Why Breweries Are Losing Control of Their Guest Relationships (And How to Get It Back)
For years, breweries had something most hospitality businesses envied: A direct line to their customers. Post a new release. Announce trivia night. Share a photo from the taproom. People showed up. But that’s not how it works anymore. Organic reach on platforms like Instagram and Facebook has steadily declined, forcing operators to pay to reach the same audience they already built. And that shift has created a bigger problem than most breweries realize.
For years, breweries had something most hospitality businesses envied: A direct line to their customers. Post a new release. Announce trivia night. Share a photo from the taproom. People showed up.
But that’s not how it works anymore. Organic reach on platforms like Instagram and Facebook has steadily declined, forcing operators to pay to reach the same audience they already built.
And that shift has created a bigger problem than most breweries realize.
You Don’t Own Your Audience Anymore
Most breweries still rely heavily on third-party platforms to stay connected to their guests. Social media. Reservation and review sites. Third-party marketplaces. But those platforms don’t belong to you.
Which means:
You don’t control who sees your content
You don’t control when they see it
And increasingly, you have to pay to reach them at all
In some cases, only a small fraction of your followers actually see your posts on Facebook or Instagram.
The Real Risk: You’re Renting Your Customer Relationships
This came through clearly in our conversation with Ross Stensrud from TapWyse on Behind the Tab. If your only way to reach your guests is through platforms you don’t control, you’re not building a relationship. You’re renting access to it. And in a business where margins are tight and repeat visits drive profitability, that’s a fragile place to be.
Podcast
How Breweries Can Take Back Their Customer Relationships
In this episode of Behind the Tab, we sit down with Ross Stensrud of TapWyse to discuss how breweries are looking for new ways to stay connected with their guests. Ross explains why many operators are turning to branded mobile apps, membership programs, and other direct communication channels to build stronger relationships and drive repeat visits.
Customer acquisition is getting more expensive. At the same time:
Competition is increasing
Guest expectations are rising
And loyalty is harder to maintain
So the question isn’t just: How do we get people in the door? It’s: How do we get them to come back? Because repeat visits—not first visits—are what drive long-term revenue.
The Shift: From Transactions to Relationships
The breweries pulling ahead are changing how they think about growth. They’re not just focused on what’s in the glass or what’s on tap this weekend. They’re also focused on: Who their guests are—and how to stay connected after they leave. That means building direct communication channels:
Email lists
SMS programs
Memberships
Loyalty programs
Branded digital experiences
What Happens When You Own the Relationship
When breweries take control of their guest relationships, three things begin to happen:
1. Repeat Visits Increase
You’re not waiting for guests to “remember” you.
You’re giving them a reason to come back:
Promotions
Events
Member perks
2. Revenue Becomes More Predictable
Some operators are turning membership programs into recurring revenue streams. In one example shared in our conversation, a brewery membership program generated tens of thousands in annual recurring revenue—while also increasing taproom traffic.
3. Guest Lifetime Value Expands
When you stay connected:
Guests visit more often
Spend more over time
Become advocates for your brand
And that compounds.
The System Problem Most Breweries Miss
Here’s where most operators get stuck. They understand the importance of guest relationships. But their systems aren’t built to support them. Guest data lives in one place. Orders in another. Marketing tools somewhere else. Nothing is connected.
So even if you capture a guest once, you can’t easily reach them again, personalize communication, or as importantly, track their engagement over time. And without that, relationships don’t scale.
What the Best Operators Do Differently
The highest-performing breweries don’t just “do more marketing.” They build systems that make relationships automatic. They:
In other words: They treat guest relationships as part of their operating system—not an afterthought.
A Simple Way to Evaluate Your Brewery Marketing
If you’re running a taproom today, ask:
Do I have a direct way to reach my guests, or am I relying on social platforms to do it for me?
Can I connect a visit to a specific guest, or is every transaction anonymous?
Do I have a reason for guests to come back, or am I starting from zero every time?
The breweries that win over won’t just make great beer. They’ll build direct, lasting relationships with the people drinking it. Because in a world where reach needs to be “purchased”, attention is fragmented, and competition is increasing, owning the relationship isn’t a nice-to-have. It’s the advantage.
If You’re Thinking About This Right Now…
Start simple. Capture one piece of data about your guest. Create one reason for them to come back. Build one direct channel with your guests. Then measure, rinse and repeat. Because once you own the relationship, everything else gets easier:
Marketing
Retention
Revenue
And most importantly—growth that actually compounds.
Tap Room Playbook Episode 2:
When you really think about it, with everything managers need to do in a tap room, the hospitality aspect is often overlooked.
Situated “in the heart of it all, yet tranquil enough to make you feel away from it all too,” The Limelight Hotel Snowmass offers 99 hotel rooms and 11 residences, as well as footsteps-to-gondola access in winter and summer — right in the middle of Snowmass Base Village.
The Situation
Especially over the last few years, the Limelight Hotels IT team had witnessed a significant shift to contactless technology in the hospitality industry. After evaluating friction points in the guest journey, aligning with modern technology platforms in their restaurant was determined to be an effective way to offer elevated contactless dining experiences to their guests while also evolving their technology platforms to continue to support long-term company goals. Limelight Hotel partnered with GoTab to provide an enhanced on-demand dining experience on par with the brand’s reputation for exceptional guest service.
The Solution
Reducing Staff Touch Points Without Sacrificing Guest Experience
Guests are now able to begin a tab from their room or the property’s restaurant by scanning a QR code, texting a link to friends or family members on the ski slope to add in their orders, then meeting up together at the patio or lodge to enjoy their meal and après ski festivities without interruption. By streamlining tasks like inputting orders and processing payments, this eliminates friction for hotel staff and allows them to focus on delivering renowned guest service for a memorable experience. Since partnering with GoTab, Limelight Snowmass has consistently seen higher check averages and sales.
“We found the Point of Sale platforms we were looking at offered the guest and staff limited opportunities to further reduce touch points or improve the traditional restaurant experience. The GoTab platform enabled the guest to take an active role over the flow of their experience while simultaneously reducing touch points and further streamlining restaurant operations.”Nick Giglio, Manager of Hotel IT Operations, The Little Nell Hotel Group
According to the Limelight Hotels team, some of the other platforms that were evaluated were either missing some of the pieces they were looking for, had weak customer support models, or had little willingness to develop integrations to existing hotel platforms already in place. To that end, GoTab integrated with cloud-based platform, Infor. Together, GoTab and Infor are providing dynamic solutions to support central, efficient service across hotel amenities and deliver exceptional guest experiences.
“Previously, guests would call down to the restaurant to begin an order from their room or while they were out enjoying the ski slopes. Using GoTab, guests can now place orders from anywhere on the resort, giving them the on-demand service they want without interrupting their day. GoTab empowers us to give control to the guest, reducing touch points and streamlining overall restaurant operations, making Limelight Hotel the resort of choice for Snowmass.”Nick Giglio, Manager of Hotel IT Operations, The Little Nell Hotel Group
Since introducing GoTab, The Limelight Hotel has seen a consistent level of upsells and items sold per check resulting in additional revenue capture. They have been able to maintain service levels in their restaurants during periods when there was reduced staffing available without significantly diminishing the guest experience.
The Benefits
Eliminate Phone Orders – Take Orders from the Slopes. Guests can start a tab from their room or on the mountain without interrupting the flow of their day.
Future-Proofed Technologies – Delivering elevated contactless ordering via integration with the Infor hotel management platform.
Eliminating Friction in the Guest Journey – Maintaining service levels during periods of reduced staff without diminishing the guest experience.
Eliminating Friction in the Guest Journey – Maintaining service levels during periods of reduced staff without diminishing the guest experience.
Eliminating Friction in the Guest Journey – Maintaining service levels during periods of reduced staff without diminishing the guest experience.
Eliminating Friction in the Guest Journey – Maintaining service levels during periods of reduced staff without diminishing the guest experience.
Eliminating Friction in the Guest Journey – Maintaining service levels during periods of reduced staff without diminishing the guest experience.
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