Voodoo 101: Get your burning questions answered in our new beer franchise overview video!

Still on the fence about spending yet another year at the same corporate job? If you think launching a career with a beer franchise and owning a business that is actually fun sounds too good to be true, you’re definitely going to want to watch this video.

Sit back and let the soothing sound of Voodoo Chairman AND Denver, CO Franchise Owner Brent Dowling’s magical Aussie accent tell you everything you need to know about a beer franchise that can only be described as “one-of-a-kind.” Check it out here:

Just in case you’re stuck in your cubicle and unable to watch videos with sound without the office tattletale snitching on you (thanks a lot, Chad!), here’s a transcript of the video so you don’t miss a single thing (except, sadly, Brent’s accent.)

Hey there! I’m Brent Dowling of Voodoo Brewing Company! Congrats on taking the first step towards earning your craft brewery business.

Let’s start with you, I’m gonna take a guess that you’re reading this today because the monotony of corporate life has worn you down. Maybe you’ve reached a point where you are ready to make a fortune for yourself and not for anyone else. Or, if you’re anything like me, you have some big financial goals but you don’t want to feel like you have to sell your soul to get them. 

You simply want less BS in your career and more fun in your life. That’s what led me and most of our Franchise Owners to Voodoo Brewing Company. In this video, we’re going to provide you with the info you need to understand if you fit the tribe of Franchise Owners that we’re building here.

We’re going to talk about why now is a great time to open a brewpub, how you can make a really solid return on your investment, show you why Voodoo is the best and most fun franchise opportunity available, and also explain how our model makes owning a pub super simple for you. And of course, talk about our award-winning beer. 

Ever since the founding Voodoo crew opened our first location, they knew they were onto something big. It seemed the whole town of Meadville, Pennsylvania had turned out. With a crowd of people literally coming out the doors of this new pub. 

Matteo, our CEO, and Jake, our president, and all the employees and Owners of Voodoo have spent the last 15 years testing and perfecting our products and business model, quietly creating a cult-like following for our beers and food in the background. And now in 2021, we believe it’s finally the perfect time to finally unleash Voodoo across the country. 

I, for one, am buying into the hype and possibilities ahead. I’ve developed over 30 franchise concepts over the last decade including brands like Jamba Juice and Famous Dave’s. And the truth is, Voodoo Brewing is the first brand that I’ve personally invested into as a Franchise Owner.  I’ll share the magic I see in the future of this brand and this model as we continue to go along here. 

But before you can decide whether the Voodoo business model fits into your vision for franchise ownership,  let’s start with some insight into the craft brewing, restaurant, and bar industries, since Voodoo fits into all 3!

People Really Love Craft Beer

It’s not breaking news that people love beer. But do you know how much they love it? The craft beer industry is currently valued at $33.3 billion per year. And is anticipated to grow by around 15% over the next five years. Americans consume more than half of the beer in the entire world. Additionally, the restaurant industry stands to make a major comeback this year. 

While people might be hesitant about buying into the food and beverage industry, the fact is, that the average American is beyond pumped to get out there and be social again. We believe that the entrepreneurs who recognize this now are likely to capitalize on a level of restaurant and bar profitability that’s unlike anything we’ve seen in recent history.

Why Voodoo? 

So by now, you might be thinking, “Okay Brent, it’s an excellent time to open a brewpub. But why Voodoo?” Let me tell you the biggest reason, you’ll earn a world-class brewery without any of the brewing. Brewing is an incredibly complex process. Matteo and our master brewer Kurt have clocked thousands of hours over the last 15 years in the endless pursuit of crafting some of the world’s best liquid. 

As a new Franchise Owner, you’ll avoid all the blood sweat, and tears here. We give you the opportunity to serve world-class brewed by one of the best brewing teams in the country. It’s always been about the liquid for us, our product team puts some insane amount of care into crafting some of the finest beers on the planet. And we’ve got the awards and reputation to prove it.

A Bad-Ass Established Brand

Winning numerous awards, participating in international beer festivals, and a combined 40K followers on Facebook and Instagram has earned Voodoo Brewing a strong brand reputation. We’ve built a following of raving fans who enjoy our beer and food, wear our threads, and spread positive vibes about us everywhere they go. 

In line with keeping everything as simple as possible, you’ll also get to serve ridiculously good food without having to stress over the menu or worry about the expense of wait staff, since everything is ordered at the bar.

A Stellar Pub Menu – Curated for Your Community

Our eclectic pub food is familiar, but it’s also completely different than what everyone else serves. Culinary Director and Executive Chef, Nate, creates and curates the dishes and incorporates Voodoo beer in them whenever possible. He will work with you to determine the best menu for your space and community, and incorporate as many of the local options as possible.

Here’s a few more reasons as to why you’re going to love your new Voodoo beer franchise business:

1 ) You’ll immediately get a brand with global support

Voodoo boasts a cult-like following around the world. While we don’t have any international locations, we are present at the top-tier international beer festivals. This recognition has led us to be considered a top 50 brewery. Which gives our franchise not only bragging rights but also credibility in the industry. 

2 ) The model takes virtually all of the headaches out of owning a pub but leaves all the fun!

Just like a European beer hall, at Voodoo, customers order and pick up food and drinks from a counter. This allows beer Franchise Owners to run a brewpub with a lean staff of around six employees. As we all know, the fewer the employees, the fewer the headaches. And the increased ability for our earners to maximize their ROI. 

3 ) This ain’t no cookie-cutter, soul-crushing franchise. (Quite the opposite actually.) 

For all the consistency and simplicity, one of the best parts of earning a Voodoo Brewing Co. beer franchise is the flexibility to really make it your own. We give you the freedom, and encouragement, to incorporate elements of your local community into your space. From decorations to additional craft beer and spirits offerings, to the food that’s served, there’s a chance to take everything you love about your town and incorporate it into your new overall feel. 

4 ) We brew for YOU!

Our resident beer wizards work tirelessly to perfect some of the best-tasting craft beer in the world and ship it to your location. All you do is sell it, and take the credit as the hero who provides the liquid gold to your community.

Our Costs are ¼ of our Closest Competitor 

A lot of folks who apply to Voodoo make one mistake: they overestimate the cost to open their own voodoo brewing company franchise. Many folks assume that owning a world-class pub may cost over a million dollars or more. 

But they’re wrong. We’re able to keep investment costs far more affordable than this. 

In fact, one of our newest owners in Pennsylvania converted an old bar and opened up their Voodoo brewpub location for a total investment of around $150K, all in. Our investment is a quarter of the cost of our closest competitors. Here’s the investment range: $293,750 – $671,500. 

The total investment includes various real estate and construction costs, including permits, liquor licensing, fixtures, signage, furniture, kitchen equipment, the list goes on, training expenses, advertising, marketing expenses, technology equipment, software, initial food and beverage inventory, and a whole list of other things that come with opening your brewpub. 

As you go through the Discovery Process, you’ll see how our business model leads to lower overhead and quicker returns than the competition.

Supportive AF 

One of the best things about earning a voodoo franchise is the level of support you’ll receive from Matt, Jake, Taco Cat, and the rest of the support squad here at Voodoo. Once you’re in our tribe, you’re one of us, we’ll take care of you like family from day one. 

Here’s what you can expect from your support team as a Voodoo Brewing Franchise Owner:

• Training: You’ll get 6.5 hours of classroom training and 60 hours of on-the-job practice to prepare you for opening the doors of your own brewpub.
• Real Estate and Construction: We know what type of location works and how to get it built as affordably as possible. We’ll be there with you every step of the way.
• Menu Creation Support: Nate will help you build an easy-to-execute mouth-watering localized menu and help keep things cranking in the kitchen
• Marketing Support: We’ll provide creative marketing support like pub events to drive revenue and generate serious buzz.

Curt (the Mad Scientist Brewer)

Curt is one of the top master brewers of the world. Curt is behind the scenes working his mad scientist magic with his team to brew your beer and deliver it to you every week.

One of Us! One of Us!

It’s important to note that we don’t award franchises to just anyone. We’re looking for a special connection and a magical spark that shows us that something amazing is about to happen. 

Here’s some characteristics you should have as a candidate for Voodoo Franchise Owner: 

• You should be a craft beer lover
• You should be community-minded and ready to be the new hero in your hometown
• You should be someone who works hard but also knows how to have some fun
• You should not be a **** (you can guess what we mean here)

Does This Sound Like You? Want to Learn More?

Now if you think you fit this description, you might just be Voodoo Franchise Owner material! So if you think you might match our culture, I invite you to complete a brief 5-minute questionnaire so we can learn a bit more about each other and start to see if you qualify to earn a Voodoo brewing franchise.

 There’s no cost and no obligation for either of us. Just a quick way to help us both to understand if the partnership makes sense at this initial stage. 

Keep in mind that we do have some financial requirements for our prospective owners. We ask that our candidates come to us with a minimum of 150k in liquid capital and a minimum net worth of 350,000. In order to qualify to begin our process. 

Once you complete the questionnaire and get approved as a qualified applicant to start on our Discovery Process…well, that’s when the real fun begins! 

We will start sending you a bunch of franchise information that’s not made publicly available including our Franchise Disclosure Document, the opportunity to speak with our franchise owners about how their businesses are performing, and potentially an invitation to visit us at our Voodoo Brewing Company HQ in Meadville, Pennsylvania for a Discovery Day. 

Good luck filling out that questionnaire, I hope you qualify. I hope to sit down and share a beer with you soon. Cheers!