Pizza Today - March 2016 - 76
beers on tap, happy hour discounts and
opportunities to win dynamic perks like
VIP brewery tours.
"We look for any way to further engage customers with our brand, and our
beer club is a key way we accomplish
that," Parry's Director of Marketing
Keniey Sonley says.
At the Village Inn Pizzeria in Skokie,
Illinois, a suburb on Chicago's northern
edge, General Manager Diana Rumsley began using Meetup.com in early
2015 to publicize her eatery's upstart
beer club. One year later, more than
200 members receive news of special
events, such as free beer tastings and tap
takeover events, which have succeeded
in spotlighting the pizzeria's ambitious,
evolving beer menu and heightened its
cachet with local beer enthusiasts.
"Now, more than ever, people know
they can come to us for a wide range of
options," Rumsley says, adding that the
club's special tasting events even inform
Village Inn's purchasing decisions,
especially regarding more avant-garde
concoctions.
Similarly, Fernands cites the Monday
Night Beer Club at Pizzeria Paradiso
for driving the restaurant's influence in
D.C.'s beer scene.
"Our beer club has gotten people passionate about beer in touch with what
we're doing at Pizzeria Paradiso, and
these people have become our ambassadors in the community," Fernands says.
And perhaps best of all, the Monday
Night Beer Club turns Pizzeria Paradiso's typically shuttered downstairs bar
into a revenue generator.
"That certainly can't be overlooked,"
Fernands acknowledges.
Hosting a great beer club, however, is
about more than serving cold beers. It
requires planning, purpose and partnerships.
Rule No. 1: Throw an event that's
worth throwing. Fernands says it's
critically important operators build beer
club events around compelling themes.
"A generic beer special just doesn't
resonate," he says.
Pizzeria Paradiso's December's
7 6 / P I Z Z AT O D AY. C O M / M A R C H 2 0 1 6
club event, for instance, featured ugly
holiday sweaters, a spirited selection
of holiday brews and tips donated to a
local nonprofit.
"Do it right and create an event that's
worth your customers time as well as
yours," says Fernands, who overstaffs
events to help ensure smooth operations.
Rule No. 2: Develop relationships
with breweries and distributors.
Sonley's earnest relations with breweries and distributors have helped Parry's
present unique events and share one-ofa-kind offerings.
On Black Friday 2015, for example,
Parry's hosted an event with Goose
Island highlighted by the Chicagobased brewery's famed Bourbon County
Rare. Ale Yeah Club members received
exclusive admittance starting at 10 a.m.,
one hour before the general public, to
trial the revered barrel-aged stout.
"And we had about 35 people lined
up at 9:30 a.m. on Black Friday all
because we were able to offer something unique and different," Sonley says.
Rule No. 3: Insist a brewery representative attends.
At Village Inn, Rumsley insists
someone from the brewery, preferably
the brewmaster, attends any special
event. Having an in-the-know individual present, Rumsley says, allows guests
to gain intimate, first-hand knowledge.
"If you can get people from the
frontlines, they know better than anyone how the beer was brewed, pairing
options and so forth, and people love
hearing about that," she says.
Rule No. 4: Leverage the reach of
breweries.
With craft beer's continued marketplace surge, a number of producers
enjoy significant hype and cult followings; whenever possible, Rumsley
leverages that to boost the profile of
Village Inn.
For example, when Village Inn
hosted an event featuring Founders
Brewing, the Michigan-based brewery
publicized the gathering throughout its
network, which increased attendance.
A similar story played out with both
Revolution Brewing and Half Acre,
Rumsley says.
Rule No. 5: Promote the club.
To capture the advantageous benefits
of a beer club, promotion is necessary.
Each Parry's restaurant has targets
to hit each month for new Ale Yeah
Club sign-ups, a move to grow its tribe,
Sonley calls it. Meanwhile, Fernands
and Pizzeria Paradiso staff champion
their Monday Night Beer Club to any
obvious beer-loving customers.
"People are excited about light-hearted gatherings with like-minded people,
so why not have it be at your place?"
Fernands says. n
Chicago-based writer DANIEL P. SMITH has
covered business issues and best practices for
a variety of trade publications, newspapers,
and magazines.
Craft beer
consumption
continues to climb
While some industry insiders expect the
ballooning craft beer bubble to burst -
and sooner rather than later, according to
some prognosticators - craft beer sales
continue to surge.
In the first half of 2015, American craft
beer production volume increased 16 percent, according to the Brewers Association,
with 12.2 million barrels of American craft
beer sold January to June.
In 2016, U.S. brewers guild leaders
expect a few craft beer trends to accelerate and further propel craft beer's popularity, including: sour beers; consistently fresh
beer, a reality that sometimes plagues
small brewers; and hyper-local brews,
particularly those concocted using local
ingredients, such as grains and fruits
sourced from nearby purveyors.
http://www.Meetup.com
http://www.PIZZATODAY.COM
Pizza Today - March 2016
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Pizza Today - March 2016
Pizza Today - March 2016
Commentary
Contents
Contributors
Expo Spotlight
Interact
Conversation
Man on the Street
Respecting the Craft
Trending Recipes
Destinations
Dough Doctor
The Power of Signage
Common Customer Complaints
Pagers vs. Texts
Non-Traditional Sauces
Hot Topping: Mushrooms
Burrata
Baked Pasta
Online Ordering
Team Meeting Game Plan
Drug Testing
Opening a Second Location
Beer Clubs
Thriving in a Limited Market
Mobile Pizza Kitchens
Insider’s Guide to Pizza Expo
Pizza Today on the Road: Spacca Napoli, Chicago, Il
Pizza Today on the Road: Post Office Pies, Birmingham, Al
Pizza Today on the Road: Slice Pizza & Brewhouse, Birmingham, Al
Preferred Supplier
Expo Showcase
Pizza Today Yellow Pages
The Marketplace
Reader’s Resource
Snapped
Pizza Today - March 2016 - CT1
Pizza Today - March 2016 - CT2
Pizza Today - March 2016 - Pizza Today - March 2016
Pizza Today - March 2016 - Cover2
Pizza Today - March 2016 - Commentary
Pizza Today - March 2016 - 4
Pizza Today - March 2016 - 5
Pizza Today - March 2016 - Contents
Pizza Today - March 2016 - 7
Pizza Today - March 2016 - 8
Pizza Today - March 2016 - 9
Pizza Today - March 2016 - Contributors
Pizza Today - March 2016 - 11
Pizza Today - March 2016 - Expo Spotlight
Pizza Today - March 2016 - 13
Pizza Today - March 2016 - Interact
Pizza Today - March 2016 - 15
Pizza Today - March 2016 - Conversation
Pizza Today - March 2016 - 17
Pizza Today - March 2016 - Man on the Street
Pizza Today - March 2016 - 19
Pizza Today - March 2016 - Respecting the Craft
Pizza Today - March 2016 - 21
Pizza Today - March 2016 - Trending Recipes
Pizza Today - March 2016 - 23
Pizza Today - March 2016 - Destinations
Pizza Today - March 2016 - 25
Pizza Today - March 2016 - Dough Doctor
Pizza Today - March 2016 - 27
Pizza Today - March 2016 - 28
Pizza Today - March 2016 - 29
Pizza Today - March 2016 - The Power of Signage
Pizza Today - March 2016 - 31
Pizza Today - March 2016 - 32
Pizza Today - March 2016 - 33
Pizza Today - March 2016 - Common Customer Complaints
Pizza Today - March 2016 - 35
Pizza Today - March 2016 - 36
Pizza Today - March 2016 - 37
Pizza Today - March 2016 - Pagers vs. Texts
Pizza Today - March 2016 - 39
Pizza Today - March 2016 - 40
Pizza Today - March 2016 - 41
Pizza Today - March 2016 - Non-Traditional Sauces
Pizza Today - March 2016 - 43
Pizza Today - March 2016 - 44
Pizza Today - March 2016 - 45
Pizza Today - March 2016 - Hot Topping: Mushrooms
Pizza Today - March 2016 - 47
Pizza Today - March 2016 - 48
Pizza Today - March 2016 - 49
Pizza Today - March 2016 - Burrata
Pizza Today - March 2016 - 51
Pizza Today - March 2016 - 52
Pizza Today - March 2016 - 53
Pizza Today - March 2016 - Baked Pasta
Pizza Today - March 2016 - 55
Pizza Today - March 2016 - 56
Pizza Today - March 2016 - 57
Pizza Today - March 2016 - Online Ordering
Pizza Today - March 2016 - 59
Pizza Today - March 2016 - 60
Pizza Today - March 2016 - 61
Pizza Today - March 2016 - Team Meeting Game Plan
Pizza Today - March 2016 - 63
Pizza Today - March 2016 - 64
Pizza Today - March 2016 - 65
Pizza Today - March 2016 - Drug Testing
Pizza Today - March 2016 - 67
Pizza Today - March 2016 - 68
Pizza Today - March 2016 - 69
Pizza Today - March 2016 - Opening a Second Location
Pizza Today - March 2016 - 71
Pizza Today - March 2016 - 72
Pizza Today - March 2016 - 73
Pizza Today - March 2016 - Beer Clubs
Pizza Today - March 2016 - 75
Pizza Today - March 2016 - 76
Pizza Today - March 2016 - 77
Pizza Today - March 2016 - Thriving in a Limited Market
Pizza Today - March 2016 - 79
Pizza Today - March 2016 - 80
Pizza Today - March 2016 - 81
Pizza Today - March 2016 - Mobile Pizza Kitchens
Pizza Today - March 2016 - 83
Pizza Today - March 2016 - 84
Pizza Today - March 2016 - 85
Pizza Today - March 2016 - Insider’s Guide to Pizza Expo
Pizza Today - March 2016 - 87
Pizza Today - March 2016 - 88
Pizza Today - March 2016 - 89
Pizza Today - March 2016 - Pizza Today on the Road: Spacca Napoli, Chicago, Il
Pizza Today - March 2016 - 91
Pizza Today - March 2016 - 92
Pizza Today - March 2016 - 93
Pizza Today - March 2016 - 94
Pizza Today - March 2016 - 95
Pizza Today - March 2016 - 96
Pizza Today - March 2016 - 97
Pizza Today - March 2016 - 98
Pizza Today - March 2016 - 99
Pizza Today - March 2016 - Pizza Today on the Road: Post Office Pies, Birmingham, Al
Pizza Today - March 2016 - 101
Pizza Today - March 2016 - 102
Pizza Today - March 2016 - 103
Pizza Today - March 2016 - Pizza Today on the Road: Slice Pizza & Brewhouse, Birmingham, Al
Pizza Today - March 2016 - 105
Pizza Today - March 2016 - 106
Pizza Today - March 2016 - 107
Pizza Today - March 2016 - Preferred Supplier
Pizza Today - March 2016 - 109
Pizza Today - March 2016 - 110
Pizza Today - March 2016 - 111
Pizza Today - March 2016 - 112
Pizza Today - March 2016 - 113
Pizza Today - March 2016 - 114
Pizza Today - March 2016 - 115
Pizza Today - March 2016 - 116
Pizza Today - March 2016 - 117
Pizza Today - March 2016 - 118
Pizza Today - March 2016 - 119
Pizza Today - March 2016 - 120
Pizza Today - March 2016 - 121
Pizza Today - March 2016 - 122
Pizza Today - March 2016 - 123
Pizza Today - March 2016 - 124
Pizza Today - March 2016 - 125
Pizza Today - March 2016 - 126
Pizza Today - March 2016 - 127
Pizza Today - March 2016 - 128
Pizza Today - March 2016 - 129
Pizza Today - March 2016 - Expo Showcase
Pizza Today - March 2016 - 131
Pizza Today - March 2016 - 132
Pizza Today - March 2016 - 133
Pizza Today - March 2016 - 134
Pizza Today - March 2016 - 135
Pizza Today - March 2016 - Pizza Today Yellow Pages
Pizza Today - March 2016 - 137
Pizza Today - March 2016 - 138
Pizza Today - March 2016 - 139
Pizza Today - March 2016 - 140
Pizza Today - March 2016 - 141
Pizza Today - March 2016 - 142
Pizza Today - March 2016 - 143
Pizza Today - March 2016 - 144
Pizza Today - March 2016 - The Marketplace
Pizza Today - March 2016 - 146
Pizza Today - March 2016 - 147
Pizza Today - March 2016 - 148
Pizza Today - March 2016 - 149
Pizza Today - March 2016 - 150
Pizza Today - March 2016 - 151
Pizza Today - March 2016 - 152
Pizza Today - March 2016 - 153
Pizza Today - March 2016 - 154
Pizza Today - March 2016 - 155
Pizza Today - March 2016 - 156
Pizza Today - March 2016 - 157
Pizza Today - March 2016 - 158
Pizza Today - March 2016 - 159
Pizza Today - March 2016 - 160
Pizza Today - March 2016 - Reader’s Resource
Pizza Today - March 2016 - Snapped
Pizza Today - March 2016 - Cover3
Pizza Today - March 2016 - Cover4
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