In today’s climate, consumers are more deliberate with their discretionary spending, and the battle for share of wallet is fiercer than ever. That’s especially true in the beer space, where consumption has been on the decline for a while now.
“People are watching their dollars, or at least being a bit more intentional about where they go and when they’re going,” says Josh Robinette, CEO of The Casual Pint. The craft beer segment is “a hard one to chase sometimes,” he adds, pointing to shrinking demand and a 2024 turning point, when more breweries closed than opened for the first time in nearly 20 years, per Brewers Association data.
The Casual Pint, an 18-unit franchise based in Knoxville, Tennessee, has evolved significantly since its founding in 2011. The original location featured a modest tap lineup and hundreds of SKUs of packaged beer geared toward take-home sales. Over time, the concept expanded the size of its spaces to encourage guests to linger, transitioning into a more restaurant-like setting with ample seating and space for socializing.
The food menu has steadily grown as well, moving beyond bar bites to include shareables, burgers, flatbreads, and other entrees. Now, the company is looking to inject more creativity and variety into its offerings. Robinette says the focus is twofold: refining the core menu while introducing more limited-time offerings.
“If we can keep people engaged on the food side, it only adds to the experience and builds loyalty,” he says. “We’re trying to streamline what’s always available, so that we can lean into more creative offerings and bring more excitement and variety to that side of the business.”
To better reflect its evolution into a full-service experience, The Casual Pint trademarked the term “beerstro” last year.
“It can be difficult to explain what we are and how we’ve evolved from that craft beer market to where we are today,” Robinette says. “Our environment is more like a coffee shop where you come in and hangout for a while. We want people to be there and talk to each other and mingle with each other.”
That push to become more of a gathering place has driven the brand to optimize its atmosphere—improving lighting, tweaking music levels, and incorporating large community tables for groups. “It’s really laid out for people to feel comfortable keeping their phones in their pocket and being there with others, because that’s why people come here,” Robinette says. “They come because they want to connect with friends and connect with people in the neighborhood, so we try to take away the distractions of the world and let them focus on each other.”
The Casual Pint has also leaned into events and programming to keep customers engaged. That includes partnering with local charities for fundraisers and outreach, as well as offering family-friendly elements like games and activities for kids. Trivia nights, karaoke, and live music have become key tools for driving traffic and dwell times, too.
That strategy reflects a broader shift among beer-centric concepts. Taprooms and breweries are putting more weight behind hospitality, guest experience, and ambiance to win over customers and build loyalty.
Central Florida-based Brewlando is one of those brands. Over the past three years, it’s grown from a microbrewery into a multi-location operation with several taprooms across the state, each with more than 20 beers on tap—all brewed in-house.
With that growth, owner Shara Pathak has doubled down on the guest experience. That includes everything from the way the space looks and feels to how staff greet and interact with guests.
“People want to go somewhere that’s aesthetically pleasing and that has a cool vibe, so we’ve put quite a bit of thought, effort, time, and investment into the tap room experience,” she says. “That also means the interaction with the staff, how knowledgeable they are, how they engage with guests and find things in common with them. All of that makes a difference, and you need to pay close attention to those details, because the space has to always be inviting.”
On the food side, Brewlando’s journey began with a food truck at its original brewery, a necessity given the lack of kitchen space. But its two newest locations, opened earlier this year after the company acquired Sanford Brewing Co., came equipped with full kitchens—and the company used the opportunity to build out full-service restaurants.
The menus include a mix of shareable appetizers and elevated takes on bar staples, like the Pimento Jalapeno Burger and Buffalo Chicken Mac and Cheese. There are also lighter and fresher options designed to appeal to a broader customer base. Pathak says it was important that the food not feel like an afterthought. In fact, she even tapped into a family hummus recipe rather than sourcing from a distributor, believing the scratch-made approach would resonate more with guests.
Wings are far and away the top seller, and the company tries to make its sauces in-house or source them locally whenever possible.
“I was quite nervous about jumping into the restaurant space, because I enjoy cooking and describe myself as a foodie,” Pathak says. “I thought, ‘Alright, we’ve got this amazing opportunity to pretty much double our footprint, but how are we going to stand out? How are we going to be different? What are we going to do to make our brand unique and inviting?’ The food has quickly become a very, very important part of that.”
One of the biggest shifts reshaping the taproom landscape is the steady push into new beverage categories beyond beer. From seltzers and ciders to wine, cocktails, and nonalcoholic offerings, operators are expanding their menus to meet evolving consumer preferences—particularly among younger guests who prioritize variety and drink more selectively.
Brewlando is experimenting well beyond the traditional taphouse playbook. Last year, it debuted a second concept, The Winery and Tasting Room by Brewlando, designed to attract both wine enthusiasts and fans of craft beverages. The location features more than 50 wines and canned cocktails, along with house-made cider, exclusive Brewlando beers, and charcuterie boards. Like Brewlando’s other new locations, it also includes a full bar, giving guests the option to order spirits-based drinks.
Seltzers and ciders have picked up steam in Brewlando’s taprooms, especially with younger consumers who are drawn to lighter, lower-ABV options. The company’s elderberry cider is a consistent top seller, and newer offerings like Pearsecco—a sparkling cider made with pear—are part of a broader push to capture whitespace outside traditional craft beer.
“We’re seeing that the 21-30 age group drinks less and is more health-conscious than other generations, and they really pay attention to what they consume,” Pathak says. “The appeal of cider is that it’s not a heavily hoppy product. It’s more of a ‘clean drinking’ experience. Seltzers seem to be a ‘cleaner’ beverage for them, too, so we’re putting quite a bit of focus on that as well.”
Beer still dominates the board at the Casual Pint, but Robinette says there’s been a steady shift in guest preferences. More accessible national and regional flagships are gaining traction, and lighter styles like lagers and pilsners are edging out hazy IPAs and other high-hop, experimental brews.
The Casual Pint has made a concerted effort to expand its lineup with more nonalcoholic beers on tap. Other emerging categories, including CBD beverages, wine, and cocktails, are helping drive revenue in new ways and becoming an increasingly important part of the picture. “The dollar is still coming in,” Robinette says. “It’s just being spent differently.”
As the range of beverage options diversify, one challenge is ensuring staff can speak knowledgeably about wine and spirits with the same passion and fluency they bring to the beer list, he adds. The storytelling element is central to the craft beer experience, and tapping into those same narratives across other beverage categories helps deepen guest engagement.
“How they make their product, who made it, and what goes into it—those stories and connections are just as interesting and unique as they are in the craft beer world,” Robinette says. “It’s been a pleasant surprise, especially on the spirits side, to find those commonalities. We love the stories of our craft brewers. We love being able to tell the story behind the beer and what inspired it. So, finding those connections and stories with wineries and distillers and other folks is just as fun and rewarding for us.”
