FSR February 2023

its restaurant system, Kush goes through four to five kegs each week, and Suarez says maintaining inventory and using locally grown ingredients that are available year-round are essential to creating “that experience and good connection to your guest.” Tropical-noted beers with year-round available fruits pro pelled Kush to partner with many rotating breweries and feature the best of what’s local in its Kaptain Kush series, Suarez says. The lineup has included a strawberry IPA and guava pale ale withMIA Brewery (inspired by its guava jelly burger), pine apple hibiscus pale ale with Tripping Animals Brewing, and mango pale ale with Tank Brewery. The teamhas also worked on a signature coconut cream ale with Beat Culture, a tan gerine lactose-treated blonde ale with Unbranded, and a hazy citrus IPA with Gulfstream. Easy Tiger’s 36 taps have 24 on rotation that house hun dreds of different beers. Nevertheless, two signature brews get love year after year: a helles lager called Easy with St. Elmo Brewing Company, and Shere Khan, a salted pecan stout, with Real Ale Brewing Company. “It’s 99.9 percent their doing and we’re piggybacking since they can get label approval, licensing, facilities, and they make everything and the recipes,” Strifler says of Easy Tiger’s brew ery collaborations. Although some restaurants opt to do their own in-house brewing, the time and financial commitment of such an undertaking can be a serious deterrent for many operators. Plus, in these partnerships, the breweries handle equipment, “We’re collaboratingwith them, they’re making a cool beer for us, andwe’re kind of scratching each other’s backs.” licensing, and label approval, while also interfacing with state alcoholic beverage agencies. That’s not to say restaurants don’t do their share of the hus tle. “You’ve got to agree to how much they’re going to make and howmuch you’re going to buy … and that you can sell it,” Strifler says. “[Do] whatever you need to do marketing-wise or price point–wise. You don’t want to lose that relationship, so whatever you say you’re going to do, do it.” Ultimately, securing collaborations can yield better profit margins, Barber says. Both restaurants and breweries are creating opportunities for more return visits and growing their respective customer base. Suarez echoes this sentiment. “We’re collaborating with them, they’re making a cool beer for us, and we’re kind of scratching each other’s back,” she says. “They’re making it exclusively for us, so when our guests come in and they really love that beer, we’re like, ‘You can only get it here.’”

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