There are new challenges in luring drinkers back to the craft beer bar scene.
Regularly consulting a product mix has helped me understand when our customers are really into IPAs at a certain time or are not interested in a seasonal offering. Aside from consulting numbers, listening to our guests ask for specific beers—for example, requesting winter stouts and porters earlier than anticipated—has helped us keep our customer base. Bringing in different varieties or styles of beer and pairing them with the food menu encourages patrons to try new products and entices them to return. Inviting brewmasters to come in and talk about their beers has also proved successful.