FSR February 2023

L IQUID INTELL IGENCE

lored to fit each concept’s vibe andmenu. Uptown Social’s “cavernous tavern feel” had IPA vibes, Share House was very “social butterf ly” as a coastal cantina, which meant a Mexican lager, and Bode ga’s New York ambiance meant crafting a wheat beer. Signature beers crafted through F&B community relationships offer exclusive and rare drinks and dishes for diners as well as marketing and traffic options for brewers and owners. “[It’s] an opportunity to have some thing no one else has and no one else can have, so it’s a really good selling point where, at least at our spot, we’re like the TCBY of beer,” says Stetson Strifler, bev erage manager at Austin, Texas–based Easy Tiger. “It generates that buzz and definitely helps with foot traffic.” The beer garden/bakery saw an extra 25 guests the week it posted on Untappd (a beer social media platform) that its

TWO OF EASY TIGER’S MOST POPULAR BEERS STEM FROM BREWERY COLLABORATIONS.

“[It’s] an opportunity to have something no one else has and no one else can have, so it’s a really good selling point where, at least at our spot, we’re like the TCBY of beer.”

brew up signature beers that draw diners. “When you partner with a local brew ery, it’s another hook to bring people through the doors and [get them to] spend more money. … It’s a reason for someone to come in and enjoy their over all experience, then segue into other offerings we have at the restaurant,” says Keith Benjamin, cofounder and senior operating partner of Charleston, South Carolina’s Uptown Hospitality Group. “Travelers come to Charleston looking for the best food and the best beer, and when we bring that phenomenal local beer into our establishments with our own label, brewed locally, there’s really nothing like it.” Uptown Hospitality worked with fel low Charleston business Brewlab to cre ate three signature beers that were tai

signature beers would be on draft. But gathering those surplus guests comes from building relationships within the brewing, bar, and taproom communities. “Mostly these brewers are my friends,” Strif ler says. “I know many of these guys and we have a special relationship because we worked together and saw each other all the time and drank beer when we got done.” Partnership processes also begin with asking the right questions. Ask the guest, what do you want and need, and if your guests want something special or want

KUSH HOSPITALITY ROTATES SIGNATURE BREWS IN ITS ‘KAPTAIN KUSH’ SERIES.

HEATHER BARNES / EASY TIGER / KUSH HOSPITALITY GROUP

FEBRUARY 2023

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