Bringing issues up with the brewer you work for

Having been part of a couple of small businesses, and If it were me, I'd advise my friend to get a new part time job and walk away. I don't think there's a thing he could accomplish with out a lot of hassle, and I mean a lot.

Sounds to me as though the folks who started the place had no idea of how to create a business plan and then follow and/or modify it or even had any idea of it takes to run a small business that depends on customer satisfaction and good will. I'd suggest that the brewery was already doomed before it opened. They should already be monitoring public comments, etc. fine tuning the beer. A combination if poor brewing and poor management is an almost sure loser when things implode. I'd even bet they don't have any real accounting keep track of cash flow and debts.

 

If that is really the case your friend would be best off finding another job (sooner rather than later).

There is no easy answer here since there are lots of personal relationship dynamics here. Obviously your friend has been reticent to have this conversation already (and it is already long overdue). Again I will circle back to it likely is best that your friend find another brewery to work for.

Maybe @NeroFiddled can provide 'better' input here?

Cheers!

 

Prove it with numbers.

There are ways to measure for diacetyl, polyphenols, etc.
Any brewery that's not a glorified homebrew setup should be doing at least some quality control tests (since it sounds like they don't have anyone with a trained palate.)
Let your friend objectively show the beer is bad.

But this will mean your friend renegotiating his role.
It can work: a friend of mine consults for a brewery who are mediocre, but know they need to improve.
If your friend can't get them to listen - and it doesn't sound promising - he should just move on.

 

Assuming that the brewer isn't also the owner, there's a second option to report these issues if telling the brewer directly doesn't get anywhere. No one likes to go around a co-worker to try to fix things, but do it now or walk away to another job.

 

Step 1- Secure new job offer
Step 2- Tell current owner you can fix the issues, but he has to allow you to do so and maybe even pay your more and give you more responsibility.
Step 3- Listen to current owner's response
Step 4- Stay or leave job

 

Well the decision becomes to walk out to a new job or to potentially start a family marital conflict.

 

Sounds like your friend needs to get the heck out of there and work for a brewery that knows what it is doing. I would not waste my time on this one. They are aware of what is wrong and it sounds like they don't really care to fix, that is a red flag. I would not want my name associated with a crap place I would leave fast.
Cheers

 

If I were your friend, I'd identify the more reasonable of the two owners (the husband or the wife) and talk to that person one-on-one (to avoid embarrassment), show him or her some of the Yelp and other negative feedback, and say that I agree that there are some concrete steps that we can take to improve. I'd keep the focus on the hospitality side and best serving practices, your friend's area of subject matter expertise, at least initially, so as not to cause offense about the beer and so that your friend can present himself as the potential savior and not just another asshole with an opinion. Hopefully a better focus on process, the customer experience, and company culture would trickle into improved beer down the line, and if ownership proves receptive to constructive criticism, a beer-based critique could be a later step.

I'd try to keep the conversation positive and productive as much as possible; "This is where and how we can improve so you (the owner) can make more money and be more highly regarded going forward," not, "This is why we suck." I'd come prepared with a some well-formulated ideas and volunteer to be the one to lead their implementation. If he plays his cards right, your friend may be able to take on a bigger role that hopefully eventually would turn into a formal promotion and raise as well as produce a big win to put on his resume.

A huge caveat is I'd go this route if and only if I were willing to lose my job in the effort. This sounds like a mismanaged company with emotional ownership, and I wouldn't count on criticism, even constructive criticism, going over well.

 

I've seen this happen before with small businesses that are owner managed. Even if they purchase a going operation they still must learn how to operate it if they wish to stay in business. Unfortunately some of these folks don't realize the ship is sinking until they're ankle deep in water while standing on the deck.

 

I would just cut bait. The owners seem to be treating it as a hobby, so I doubt they’ll make any changes. They might stay open for a year or two at that rate.

I’d also second what @HouseofWortship said above. Secure leverage and contingency before proceeding.

 

Definitely sounds like the owner(s) were not really qualified to run the business. Brewing beer and running a business are two different things. Some can do both but not many. Personally, if it were me, I would find another gig (if your friend is as good as you say, he shouldn't have trouble finding another good job). An interesting experiment would be to send an anonymous email (say from a concerned customer) addressing the issues and then see if anything is said or done.

 

Your friend should find another job ASAP!

 

Have you had these beers? What are your impressions of them?

Is there a sufficient base of customers who are happy/satisfied with the quality of these existing beers? If the answer to this question is "yes" then strictly from a business sales perspective it could be argued that there is not a big problem here (to be fixed). I would argue 'back' that perhaps sales would be even better if the beer quality was improved.

It is ultimately up to the owner/brewer to decide here.

If your friend is concerned about his reputation within the brewing industry then leaving is the 'answer' here. Once a brewer has been associated with producing poor quality beer this is a reputation that is difficult to overcome.

Cheers!

 

Are you speaking of a brewery in Cranford?

 

Honestly, not trying to be rude, it is with rare exception that a bartender gets any kind of reputation positive or negative. Word might spread if you’re terrible to customers, but even the best bar manager will not really get recognition. Your friend will almost definitely not have their reputation hurt by bartending at a brewery that serves shitty beer. That said, in their position, if the brewer doesn’t care to fix it, why should your friend care to work there? No way the owners don’t already know that there’s a problem unless they’re seriously aloof, but there’s a good chance that the owners aren’t giving the brewer the tools he needs to fix the problem and the brewer has had his soul crushed working there... it happens all the time. Get out. No reason to go down with the ship.

 

Weedy, the owner is the brewer as has been mentioned above (post #6)

"I should have stated that the brewer is the owner."

Cheers!

P.S. In another thread there was discussion about the Ayinger lagering process (how long and at what temperature), do you have any knowledge here?