The Brass Tap’s Straightforward Discovery Process Ensures a Smooth Path to Becoming a Franchisee

The Brass Tap was founded in 2007 by three friends and business partners who wanted to create “The Ultimate Beer Bar.” The concept has since evolved into a craft beer bar and entertainment venue where guests can gather and enjoy live music, trivia, sports and more.

The Brass Tap currently has 42 bars in 14 states and is still growing, with available territories in Arizona, Colorado, Texas, Alabama and more, as well as multi-unit opportunities in California. Reasons to franchise with The Brass Tap include a smaller footprint that translates to lower buildout and labor costs, excellent franchisee support from the leadership team and the very in-demand product that is craft beer.

Sales and unit growth

The proof is in the numbers. The Brass Tap increased its average sales from $1.2 million in 2016 to $1.6 million in 2018 thanks, in part, to refining its food and beverage menus, and as a result, the leadership team anticipates further brand growth in 2020.

The brand also attributes its successful growth to a straightforward, seven-step franchising process. Prospective franchisees who are interested in The Brass Tap must first complete an application for consideration, as well as a non-disclosure form. The next step is a preliminary phone call with the brand to review the application and discuss the prospective franchisee’s credentials.

Following a successful phone call, the prospective franchisee will be able to review the brand’s franchise disclosure document (FDD). Pending a successful background and credit check, the prospective franchisee will have a phone or Skype interview with the brand’s franchise development team. Then the prospective franchisee can attend discovery day. Provided that the franchise candidate likes what they see, they can sign a development agreement.

All of this can happen in as little as six weeks.

Franchisee experiences

“The Brass Tap values engaging with prospective franchisees in a straightforward and meaningful way,” Vice President of Franchise Sales Jamie Cecil said. “The leadership team thoroughly vets franchise candidates to make sure they meet the financial requirements and also determine whether they will be a good culture fit for the brand. The Brass Tap is a financially competitive and fun franchise opportunity for the right candidate, and we always strive for a perfect match.”

Friends and business partners Ridham Bhatt, Ravi Patel and Kirat Shahiwala signed a deal to open five locations with The Brass Tap in the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex. Their first location will open in the summer of 2020. While they do not have previous brewery experience, they do have prior business and franchising experience. Plus, they are huge fans of the brand.

“We love the location in Prosper and we had been looking to invest in something and diversify the business portfolio,” Patel said. “The Brass Tap is a proven model, and we’re just implementing what has already been proven.”

They explored other franchise opportunities, but nothing compared to The Brass Tap.

“We all met a few times and made calls to a few other places but we didn’t get as amazing of a response as we received from The Brass Tap,” Shahiwala said. “Everything made sense.”

**Vishal Sharma recently signed on to franchise five locations with The Brass Tap and will develop his first location somewhere between the San Francisco and Central Valley areas of California. He already owns and operates several European Wax Centers and was looking to diversify his portfolio when he learned about The Brass Tap through Entrepreneur magazine. He reached out to founder Steve Slowey and soon realized it was the right opportunity for him.

He loved the brand’s laid-back concept and decided the California market would respond well to it. The Brass Tap also offered top-notch franchisee support, lower overhead and a smaller footprint than similar concepts.

“Firstly, I liked the concept and that it was a small management team,” Sharma said. “Steve came up with the concept, tested it, marketed it and made it work. I was looking for a concept that was not too food-heavy and something with a smaller footprint but with major market demand. When you get into food it gets a little more complicated in terms of labor and things like that. They also offered excellent support to franchisees.”

Michael and Josephine Snavely recently signed a five-unit deal with the Brass Tap for the greater Las Vegas, Nevada market. Prior to franchising with The Brass Tap, Michael and Josephine both served in the military, Josephine in the Air Force and Michael in the Army. The duo met on a military base in Hawaii and were married seven years later.

“As first time franchisee owners, we liked the idea of coming into a business with an established model that will generate success for our business,” said Michael. “We knew that we would be able to stumble through our mistakes if we started from scratch and opened a new bar on our own, however, The Brass Tap offers a proven system with a support team that’s there for us every step of the way. This made us feel more comfortable and confident to start this new business venture together.”

By offering a fun and labor-light concept, not to mention maintaining a streamlined franchise sales process, The Brass Tap ensures it attracts franchisees who are genuine fans of the brand and can execute its proven business model.