Economic Outlook for U.S. Breweries, Brewpubs, and Taprooms in 2025

As the craft beer industry matures, brewery owners face a shifting landscape—rising costs, cautious consumer sentiment, and tougher competition. But for breweries, brewpubs, and taprooms that prioritize data-driven operations and hospitality-focused service, 2025 offers real opportunity.

Whether you're operating a high-volume taproom, expanding your brewpub, or launching a new location, here’s how to navigate the current economic outlook—and how the right tools, like a brewery point of sale built for modern service, can give you a competitive edge.

Start with Local Demand: Know Your Guests Before They Arrive

Hospitality doesn’t start at the bar—it starts with understanding your market. Local demand analysis should be part of your ongoing planning process, especially in today’s volatile environment.

• Track demographic trends: Monitor population shifts, age distribution, and regional tourism within a 15–20 minute drive of your taproom. These patterns can reveal new opportunities—or potential threats.
  
  
• Compare income to price strategy: If your area’s median household income is below the ~$80K national average, consider a more value-driven menu. In higher-income areas, emphasize experience and premium offerings.
  
  
• Market with precision: Does your audience live on Instagram? Sponsor youth sports? Join local Chambers of Commerce? Spend your ad budget where it resonates most.
  
  
• Leverage point-of-sale insights: With tools like the GoTab Manager Dashboard, track item sales, order values, and peak hours. If check averages are below expectations, optimize your menu or promote higher-margin combos.
  
  

With GoTab’s flexible brewery POS, you can make smarter business decisions based on real customer behavior.

Taproom Expansion: Use Data to Find the Gap

For breweries looking to grow, opening an additional taproom offers more control than expanding distribution—and more direct access to your fans.

• Watch for saturation: Colorado has over 10 breweries per 100,000 people; Mississippi has less than one. But economic context matters. A Denver pricing model won’t always translate to smaller markets.
  
  
• Use POS data to identify hotspots: With GoTab, you can see where your visitors come from. If out-of-town guests keep showing up in your POS data, that may point to a smart expansion market.
  
  
• Choose location intentionally: Markets with vibrant food scenes, artisanal cultures, or tourism appeal are typically ideal for new brewpubs or taprooms.
  
  

Expansion isn’t about replicating your space—it’s about replicating the feeling of being known and welcomed. That only happens when your systems are unified and flexible. Learn how GoTab enables seamless multi-location operations.

Brewery Operations & Staffing: Build for Agility

Your brewery runs on people. And in a tight labor market, staffing smartly is just as important as brewing well.

• Anticipate seasonal fluctuations: Is your venue near a college or a beach? Plan for re-training and turnover well in advance.
  
  
• Make SOPs repeatable: Standardize both your brewery and hospitality workflows. GoTab’s mobile-first POS makes it easy to onboard new team members quickly, even during busy seasons.
  
  
• Attract and retain staff: A great workplace culture paired with smart tech—like automated tip management and tools that reduce manual work—makes your taproom more attractive to talent.
  
  

The best brewpubs in 2025 are as thoughtful about team operations as they are about beer quality.

Smarter Marketing, Powered by Your POS

Gone are the days of blasting generic beer deals to everyone. With GoTab’s first-party ordering data and customer segments, you can tailor your messaging and grow the right segments.

• Collect meaningful data: Capture guest preferences, visit frequency, and favorite beers. Even basic fields like birthday or ZIP code help personalize experiences.
  
  
• Segment your audience: Create groups like “weekly regulars,” “event guests,” or “beer club members.” Treat each segment differently.
  
  
• Choose the right channels: A pop-up trivia night might work best on Facebook; a surprise beer drop could be perfect for SMS. GoTab makes it easy to manage multi-channel communication.
  
  
• Don’t over-message: Respect customer attention. Thoughtful, targeted outreach outperforms “spray and pray” campaigns every time.
  
  

Breweries Are the New Town Square

Despite economic headwinds, breweries remain one of the most resilient sectors of hospitality. When powered by technology that connects service, sales, and marketing, your brewery POS becomes more than a transaction tool—it becomes your growth engine.

As you plan for the future, invest in tools that help you:

• Understand your market
• Operate efficiently
• Serve with consistency
• Market with precision

GoTab is built to support brewpubs, taprooms, and brewery operators who want to grow without sacrificing what makes their business special: great beer and unforgettable hospitality.

Ready to elevate your brewery operations?

Case Study Spotlight: Sketchbook Brewing

See how Sketchbook Brewing Company blends artistry, community, and seamless service across two taprooms in Chicagoland. With GoTab’s flexible brewery POS, they’ve created a hospitality-driven experience that reflects their creative roots—while streamlining operations behind the scenes.

Read the Sketchbook Brewing Story.

Case Study Spotlight: Whistle Taproom

Discover how Whistle Taproom in downtown Cleveland turned its game-day operations into a seamless, high-energy experience. Nestled between Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse and Progressive Field, Whistle blends a self-pour tap wall with full-service bar and kitchen—all powered by GoTab’s all-in-one brewery POS with RFID-enabled iPourIt integration. The result? Faster orders, fewer bottlenecks, and happier fans—perfectly timed for basketball and baseball seasons.

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Read the Whistle Taproom Story.

Explore GoTab’s Brewery POS →

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