Dollars on tap: draft beer serves up pourable profits when selection and equipment are in sync

Cheers, Oct, 2006 by Lew Bryson

"One focus is draught quality on the dispense side: systems, cleaning, pressure sources, beer towers," she explains. "Another component is developing marketing and sales tools to support draught image. And there's a retail draught training component: guest satisfaction, training and proper presentation."

DRAFT OBSESSED

Leake notes that many of the big restaurant chains--the ones with the training resources to do draft right--really get it. "They understand the profit potential of draught. They understand the importance of an inch of foam, a beer-clean glass. It's not just the profitability; it's the presentation to the customer: the release of carbonation and aroma."

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Draft beer is serious business at the 16 Sherlock's Baker St. Pub & Grill and 221B Baker St. Pub & Grill locations operated by Houston-based Hospitality USA, where beer generates 50 percent of beverage sales. At each restaurant, 24 taps deliver national, regional and local brews.

"Why 24 taps? Well, we've determined that's the number we can manage and keep the beer flowing, change the kegs out regularly and insure we're serving fresh beer all the time," says Edgar Carlson, HUSA principal. Domestics do well on draft, but Guinness is the draft leader, with Newcastle, Harp, Bottington's and Bass on the rise. In fact, draft overall is on the rise. "We're definitely seeing our draft beer sales grow," notes vice president of operations Bob Allison.

Eric Peterson is the head of an obsessive draft department at Fado Irish Pubs, which is headquartered in Atlanta and operates 11 locations across the U.S. He has to be obsessive; he's pouring the most draft-associated beers in America: Guinness.

"It stems from the whole pouring ritual, the two-step pour. So we have established freshness standards for our kegs that are above and beyond what even Guinness calls for. We have strict line cleaning standards; we have a glassware maintenance program. We clean the dishwashing machines weekly, and no coffee cups or milk are allowed in the machines for the glasses. And Guinness supports it through staff and management training," says Peterson.

Brewers are increasingly stepping up to help on-premise operators deliver their products properly. The Perfectly Poured system from Killian's Irish Red just went national. Involving a new faucet and a spiffy signature bronze horse-head tap head, the system is calibrated to deliver the right mix of beer and oxygen for a thick, foamy head.

Everyone agrees that draft maintenance--including pressure and temperature checks, equipment quality and constant line cleaning--is crucial. "Every system is different," A-B's Leake notes. "Pressure, temperature and cleanliness all tie together. If you've got clean lines, but the wrong temperature, for instance, you've got problems. It's complete system maintenance."

Draft can be the shortest distance between you and better profits. Make it a focus of your business; take a look at your current draft presentation. "Do you have a plain stainless T-box, or a European-style tower?" asks Leake. "Are your taps front and center, or are they a sidebar for servers? Do you have dedicated glassware for beer, or do you serve soda in those glasses too? Martinis have their glass; we strongly believe beer should have a glass. How well are your servers trained: Does the beer still have that nice, rich head when they serve it? There's so much you can do to promote draught beer."