Starting a tiny Brewpub/Craft Beer Bar

There is a bad ass little place outside of Philly called Pinocchio's which is a bottle shop with a small bar and a few taps. The idea behind the beer garden is to draw people in for the selection and drink a beer while you browse. This place is very small as well, probably 250 square feet or less, but it has a great feel to it and with the bottle shop they have a lot of foot traffic..this might be something you could consider upfront so you can draw in the customers, and as you expand you turn it more into a bar with a bottle shop option.

This is a bit of a different business plan, but if I were in your shoes with such a small place I think I would start there.

Good luck and good on ya!

 

You probably won't have room for a kitchen, so why not allow patrons to bring in their own food or allow them to have food delivered?

One dude said it - absolutely no TV. Since you will have to get to know your customers, this would allow you to interact with them more.

My favorite craft bar is very small, but I love their Twitter feed the most. They update it every day or two with what beers they currently have on tap. Definitely gets me to go in there more often if I know what they have.

Good luck!

 

I know space is at a premium already, but I would think you would do better to add a bottle shop to it (as was mentioned). That way you broaden your clientele from people who want to enjoy a beer there (which is very small) to folks who might want to grab bottles or growlers to go (which has the potential to be more fruitful).

Just my thought.

 

I would probably love this place I just dont see it being a big money maker. What the hell give it a shot. by doing all the remodeling yourself you will start out in a good place financially. lower your taps and forget about twelve beers. you dont have the room and sixtels will kill your bottom line. free peanuts and good atmosphere go a long way. good luck!

 

Not a lot of business owners are in it to break even. My guess is that your revenue per sq ft vs. overhead per sq ft could very well wind up costing you money in the end.

 

I just realized that your thread title did mention 'brewpub', which you've reiterated here. If you are balking at the permit for a bottle shop, you will be amazed and horrified at what it takes to brew beer, then serve it on premises. You do not really have the room for this. And trying to bill yourself as a brewpub and having customers come for that aspect only to find that you 'can't have your beer on tap much because of the size' will smack of false advertising and will alienate them. Calling it a novelty will not go over well either. Stick to homebrewing and leave that part out of the business.

I have heard this same capitulation argument regarding televisions before, even locally. There is no more rabid college football crowd than the WVU contingent. You have to direct what you want your bar to be. Adding a TV just so that 3 or 4 beer-loving football fans will come to your establishment one day out of the week will not pay off for you when exchanged for the intimacy you would have had with regular customers every other day of the week. But it's your place. If you're the football lover then there's no need to justify it.

 

I would like a piece of this market.

 

I'm sitting in my girlfriend's 300 square foot studio apartment and thinking there isn't a chance in hell you could fit 15-25 customers comfortably in here.

 

Name of the bar is Petrol Station. Their Twitter feed is @Petrol_Station

 

I wouldn't worry too much about 1/6 barrels. I work for a brewery and am our sole distributor. All we sell is 1/6 and I rarely hear bars complain about them.

Also I would be careful about joking about people having "one or six beers". I know it doesn't seem like a big deal but ABC can be real sticklers and if you don't have any experience in alcohol sales I would spend a few days looking into the ins and outs for sure. Cover your ass because the ABC can ruin peoples lives for one little mistake. Especially if you're in a college town it will be key to keep an eye on alcohol related problems.

 

Could you share details on your proposed layout and the actual dimensions of the space. I can't see any way you fit that many people in, once you add in a bar, back bar area, bathroom, door clearance, etc, you can't have more than 100-150sq ft left.

I don't see any way the money works out. I just can't see how you plan to cover overhead, never mind make a profit 8 nights a month. I don't know local laws but even if you stay open until 2 am you are only operating really 24 hours a week (4-2 Friday, 12-2 Saturday) with a max of 17 people, you just don't have enough opportunity to sell beer.

I don't see how it could work, I love the concept but the economics don't make sense. I look forward to reading more details.

 

For food I'd look into having food trucks park outside and let them handle that part. You don't want to take on too much early and that will keep customers there. Funky Buddha does this and it works well for them. Can you do growler fills? That may be a better deal than a bottle shop and it gets those kegs turned quickly. I'd strongly recommend contract brewing initially until you refine the bar model. And can you do events on the days when you aren't open? I'm assuming you have a regular job and need to balance the time on this. But maximizing revenue streams with beer-related events would make a lot of sense. Homebrew club meetings, brewery release vents, or something for the tourists "Kentucky Beer Sampling" are easy to implement on those off days and adds sales. In short, get the business plan that works in place and then build onto it.