Why You Should Offer (Craft) Beer In Your Restaurant in 2012

Do you offer beer to patrons in your restaurant? If not, you’re missing out on good money. Nearly 25% of all beers sold in the U.S. were sold in restaurants.

 

Restaurant Beer Sales rise Dramatically in 2011

 

Consumers still may feel cautious about spending their money on other items, but that hasn’t put much of a damper on beer enjoyment. In fact, restaurant beer sales rose almost 10% in 2011, to hit $23.6 million! If you’re not offering beer in your establishment, making the switch could help you see your numbers rise in 2012.

 

But where, you might be asking, do these figures come from?

 

The Beer Institute

 

The Beer Institute is one of the brewing industry’s trade associations. Institute president Joe McClain also claims that restaurants are having a big impact when it comes to introducing people to new, different kinds of beer.

 

Beer sales increased just over 2% in 2011. The Nielsen market research company says the rise in sales comes from the boom of the high-end beer segment. And a lot of those high-end beers are being sold at establishments just like yours.

 

Craft Beer Driving Sales

 

If you’re not already offering craft beers–beers brewed in small batches with extra attention paid to flavor and uniqueness–right now is an excellent time to start. But why?

 

High-end craft beers are responsible for a great deal of movement in the beer industry, in terms of volume as well as (most importantly for us) dollars.

 

In fact, craft beer sales rose a whopping 11% by volume and 12% by dollars in 2010, according to the Brewers Association–and they were up by 15% in the first quarter of 2011! So you can see why it could be to your advantage to tap into the craft beer gold vein!

 

Small breweries and micro-breweries–including small brew-pubs that make their own beer, stout, and other alcohol–numbered almost 2,000 (1,927, to be exact). That’s the highest number in the U.S. since the late 1800s!

 

Even if you don’t want to get involved in personally brewing your own beer, you can attract new guests and make some of your current guests come back more regularly by offering craft beers on your menu.