiators and we’ll explain how self pour technology can help a taproom and its staff take advantage of each.
1. Greeting Customers
The study found that when patrons are greeted upon entering the taproom, their tabs are 25% higher. A simple “hey, how’s it goin’? Welcome to…” can go a long way. It’s the first opportunity for the staff to make a deeper connection with the customer and to establish a friendly and social environment.
At most self-pour taprooms, there is a host/hostess at the front entry who checks patrons in, validates their ID, and issues them an RFID card. That means a warm introduction happens immediately. As soon as the customer walks in, they feel welcomed. In addition to a friendly hello, this is an opportunity for the host/hostess to explain how self pour technology works and answer any questions the customer may have about this unique experience. Right off the bat, it’s a deeper connection than a generic greeting or no greeting at all. Not only will the customer feel welcomed, but they’ll feel confident that the staff is there to help them.
A Tap Ambassador is a member of staff who floats throughout the venue answering questions anybody has about the tap wall and about the beers on tap. They can be a separate staff member from the host/hostess or the same person during times that aren’t as busy. We’ll make mention of the Tap Ambassador several times throughout this article. While a Tap Ambassador is not required at all times or for all venues, they can be extremely helpful during peak hours.
2. Physical Menus
According to the research, customers also spend 25% more when they are offered a physical menu. Physical menus promote conversation and education and so does a Table Tap system. During the previously mentioned check-in process, the host/hostess can hand the customer a physical menu and direct them to the Tap Ambassador for any questions they have once they take a look at the menu.
The Tap Ambassador can provide education about the beers on tap, but so can the tap wall itself. Table Tap’s display screens are interactive and beer educational. A customer can tap the screen to read more information about the beer’s ABV, flavor notes, brewery of origin, and more. Our system also integrates with Untappd which is where all of this information comes from (or the information can be customized). Once a customer tries a beer, they can log into their Untappd account and rate it.
Table Tap’s screens also use Apple retina displays. The brand images take up half the screen and are visible from far away. That means if a customer is sitting at a table and sees a beer they like from their physical menu, they’ll be able to easily find this beer on the tap wall.
3. Flights
Customers spend 30% more when they start off with a flight of different beers, rather than starting with a pint of one type of beer. This is the epitome of self pour. Through self pour, customers are always building their own flight. The pour-by-the-ounce model encourages them to try several different tastings of beer before committing to a full pint. It also allows the taproom to monetize these samples rather than giving them away for free.
Compared to a traditional taproom, customers at a self pour taproom will try far more different kinds of beer during one visit. This substantially increases the chances they find a beer they really like. If they find a beer they really like, they are much more likely to come back again. If you’re a taproom that sells bottles or cans to go, it increases sales in that area as well.
4. The Second Beer
A huge differentiator between high performing taprooms and low performing taprooms is the ability for customers to get a second beer. In the majority of high performing taprooms, it takes 0-3 minutes for a staff member to check in on a customer after they have received their first beer. In the majority of low performing taprooms, it takes 5+ minutes. Another core advantage of self pour is that customers don’t have to wait on staff to take their order for a second time or for staff to bring them a second beer. As soon as they finish their first beer, they can walk over to the tap wall and pour themselves another. Self-service is the quickest service!
The data also showed that when staff simply asks a customer, “would you like another?”, the customer will spend on average $5 more. That oddly resembles the price of another beer. Obviously, with a self-pour system if a customer wants another, they can get it themselves, but the Tap Ambassador can give them a nudge.
For example, a Tap Ambassador might notice a customer is almost done with a glass of sour “A”. They can say to the customer: “Hey, I see you tried sour “A”. If you liked it, you might also enjoy Sour B on tap 18. You may want to give that a try next”.
5. Conversations and Interaction
The last differentiator the study highlighted was around staff and customer interaction. It found that tabs were 15% higher when staff regularly engaged in conversation with customers. A common misconception around self pour is that it takes away from these interactions. In fact, that is quite the opposite. Self-pour increases the amount of interaction between staff and customers. At a traditional taproom, there may be one or two bartenders trying to pour beers for 40 people at a time. Those bartenders are under intense stress and there’s no time for them to have a conversation with any of the customers. They are going to be pouring beers, not talking.
At a self pour taproom, a bartender comes out from behind the bar and becomes a Tap Ambassador. Their job is to interact and socialize. The word “ambassador” is synonymous to “diplomat”. By definition, a diplomat is “a person who can deal with people in a sensitive and effective way”. The Tap Ambassador is helping customers, answering their questions, and guiding them to their favorite beer. A self pour system also promotes conversations between customers. When two people are perusing the tap wall at the same time, they can ask one another what they’ve already tried and how they liked it.
A Memorable Experience
The study categorized taproom goers into three different groups. 25% of customers are what they call, “beer nerds”. These are the hardcore craft beer lovers. 35% are foodies. These are people who are always trying the newest place in town. 40% (the largest group) are social drinkers who are just looking for a memorable experience.
Everybody remembers the first time they poured their own beer. There’s a feeling of empowerment you get when you pull that tap handle. There’s a sense of awe around this innovative technology and a lit up tapwall. Self pour fosters a friendly, social, and interactive taproom environment. When you combine all of that, you have an arsenal of differentiators that separate your taproom from the rest of the pack.
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