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Two Questions That Could Transform Your Taproom Sales
When Doug Ford’s government expanded retail licenses for beer and wine sales across Ontario, it was pitched as a win for consumers. However, for many craft breweries, it has had the opposite effect: reduced visibility, increased competition from macro brands, and fewer customers walking through the door. Even breweries that invested in to-go programs are now seeing lower-than-expected sales, because fewer people are visiting in the first place.
Across North America, the trend is clear. Convenience stores and grocery shelves are crowded with familiar labels. Shelf space is not just competitive, it is dominated. For independent breweries, the taproom is more than just a sales channel. It is the last place where the experience still belongs entirely to you.
The taproom is no longer optional. It is your most powerful tool, and not because of the beer, but because of the experience.
Why Taproom Hospitality Matters More Than Ever
The taproom used to be a bonus—a place to host events, pour a few flights, and build community. However, as retail space becomes increasingly difficult to secure and margins continue to shrink, it is now one of the few places where breweries have complete control over how their beer is experienced and remembered.
That control only matters if it is used with intention.
Even that opportunity is often missed. In research conducted by Andrew Coplon of Secret Hopper, staff at U.S. taprooms asked guests if they would like to take beer to go, and only 18.4 percent of the time. That number has declined since 2022, with servers asking 17.5 percent fewer people than they did just a few years ago. Yet when staff do ask, guests are 480 percent more likely to make a purchase. That is the difference between a missed opportunity and a meaningful sale.
Michael Urlocker, a business strategist who works closely with breweries, recently shared a story that puts this into perspective. After speaking with a brewery owner in a small town, the owner pointed to the fridge in the corner of the taproom and stated that it generated over $1 million in annual sales. Not because it was large or unique, but because staff consistently asked, even with something as simple as:
“You liked our Pilsner. Do you want a six-pack to bring home?”
or
“People really like our Light Lager. Can I get you a four-pack to go?”
According to Urlocker’s breakdown of Secret Hopper’s data, staff who ask that question generate, on average, $1,758 in additional sales per month. For a five-person team, that adds up to more than $100,000 per year. Its revenue comes without needing a single new customer.
In a time when margins are tight and foot traffic is unpredictable, such a consistent, low-effort habit can make all the difference.
The Path to Regulars Starts With Three Visits
If you want regulars, you have to build them. It rarely happens on the first try. In hospitality, it often takes three great experiences before someone begins to see your space as their spot.
On an episode of The #AskGaryVee Show, hospitality strategist Jon Taffer explained a system used in one restaurant to create those repeat visits. It started with red napkins. When staff seated a first-time guest, they used red instead of white to quietly signal to the entire team that this guest needed a flawless experience. If the meal went well, the manager would approach near the end and say something like, “If you liked the ribs, you have got to come back for the chicken.” Then they would write “$5 off chicken” on a business card and hand it to the customer.
That card became the marker for a second visit. When the guest returned, the staff would see the card, recognize them as a returning customer, and once again aim to deliver a perfect experience. At the end of that visit, the manager would offer one more nudge, saying, “Next time, try my cheesecake,” along with a new card offering a free dessert.
From a cost perspective, the restaurant invested just over seven dollars in total incentives. By the third visit, the likelihood of a fourth, full-price visit climbed to over 70 percent.
It is a system that works because it is deliberate. Each stage builds on the one before it. It turns a first-time diner into a repeat customer, not through pressure but through attention.
At Civil Liberties, a cocktail bar where I have worked closely, I saw a quieter but equally intentional version of this play out. If staff did not recognize a guest, they would always ask,
“Is this your first time here?”
Not because they were fishing for tips, but because that one question changed the dynamic. If the answer was yes, they tailored the interaction, explaining how to order without a menu, setting expectations, and guiding the experience. If the guest had a good time, it often ended with a small gesture, such as a splash of something interesting after the cheque was paid: nothing dramatic, just a final note of hospitality.
Even after I got to know the staff well and considered many of them friends, I saw this same rhythm play out night after night. That consistency made the space feel welcoming and intentional, even when the atmosphere was relaxed. It helped build memories, and memories, in turn, build loyalty.
For taprooms, the lesson is clear. Repeat business is not a matter of luck. It is the result of structured care, delivered over time.
The Two Questions That Set the Tone
If the first question, “Is this your first time here?”, sets the tone for a thoughtful and personalized experience, the second question closes the loop.
“Would you like to take some beer to go?”
This is not about pressure or pushing a product. It is about hospitality. When you offer a guest the chance to take home what they enjoyed, you are making their experience more convenient and more complete.
In a market where distribution is limited and shelf space is increasingly controlled by national brands, this question becomes more than a sales tactic. It is a gesture of access. It lets your guest enjoy your beer on their own time, at their own pace. It removes the unspoken pressure to drink more on-site. It reinforces that you are not just selling beer, you are offering care.
It also works. As Coplon’s research shows, customers are nearly five times more likely to buy beer to go when staff simply ask. But in thousands of service interactions, that question is asked less than one in five times. The opportunity is not theoretical. It is real, measurable, and entirely within your team’s control.
Train the Habit, Not the Script
Every guest who walks through your door has already made a choice. They chose your brewery over their fridge, the grocery store, and every other option. That choice deserves to be met with care.
Not every brewery needs a red napkin or a handwritten coupon. But every brewery needs a way to turn a good visit into three, and three into a habit. Two simple questions can help:
- “Is this your first time here?”
- “Would you like to take some beer to go?”
These questions are not scripts. They are habits. They give your staff a way to connect with guests in a way that feels personal and sincere. They help turn curiosity into comfort, and comfort into loyalty.
So ask yourself—what is your version of the red napkin? What small gesture could guide your guests through those first few visits and make them feel at home?
That is what builds regulars. That is what brings people back.