It’s no surprise to anyone who has been to a Tin Lizzy’s location in Atlanta that the local cantinas are quite popular with the young, hip, beer-drinking crowds. But according to Constellation Brands, the cantinas’ Corona Light distributor, not only are the restaurants well-liked, they also are one of the top-performing Corona Light accounts in the region.
In March 2014, Corona Light debuted the draft option of its world-famous Mexican beer. It was a new offering in the Atlanta market, and, after just a few months on the scene, it’s a success. While Philips Arena was the first to offer the tap handles to the public, Tin Lizzy’s is selling just as much as the major venue.
“It’s amazing when we look at the numbers,” says Kelly Moorehead, Corona’s key on-premise account manager. “Here we have little Tin Lizzy’s selling as many kegs per location as huge accounts like Turner Field and Philips. I had to double-check the numbers because I thought surely they had to be wrong. But it’s real, and it’s most impressive.”
The sales numbers only continue to grow, with around 20 kegs per location sold since the March debut. Of Constellation Brands’ six general on-premise wholesale accounts, Tin Lizzy’s is outselling almost all other accounts, even much larger national chains and well-known Mexican restaurants, which typically put up the highest numbers across all markets.
“What I love about Tin Lizzy’s is that this is their first time partnering with Corona on anything, and it’s been such a smooth experience for us,” Moorehead says. “Their team is top-notch, and it’s just a great brand that clearly resonates with the kind of clientele we look for. There are so many beers for Corona Light to compete with, but we’re seeing numbers from Tin Lizzy’s that even some of our major national chain accounts can’t top.”
While Atlanta typically trails behind markets like New York, Los Angeles, and Texas, thanks to these last few months of successful draft sales, it is now surpassing Los Angeles and Texas and competing with New York City in terms of top revenue- generating markets.
