Busy Taprooms Sell More Beer. So Does Asking for a Second Round.
Guests in busier taprooms spend more money. Bear with me for a few paragraphs, as the first little bit is more interesting than actionable. With that said, we’re also going to dive into a few strategies to maximize spend no matter if you taproom is extremely empty or extremely busy.
For this study, we’re going to look into the likelihood of a guest ordering a second beverage based on a taproom’s level of business.
The likelihood of a guest purchasing a second drink climbs with how full the taproom is on arrival (i.e. when a guest first walks in):
Empty: 65%
1/4 full: 76%
Half full: 82%
3/4 full: 78%
Packed: 86%
Moral of the story? The better the vibe, the more fun someone is having, the more likely they are to order another drink. And it does blow my mind that in a packed taproom a guest is 86% likely to order a second drink (32% more likely than in an empty taproom).
Going from likelihood of a second drink to overall spend, the story is similar. Guests spend more overall the busier the taproom.
Empty: $49
1/4 full: $49
Half full: $57
3/4 full: $62
Packed: $63
For the above, we’re looking at the perceived level of busyness when the guest arrives. Looking at the level of busyness based on when a guest leaves, we see even greater spending. When a taproom is packed upon departure, the average tab is even higher: $69 for a packed taproom vs $48 for one 1/4-full-at-departure. That’s a 44% increase.
Across all visits, staff are encouraging a second drink 60% of the time (i.e. 4 guests are NOT being asked). While one may think you’d see staff offering a second drink more option in less busy taprooms, unfortunately, that’s not happening. Staff are only asking 53% of the time when the room is empty, 61% at a quarter full, 59% at half full, 64% at three quarters full, and 55% when packed. There's no real pattern tied to busyness, it stays roughly in that same range whether the room is dead or slammed.
So the idea that slower shifts naturally lead to engagement, or that busy shifts excuse a missed ask, doesn't hold up. The “would you like another drink?” is missing at a fairly consistent rate no matter what the room looks like, which tells us this isn't a busyness problem. It's a habit problem.
[Required reading, James Clear Atomic Habits]
Across the board, a staff suggestion increases the second drink rate from 72% to 82%. That gap holds at every fullness level, including when it's packed (suggest: 92% vs no suggest: 78%) and when it's dead empty (71% vs 59%). Putting it plainly, for every 100 guests served, asking the question adds about 10 more second-drink sales.
Here are a few moments to remember to encourage a guest to order another:
When they finish a flight – “Which did you like best? Would you like to order a pint of it?”
When their glass is empty (or a tad before) – 3 out of 10 guests who aren't asked don't get another. "Can I grab you another one of those, or want to try something different?"
When you’re tidying up the bar/table – As you pick up other glasses and dishes, “Can I get you another?”
When you deliver food – “Would you like a pint to pair with this?”
Whenever you check in – “How’s it going? Can I grab you another?”
Big takeaway? Tie the "another drink" question to a specific action. The empty flight, the empty glass, tidying the bar, this is the trigger. When you go to complete this habit, pair it with the question. It'll become second nature. And as the data shows, simply asking the question is going to help you increase the tab size.
If you found this article helpful, please share it with someone who’d also find value. Thank you for reading.
The data was collected from a set of 1398 unique taproom visits from January 1, 2024 to August 23, 2025. Each tab represents 2 guests and includes tax and tip.