Fireside Chat with Auggie’s Draft Room

Auggie's Draft Room

What We Learned From Auggie's Draft Room

Location: St. Augustine, FL

Number of Taps: 24

Number of Screens: 12 screens

Beverages Offered: Wines, Ciders and Beers

In this chat, we got to speak with John Felico, the owner of Auggie’s Draft Room. John has talked about a few things to help your self-pour establishment be as successful as possible including, making your operations more efficient, having a beer wall ambassador, and developing safety guidelines during Covid-19. Hear more from him, yourself!

John's Key Takeaways

Observe Customers

Observe your customers, both inside and outside of your establishment. For example, study your passersby behavior to determine if you need signage outside to draw the customer’s eye to your establishment – even if it increases foot traffic by only 1%.

Differentiate Yourself

Figure out one thing that will allow customers to identify you. Find your differentiator. Then “your market will know what to expect” from you.

Your Inspiration

You can always look to others for inspiration, but you always want to add your twist or unique personality to keep your guests coming back.

Efficient Operations

Make sure your operations are as efficient and smooth as possible, even if that means you need to make some adjustments. It will benefit your establishment more in the long run as you’ll be able to make more sales.

Target Market

Think about your market and the area around you. If you’re in a touristy location, add some promos or discounts to entice families and groups who are just visiting.

Pricier Options

“Don’t be afraid to offer expensive beers or have a mix of prices,” as there are always going to be people who want to spend money on fancier and pricier beers or other drinks.

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Work the Wall

“Have somebody work the beverage wall to steer customers on where to go” when trying beer at the wall. This will entirely change the guests’ experience as the staff members can make recommendations and provide a more welcoming atmosphere.

Build Relationships

Build relationships with local breweries in your area as they will become inclined to give your venue limited batches of their newest brews for customers to taste, making your place a more desired destination for craft beer fans.

Script

Give your staff members a script to use when customers come into your establishment. “You want to overcome all of the customer’s objections before they have time to even ask them.”

Teach

Have the staff member at the beer wall teach your customers how to properly pour a beer as not everyone will know how to. You can even ask your regulars to help as it’s a great marketing technique to make the regulars feel more special. “It makes the customers feel like they are part of a community. They get to joke around and have fun with it.”

Perfect Temperature

Make sure the temperature of your beer is correct. You want it to be between 34 and 38 degrees, as this will decrease the chances of foam. You also want to clean your taps every other week as this will help too.

Upsell

Upsell! Think about what you can do to get the customers to spend that extra dollar. Situate your menu accordingly, have your staff encourage extra items by asking questions like “Would you like fries with it?”

Get Involved

Get involved! That will increase your sales, customers will pour more, try more, and order more.

Compete with Yourself

You always want to compete with yourself as this will get your staff excited and intrigued.

Strategy

Be strategic about your beverage offerings. If you have a beer that’s not selling out within two weeks, it’s not going to work on your wall.

KPIs

Ticket average is one of the most important KPIs to look at.

Learn More About Auggie's

With 24 taps, Auggie’s Draft Room offers a wide selection of beer from big-name brewers to smaller, more local ones. They also offer wines and ciders on their self-pour taps and plan to expand their selection by adding self-pour taps for cocktails and a broader wine selection to better cater to their customers who prefer more than just beer. Auggie’s is heavily focused on vacationers since it is located downtown in the beautiful and touristy St. Augustine, meaning that locals don’t frequent the area as much.

One of the crucial ways that Auggie’s introduces themselves to tourists is by emphasizing their excellent customer service and ensuring that their beverage wall is the focal point of their business. Visitors from all over the U.S. typically experience self-pour for the very first time here, and thanks to Auggie’s attentive service and friendly staff always explaining how self-pour works, their customers love it! They tend to respond with valuable positive online reviews, which leads to more traffic for Auggie’s!

Self-Pour Operations “Do’s” and “Dont’s”

To learn more about how to get your self-pour set up right and have a successful self-pour business, download our “Do’s” and “Dont’s” guide!

Whether you have questions regarding your self-pour setup or you have a general inquiry, don’t hesitate to contact us! If you’d like to watch our other Fireside Chats, click below to access more.