Taproom Success

Hosted by TaproomSuccess.com

Business Management

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Jun 2026

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About the show

Taproom Success is the only podcast dedicated to providing brewery owners and operators with all the tools needed to run a successful brewery taproom business. Each episode will provide tips and strategies to achieve taproom success in the areas of marketing, food service, finances, e-commerce, software systems, business strategy and more.

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June 15, 202611 min

5 Creative Ways to Grow Taproom Sales

Looking for fresh ideas to increase taproom revenue? In this episode of Taproom Success, we share five practical strategies breweries are using right now to drive repeat visits, deepen guest engagement, and increase average spend. From turning memberships into gifts to creating memorable guest experiences that generate loyalty and word-of-mouth, these ideas are simple, actionable, and designed to help grow sales today.Key Takeaways:Turn memberships into gifts that keep customers coming back. Position them as gifts for Father’s Day, birthdays, holidays, and special occasions. Unlike gift cards, memberships create ongoing visits and encourage guests to bring friends along.Create connection through a Pay-It-Forward programBuild goodwill and meaningful guest experiences by giving customers a chance to buy a future beer or experience for someone else.Use the “Steal the Glass” promotion to boost average spend. Offer guests the opportunity to keep branded glassware for a small add-on charge. A simple upsell can create incremental revenue while also marketing your brand.Build your email list like your business depends on it -because it might. Social media changes constantly, but your email list is an owned asset. Use creative tactics like Wi-Fi access capture, events, and loyalty signups to steadily grow your audience.Obsess over average check size. Small increases in spend per guest can create major revenue gains over time. Train staff to suggest flights, merchandise, to-go beer, memberships, events, and food add-ons to maximize each visit.Want EVEN MORE ways to grow taproom sales? Join the conversation at TaproomSuccess.com.

June 1, 202617 min

Are You Listening? Customer Feedback for Taproom Growth

Most taproom owners want more customer feedback but don’t know where to start. You may assume it requires complicated surveys and expensive tools, but getting feedback can be as easy as asking one simple question. In this episode of Taproom Success, we explore why customer feedback may be one of the most underutilized growth levers in your business. Inspired by a recent experience in small-town West Virginia and insights from Secret Hopper, we discuss common misconceptions about gathering feedback, practical ways to collect it starting today, and creative approaches to uncover what your guests are really thinking. Key Takeaways:The biggest opportunities often come from simply asking your customers for feedback - great insights can come from conversations, quick polls, comment cards, or a single thoughtful question.Most taprooms hear from extremes not the silent majority. We often overreact to loud complaints or glowing praise while missing the broader patterns hidden among everyday guests.Borrow ideas from unexpected places. A recent visit to a small West Virginia town by Andrew revealed how one small businesses asked for customer feedback using a simple white board.Start collecting useful data today. Add one feedback mechanism this week: QR code surveys on table tents, post-visit emails or simply asking departing guests: “What’s one thing we could improve?”“If you could ask every guest just one question before they leave your taproom, what would it be?”Join the conversation at TaproomSuccess.com!

May 19, 202617 min

Unreasonable Hospitality in the Taproom: Small Moments, Big Impact

Fresh off the Craft Brewers Conference, we break down key lessons from Will Guidara’s keynote on creating unforgettable guest experiences. From the psychology behind memorable moments to why the final interaction with a guest matters more than most breweries realize, this episode explores practical ways taprooms can deliver hospitality that stands out. Small, thoughtful gestures often create stronger guest loyalty than expensive marketing campaigns.The study highlighted in the keynote reinforced that people remember experiences based heavily on emotional peaks and the ending moments of the interaction.“Unreasonable hospitality” in a taproom doesn’t have to mean giving things away - it means creating intentional, memorable moments that fit your brewery’s personality.The final moments of a guest visit - the goodbye, check-out, thank you, or invitation to return - can have an outsized impact on whether customers come back and recommend the brewery to others.Join the conversation at TaproomSuccess.com!

May 6, 202615 min

How Great Taprooms Build Financial Accountability

Great taprooms don’t manage finances once a month, they build systems that create daily accountability, smarter decisions, and stronger profits. In this episode, we break down the Brewery Financial Operating System: a practical framework to train your team, build simple scorecards, track the right KPIs, and install weekly financial huddles that keep everyone aligned. Learn how breweries can create a culture where managers understand the numbers, take ownership, and drive better financial results without getting overwhelmed by spreadsheets or meetings.Build a simple financial operating system that connects long-term financial goals to daily and weekly action.Learn how to train managers and staff to understand the key numbers that drive brewery profitability and cash flow.Understand how short weekly financial huddles can improve accountability, identify problems faster, and create better decision-making across the brewery.Walk away with one practical first step you can implement immediately to begin installing a financial operating system in your brewery.Join the conversation at TaproomSuccess.com!

April 10, 202617 min

The Q1 Taproom Slump: What a 40% Engagement Drop Is Trying to Tell You

In this episode, we break down real Q1 2026 taproom data and uncover a surprising trend: engagement dropped nearly 40% in Q4 2025 to Q1 2026. We dig into what’s really driving the decline, why “friendly service” isn’t enough to win today’s guests, and the simple, high-impact actions taproom owners can take right now to boost traffic, increase guest spend, and re-engage their customer base.Key Takeaways:Seasonality is real—but not an excuse: Q1 slowdowns are expected, but the magnitude of the drop reveals missed opportunities in programming, marketing, and guest engagement.Friendly ≠ Profitable: Great service is the baseline. The real opportunity lies in intentional guest engagement that drives repeat visits and higher check averages.Engagement drives revenue: When guest engagement drops, frequency of visits, spending, and loyalty follow—this is the leading indicator taprooms must track.One move to make this week: Implement a simple, structured guest engagement tactic (events, staff prompts, or loyalty hooks) to immediately start rebuilding traffic and momentum.Join the conversation at TaproomSuccess.com!

March 18, 202613 min

How to Build a Taproom Advisory Board That Drives Profit

After participating in a panel discussion at the Vermont Craft Brewers Conference alongside leaders like Sean Lawson of Lawson’s Finest Liquids and Ralph Crowley of Polar Beverages, one theme stood out: great businesses don’t grow in isolation. In this episode, we explore how taproom owners can build a small but powerful advisory board to sharpen strategy, improve financial performance, and increase accountability. You don’t need a formal board of directors, just the right mix of perspectives, skill sets, and structure to help you make better decisions and execute with confidence.Join the conversation at TaproomSuccess.com!

March 3, 202619 min

Business Lessons from Minecraft: What Every Taproom Owner Can Learn

In this episode of Taproom Success, we explore an unexpected business lesson inspired by Minecraft: the difference between Survival Mode and Creative Mode. In the game, survival mode is all about staying alive, managing scarce resources, and reacting to threats. Creative mode, on the other hand, unlocks freedom, imagination, and long-term building. Many taprooms today are operating in survival mode - reacting to slow weeks, watching cash closely, scrambling with staffing, and hoping the next event boosts revenue. But thriving taprooms intentionally shift into creative mode by planning ahead, building systems, strengthening margins, and designing experiences that drive sustainable profit. The question is: which mode are you in?Join the conversation at TaproomSuccess.com!

February 17, 202614 min

Frictionless Purchases: How to Make It Easier for Taproom Guests to Buy (and Buy More)

Great taprooms don’t sell harder, they remove friction. In this episode, we break down how the best retail and hospitality operators make buying feel natural, effortless, and even fun. You’ll learn simple ways to streamline the guest experience, reduce decision fatigue, and create a purchasing flow that boosts per-visit spend while leaving guests eager to come back.Where purchasing friction shows up in your taproom (and how to remove it)What top retail stores do to make buying feel effortless3 low-cost, high-impact changes your taproom can make this monthJoin the conversation at Taproom Success.com!

February 3, 202615 min

The Profit in the Line: Turning Taproom Wait Time into a 5-Star Experience

Waiting in line or at a table is often seen as a problem, but in high-performing taprooms, it’s an opportunity. In this episode, we explore how small, intentional touches during wait time can make guests feel seen, valued, and excited - turning frustration into anticipation, improving first impressions, and increasing overall spend per visit.How to keep guests engaged while they waitUsing wait time to tell your story and sell softlyWhy acknowledgement matters more than speedJoin the conversation at Taproom Success.com!

January 20, 202617 min

The Taproom Trends That Actually Mattered in 2025

Taproom owners are tired of chasing shiny objects. In this episode, we review the most popular Secret Hopper blogs of 2025 to reveal what operators are really paying attention to — from hospitality and upselling to smarter use of data. Then we break down the key questions owners should be asking themselves and the highest-impact actions they can take to create more profitable, predictable taproom performance in 2026.Join the conversation at TaproomSuccess.com!