Should I open my own bar or invest in a brewery franchise?

So, you’ve decided to open a bar. Or at least you’re entertaining the thought- after all, you’re here, aren’t you? If you’re torn between striking out on your own and partnering with a brewery franchise like Voodoo, you’re going to want to read this.

A hot topic for a hot market

With market analysts indicating a post-pandemic upswing in the industry, many entrepreneurs are finding themselves asking that very question. We’ll go in and have a look at some of the challenges and strengths of the different approaches.

At a glance

Opening your own bar is not without its appeal. The idea of starting your very own business from scratch is alluring to some entrepreneurs wanting to test their mettle.

Others feel that a brewery franchise can be creatively restricting, taking on the role of marketing director alongside existing management duties, despite having no background in branding or advertising. I don’t agree with this failure to delegate, as it is an almost ignorant form of micromanagement. 

That being said, many entrepreneurs, including those without restaurant experience feel compelled to take on this incredible risk. Let’s have a look at some of the pitfalls these entrepreneurs will likely encounter:

Real Estate

Finding real estate zoned for restaurants can be challenging, risky, and expensive. Prospective restaurateurs need to be wary of city planning, zoning and development initiatives that will undoubtedly affect their business.

It is also a competitive space, and independent entrepreneurs can often be outbid by large chain corporations that are sure to be interested in prime space. This is where buying a brewery franchise like Voodoo, and having real estate support every step of the way, can be really helpful. (It also doesn’t hurt that we’re more interested in the funky, second-generation real estates that a lot of these other unimaginative chains tend to overlook!)

Permitting

As an aspiring independent bar owner, you’re going to need a lot of permits to operate. Obtaining all of the necessary permits is both critical and a notorious headache for owners.

These include (but are certainly not limited to) food safety permits, liquor permits, signage and parking space permits, dumpster bin placement permits, and the list goes on and on and on. I

t’s enough to make anybody’s head spin, and you haven’t even opened yet. Cities seem to love red tape, and it can be very helpful to have the support of a franchise community to help to navigate it all.

Marketing

“Well, we’ve got the sign out, we’ll be just fine… they’ll be rolling in any day now.” One can pretty much hear the crickets and the tumbleweeds blowing in this scenario, where an independent bar owner has absolutely no idea how to market their watering hole. Or maybe they’re just figuring, “How hard can it be to sell beer? This place will advertise itself!”

It certainly would be nice if it worked like that. 

One pitfall that many entrepreneurs in almost every industry overlook is just how much time and energy and capital you need to set aside in order to market your business. Just because you are opened doesn’t mean people know who you are or what you’re about. 

People only go where they know, so branding really matters. Brand recognition takes time and money to build, it can take years – even decades. Years that entrepreneurs don’t have to wait to fill up their establishment.

• Start-up costs and failure rates – Well it isn’t rocket science – entrepreneurs can add up those real estate permitting, building and renovation contracts, staff-onboarding, and supplier costs and hope to heck there is still a sizable chunk of change for branding and marketing. 

Even if the prospective bar owner gets all that right, if the research has missed anything, he could be watching the city demolish that old strip mall across the street and be sitting across from a condo-development for the next 5 years, only to have the owners move in and complain about the noise from the bar. The failure rate of new restaurants is a staggering 60%.

Yes, it’s sad but it’s true. Many people who have found their way into some wealth or had it all along dream naively of a charmed existence, and don’t realize the grueling hours, hard work and early-death-inducing stress that comes with owning your own bar.

 The restaurant industry was already a brutal one long before the pandemic threw everything into upheaval, and it has only gotten more difficult with safety restrictions, lockdown orders coming into and going out of effect, and of course the ever-present risk of infection.

Luckily there is an alternative and safer way to enter this tough industry. Franchise Owners enjoy all the perks of a successful restaurant with a greatly reduced amount of headache.

Let’s have a look at some of the benefits of investing in Voodoo Brewery franchise ownership.

Lower Risk One of the reasons that a lot of bars fail is the lack of capital. This industry can throw you all kinds of curveballs; maybe a cooler goes down and you lose a store of food, or a passerby crashes his vehicle into the dining room. It happens. Having the backing of a larger brewery franchise, and the support that implies is a far more cautious approach to this (sometimes volatile) industry.

Customer Base and Brand Recognition If one were to look up a step-by-step guide to building a restaurant or a bar, the first step would be to come up with a brand.

People don’t buy products, people buy brands, they buy what a brand is associated within their minds. It takes years and loads of capital to build a strong brand that attracts customers.

Franchise Owners reap the rewards of years of work put into a franchise by the Founders and other Franchise Owners in the system. This is the biggest obstacle to overcome for any bar, restaurant, or brewery. Getting that association is the key to success, and it is already done for you when you buy into a franchise.

Collective buying power – This is a great perk that saves Franchise Owners a lot of money starting out. As an independent, you are far more likely to be bullied into higher prices by suppliers who don’t care if you take your business elsewhere.

When you are a part of a large brewery franchise corporation, however, bar-owners have better deals negotiated for them because suppliers are more willing to make deals to keep a larger amount of business around. And if you’re a Voodoo Brewery Franchise Owner, your supplier IS your franchise corporation- we make all of our award-winning beer right at our Meadville, PA compound, then ship it all over the country for Franchise Owners to have on tap. There’s no need for you to scramble to strike deals with suppliers, as you would if you owned an independent bar. We’ve got you covered- all you have to do is sell some of the most in-demand, celebrated brews in the craft beer industry…think you can handle that?

Franchise community – Fools rush in, as they say. Having an entire community of Franchise Owners, not to mention a hands-on support team to reach out to is indispensable for entrepreneurs making their way. The benefits of collective experience range far and wide, and Franchise Owners know that they have support, no matter what situation the industry may throw at them.

A safer way to an exciting new career – It may have been easy to decipher from the former section; however, it is worth stating that independent restaurateurs need to know what they are doing to have a hope in heck of surviving.

 Buying a franchise through an already well-established and dynamic brand like Voodoo Brewing is a safer way to invest in the dream of running a craft brewery, without necessarily having experience managing a restaurant.

As long as you can embrace the tried-and-true business model and learn a thing or two that the Franchise teaches, it is possible to live the dream of running an award-winning craft brewery franchise like Voodoo, at a small fraction of the risk of opening an independent bar.

Visit our site for more information on owning a Voodoo Brewery franchise.

For owners of bars and craft beer franchise locations like Voodoo Brewing Co., 2021 is the year they can finally see an end to the COVID-19 pandemic. Though it will likely be a while before we are all experiencing everything life has to offer the same way we did before March 2020, our country is definitely closer to normalcy than we’ve been in a long time. But what does this mean for craft beer franchise proprietors- or any small business owners, for that matter? What does the future hold for everyone who just wants to grab a beer with buddies on a random Thursday night, the way we used to? 

Believe it or not, the thing we’ve all been dreaming about- gathering with friends and family for a fun night out- isn’t as far off as it still seems. Here at Voodoo Brewing Co., we’re already taking every step we can to make sure our craft beer franchise is still able to show guests a damn good time- after all, we deserve it! 

We’re sure to see some of the minor tweaks and pivots, like mask-wearing, social distancing, and ramped-up cleaning and sanitation efforts- becoming part of the normal bar experience in the coming months, but these minor changes are nothing compared to the feeling of getting together with your ride-or-die bros and bro-ettes at your favorite neighborhood craft beer franchise (Read: Voodoo!)

Here’s a glimpse into what experts predict for 2021 and beyond.

We all know the pandemic story… But what comes next?

It would have been TOTALLY impossible in 2019 for restaurant and brewery owners to ever guess where they would be today.  Without a doubt, the pandemic has been crazy tough on breweries and on the restaurant industry as a whole. We feel for our brothers and sisters in the craft beer industry, and are happy to report that thanks to a couple of fun little innovations, like our outdoor beer garden spaces and limited beer delivery services, our craft beer franchise is still rockin’ and rollin’, and ready to kick 2021 into high gear!

The pandemic has been especially tough for independent craft brewers and owners of local bars and restaurants. With rent piling up, many owners of small neighborhood pups have been forced into bankruptcy and put out of business. Many brewers were seeing 90% of their sales going to orders placed and enjoyed in-house, pre-pandemic, so to be fair, it may be hard to see why now might be the best time ever to break into the industry with a craft beer franchise like Voodoo Brewing Co.

You may be surprised to find it is actually an ideal time to get the ball rolling if you have ever thought about running a bar or craft beer franchise.

How many times have you thought to yourself lately, geez I can’t wait until I can just go to a pub and simply order a beer again? 

Well, you aren’t alone. 

Good news for craft beer Franchise Owners

The tastier of the NRAs – the National Restaurant Association, released data showing that 83% of adults say they are not eating at restaurants as much as they would like to.

This and other factors have indicated that although now may be an incredibly difficult time to be trying to survive as a restaurant, it may counterintuitively be the prime time to invest for those preparing to enter the industry.  

While the outlook is still grim at the moment for those still currently trying to weather the most disruptive global event in our lifetime, some industry changes have kept the closings down to a minimum. These changes, along with the rollout of vaccines, does offer a glimmer of hope on the horizon.

One positive change for the industry brought about by the pandemic was the introduction of new legislation which allowed for the sale of beverages via e-commerce. With beverage drinks being such a regulated space, this was a victory for craft brewery and restaurant owners alike.
Not every business owner was fortunate enough to survive the tribulations brought on by COVID-19, however, with 17% of US restaurants being reported closed in early December 2020.

With nearly 1/5 of the industry closing its doors, a lot of restaurant and brewpub space has opened up, particularly for craft beer franchise models like Voodoo’s, that thrive on second-generation real estate in quirky, eclectic neighborhoods. This unfortunate reality for those businesses that have closed is actually has a positive effect on those looking to get into the restaurant industry – more specifically for entrepreneurs thinking about owning a franchise.

While there may be a lot of real estate opening up, investing in opening an independent restaurant is still a risky proposition. Just like any other market, as opportunities arise, the space can quickly become saturated.

 If there is an influx of new brands and ideas popping up post COVID-19, it will be too easy to find yourself lost in the noise. Investing in a craft beer franchise at this time would mean that you’d have a corporate team there to provide the proven business model, training, support and Franchise Owner community that would be needed to maximize potential for a return on your investment.

Bart Watson, the Chief Economist for the Brewer’s Association said in an interview with Forbes Magazine that he forecasts the 2nd quarter of 2021 to be still challenging for the industry, and anticipates the beginning of a return to normal for the 3rd period, with a prediction of sales falling 8% by the end of the year.

While there is still much pressure on existing brewpubs across the country, the timing may work out for aspiring entrepreneurs. 

At Voodoo Brewing Co., it takes our craft beer Franchise Owners approximately 9 months after training until they can open their doors and serve their first customers. When compared to the 10-year runway needed to build a new brand in this industry, this seems like virtually no time at all…yet for an aspiring entrepreneur who got started on the journey to craft beer franchise ownership today, it would be just long enough to increase the likelihood of a return to more normal activity by the time Opening Day rolled around.

Is it time to open a craft beer franchise with Voodoo Brewing Co.?

Imagine for a moment you have decided to take the leap, and have invested in Franchise Ownership with us – by the way: Congratulations, good move.  

Once educated on the proven business model, you will be on your way to opening your doors in a rewarding new career managing your very own craft beer franchise- not to mention having exclusive rights to serve Voodoo’s award-winning beers in your community. As previously mentioned, this process takes around 9 months to complete.

Coinciding with the vaccine rollout and subsequent reopening of the world means it is actually a great time to begin the process. You will literally be watching your world open just as the rest of the world reopens, and the hordes of socially distanced and happy-hour-starved survivors pour into the establishments.

When looking at the first “reopening” back after the first wave of coronavirus in 2020, and trying to introduce social distancing into an industry that revolves around people getting together socially, the outlook was grim. 

Reduced capacities, hours, contact tracing, mandatory masks, the list goes on and on. I think it’s safe to assume that aside from the excitement to leave home, nobody was really stoked on what the “new normal” was going to look like.

This time though, (thankfully) we have vaccines.

 With the US government recently securing contracts for enough doses to vaccinate the nation, things are surely looking up. What started as a two-week disruption and led to one of the hardest years known by many, is finally being fought back, dose by dose, arm by arm. 

This time, reopening is going to mean reopening, and normal is going to mean normal – eventually. We may not be there yet, but the end is in sight.

With all this in mind perhaps, when looking towards the reopening of society in general we can afford to be a little more optimistic this time. 

When thinking about what bars and restaurants will look like, post-COVID, we can now look to places like Australia or New Zealand, who have managed to keep on top of coronavirus. 

Photos of crowded rugby stadiums and bars with no plexiglass barriers offer hope that bars will look much the same post-pandemic as they did pre-pandemic. Of course, there will be some new kids on the block, as investors and entrepreneurs see the opportunity ahead of them.

It’s easy to see why right now is such an exciting time for entrepreneurs. The reality of the situation is that ebb and flow is constant. The pandemic undoubtedly has been a tragic situation that nobody wanted to endure. 

One silver lining, however, is the resulting demand that has built up in the population, which is sure to create a space for current and future entrepreneurs to flourish and succeed. 

Interested in owning a craft beer franchise with Voodoo? You have excellent taste! Visit our site for more info.

Fall is one of our favorite times of year here at Voodoo Brewery, a time when we all come together, be it watching football, sitting around the table at Thanksgiving, or just having a beer with friends. Now obviously this year is a bit different than normal, but we still wanted to bring our community together, even if it was socially distanced with masks on. So, we decided to host a Harvest Market for our local community in Meadville, Pennsylvania, drawing crowds from all over the area and gaining exposure for local businesses and vendors. A recent article from the Meadville Tribune highlighted the action and what it represented for our craft beer franchise.

The market was aimed at representing everything that Voodoo is as a brand, on a bigger scale. While our breweries serve to promote our beer and food, our main goal is to bring people together for a good time, as we did at the Harvest Market. At the same time, the market was intended to give vendors who normally rely on several events and conventions during the year a chance to make up some of the profits lost due to COVID-19. The event did just that, and more!

Throughout the weekend there was a steady flow of customers, with many of the vendors sold out by Sunday evening. “Within the first 20 minutes, we were happy that we were here,” remarked vendor and artist “Eerie” Eric Fargiorgio. “Yesterday, we sold half of everything we brought down!” Eric, like many of his fellow vendors, usually relies on events and festivals throughout the year to promote his craft and make a living. Unfortunately, during 2020 he has only been able to attend two. We were happy to add one more to the list for him!

Aside from helping out the local community, the Harvest Market was a great promotional tool for our Craft Beer Franchise Owners. Through samples and beer and food sales, we were able to show customers just how bitchin’ our craft beer is and invite them to stop by one of our variety of locations, the newest of which just opened up in New Kensington, Pennsylvania. The venue for the market itself, our Compound in Meadville, was a testament to just how unique each one of our breweries is and truly showed everyone what we’re all about. Furthermore, the market emphasized that our Franchise Owners are more than just entrepreneurs. They’re leaders in the community and truly bring people together!

So you might be wondering, what’s it like as a Voodoo Craft Beer Franchise Owner? Well, we like to think that our Franchise Owners have one of the best jobs out there, and they get to enjoy a bunch of benefits that a boring corporate career just can’t offer. For starters, our Franchise Owners have the potential to realize tremendous growth and profitability. In 2019, our Franchise Owners saw average gross sales of $586,202*, with our top pub grossing $1,143,971.* With only $150,000 in liquid capital required, and investment starting at $358,500, you can see the potential for a quick return on investment.

It’s about more than just the profits though… as a Voodoo Craft Beer Franchise Owner you get to be your own boss and do things your way! In other words, you get to set your own schedule and work when you want to. This means spending more time with the fam and taking that trip you’ve always been wanting to take. Better yet, we do all the “heavy lifting” for you, meaning we do all the brewing, while you have the fun! If you hit any bumps in the road, our badass corporate support team has your back, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. This includes training new employees, pushing marketing efforts, or just having someone to drink a beer with!

Best of all though, owning a Voodoo Brewery is freakin’ fun! There’s no corporate B.S. here at Voodoo. You do things your way, on your clock, and you get to sell kick-ass beer and dank food to some cool people in your local community! Furthermore, you’re surrounded by people that love beer as much as you and are genuinely fun to hang out with. We don’t live by lame corporate rules, but you get to enjoy the security that comes with being part of a larger organization.

So now that you can see that owning a Voodoo is pretty rad, what’re you waiting for? Check out our badass business model and become a badass entrepreneur today! Visit our franchising site to get started.

Sprinkle some GOOD VIBES into your social feed: Like us on Facebook. Follow us on Instagram. Connect with us via LinkedIn. Subscribe to our YouTube channel.

*Numbers obtained from 2020 FDD Document

It’s hard not to think that maybe we’re on the right track with our beer franchise concept when legit franchise industry professionals want in! We’re absolutely stoked to announce that Voodoo Brewery has joined forces with two prominent heavy-hitters in the franchising world to help us bring our beer franchise to cities across the U.S. of A.!

Let’s start with the backstory. With our exceptional beer and unbelievable success at each of our Voodoo taprooms, we’ve known we had something special since Day One. In fact, we were confident that our model would be a huge success in any market we tried it in, and we made a decision to see what Voodoo could do as a beer franchise.

After an initial test period of opening franchise locations in Cleveland and New Kensington, we know we’ve got the magic formula- and we’re not just talking about our kickass beer!

In other words, Voodoo Brewery is now officially franchising on a national level and targeting new markets across the country where we think our beer franchise concept would really take off. (Since we’ve yet to find a city in America that doesn’t like beer, this should go really well.)

But, if you know us, you know this- we hate anything that’s got that “corporate machine” feel to it, and we weren’t about to hand over the Voodoo Brewery beer franchise concept to just any old rando. We knew we had to partner with the right people to bring our dream to life and allow us to keep everything that makes us special intact while we expand. Because believe us, there is no way in hell we’d be OK with turning a magical brewpub that has taken years of our blood, sweat, and tears into a boring, cookie-cutter beer franchise that you can find at the airport. So lame.

In order to see a future where Voodoo Brewery is one of the top taprooms in every major city, without losing the special sauce that makes us US, we wanted to partner with people who had successfully grown franchises across the country, not just quickly but with the RIGHT Franchise Owners at the helm of each location! And that’s where Brent Dowling and Mike Edwards come in. 

We first met Brent and Mike when we started making plans to take this crazy beer franchise dream and give it wings. As the respective CEO and President of Raintree, a highly-successful franchise development and marketing firm in Denver, Brent and Mike know a thing or two about how to grow a franchise on a national level, having helped over 30 franchise brands, including Jamba, Cheba Hut, and Famous Dave’s BBQ, achieve franchise development goals. Best of all, Raintree specializes in growing brands with unique, left-of-center identities operating within niche industries, helping them to achieve their full potential without sacrificing their individuality. In other words, we knew the Raintree peeps would hook us up with the right people to take this beer franchise thing national.  

From the first meeting, Brent and Mike were impressed with the Voodoo Brewery model and could see that our beer franchise concept had legs. In fact, they were SO impressed that they wanted to become part of the Voodoo Brewery family themselves! 

That last part is kind of a big deal- after developing 30 brands with Mike in their combined 30 years of experience, Brent had only invested in one other brand besides Voodoo, so it’s not like he goes around buying into every franchise brand he works with at Raintree. He says, “I’ve personally developed close to 30 brands now and have never seen something as unique, both from a cultural standpoint and a product standpoint. This franchise truly has all the traits of brands we’ve truly seen go galactic. We’re not only going to the moon, but we’re going across the universe with this thing!”

Mike felt similarly about Voodoo Brewery and the beer franchise opportunity we’re offering, and also wanted in on the action, not only because he feels confident in our success as a beer franchise, but also because he loves our company culture. “What a very cool brand!” he says. “I love the feeling and the vibe of their locations.  The name is cool, the look and the vibe are cool, and the beer is absolutely delicious!”

Mike also noted the value that the Voodoo Brewery corporate team brings to the table, both in terms of our product and the level of support our Franchise Owners can count on from Day One of partnering with our beer franchise. “Voodoo has an awesome team!” he says.  “Jake and Mateo have not only brewed some fantastic award-winning beers but once you see the team in action it is very clear why Voodoo keeps on putting out great products. When you see all the awards that Voodoo brewery has garnered for their products and you see how they are revered by other brewers, being able to join this team is a no-brainer!”

Brent, an Aussie who loves drinking beer and having fun when he isn’t helping franchise brands achieve monumental success, also dug the idea of investing in a company that brings him fulfillment on a personal level- especially after getting a firsthand look at how much our Franchise Owners love operating their Voodoo Brewery locations! He explains, “More than anything, I’m looking to work with folks and business models that I can truly enjoy at this stage in my career. After seeing what drove the Franchise Owners I’m currently working with, I realized I was basically the same person as them and saw the opportunity to get involved with something I could have fun with.”

Timing was also a factor for Brent, who was encouraged by our ability to navigate the COVID-19 juggernaut that we’ve all had to deal with this year, not to mention the sweet funding and real estate deals our future Franchise Owners can cash in on for the foreseeable future. “The timing on the partnership couldn’t be better from our perspective,” he notes. “I’ve never seen the real estate and lending environment be so favorable to franchising investments.”

Mike agrees, noting that Franchise Owners can invest in a Voodoo beer franchise for a mere fraction of the cost of other concepts that don’t even come close to what we offer in quality, passion, and individuality. “Voodoo Brewery is not only a unique offering, as there are not a lot of opportunities to own a beer franchise, but they also made it extremely affordable as the Franchise Owners does not have to become a brewer of beer and spend a small fortune on the equipment,” he says, adding, “Voodoo does all the brewing for the Owners.”

As both a franchise development expert and a Voodoo Brewery partner, Brent is anticipating some massive growth opportunity for our beer franchise for the rest of 2020 into 2021, as people return in droves to their favorite American pastime- drinking beer! “We’re already seeing a new level of demand for people to congregate as communities, have fun, and have some of the world’s best beers,” he says, adding, “We’ve never seen this kind of demand and see it continuing next year.”

So, what we guess we’re saying here is, we now have two legit franchising gurus on our corporate team, which is a win for all of us, especially our Franchise Owners! We couldn’t be happier to welcome Brent Dowling and Mike Edwards to the Voodoo tribe, and look forward to creating some serious franchise “magick” with them as we take this beer franchise to cities across the country!

Imagine bringing a beer franchise that doesn’t behave like a beer franchise to your neck of the woods- Voodoo Brewery offers Franchise Owners the unique opportunity to fulfill their lifelong dream of operating an award-winning craft brewery with an eclectic vibe and a legion of fans…all without ever brewing a single beer themselves! Are you in? Visit our beer franchise website to learn more./i>

Sprinkle some GOOD VIBES into your social feed: Like us on Facebook. Follow us on Instagram. Connect with us via LinkedIn. Subscribe to our YouTube channel.

The 2020s may be off to an…interesting start, but the Voodoo Brewery franchise is channeling some old-school Roaring Twenties awesomeness with our all-new location in New Kensington, PA. Situated in a historic 1920s-era building on 5th Avenue in the heart of the bustling Pittsburgh suburb, our latest addition to the Voodoo Brewery franchise family is set to open its doors Friday, August 21!

The Voodoo Taproom at the Ritz, which was built nearly a century ago as the Ritz Theatre, is already proving to be the perfect venue for a brewery franchise that is all about embracing the unique and marching to the beat of our own drummer. New Kensington residents, along with longtime customers at other Voodoo Brewery franchise locations, were invited to help decorate the raw space that would become the Voodoo Taproom, along with its adjacent open-air beer garden, with materials ranging from stained glass to spray paint, for coupons good for a free beer upon opening.

The result is a delightfully quirky mishmash of styles and ideas that brewery franchise Chief Operating Officer Jake Voelker says is the whole idea behind Voodoo’s community-first philosophy. “I always say, craft beer without community is just beer,” remarked Voelker in a Pittsburgh Post-Gazette interview commemorating the grand opening of the New Kensington brewery franchise.

Voodoo Taproom’s Owners, Mike and Sue Malcanas, are embracing the eclectic charm of the brewery franchise location that they’ve had in the works since June 2019, getting creative with the use of space and repurposed materials to create a community meeting spot that is already influencing the look and feel of the rest of the neighborhood. “We’re basically Voodoo-izing the entire town,” Mr. Malcanas told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.” In addition to hiring Shane Pilster, the artist who created the giant mural on Voodoo Taproom’s outdoor space, to add original artwork on other buildings nearby, New Kensington is also slated to open a public pavilion for live music and other outdoor gatherings. Malcanas notes, “Ultimately, this is going to be Central Park, New Kensington.”

In fact, the Voodoo Taproom at the Ritz is slated to host its first free outdoor concert on Saturday, August 22, as acoustic cover band The Knockoffs take the stage as part of Pittsburgh’s ‘Seven Days of Music’ series. Customers can kick back with an ice-cold brew and chill out with some tunes just as they would any other summer- with the exception of the face masks that attendees will be required to wear.

In the span of time since the Malcanases signed the brewery franchise agreement, the world has changed. COVID-19 has certainly had an impact on the couple’s plans for the Voodoo Taproom, but along with Jake Voelker and the rest of the Voodoo Brewery franchise’s executive leadership team, they have been able to successfully augment their business model to keep customers safe and healthy while still being able to provide good times and great beer.

Jake Voelker explains how the Voodoo Brewery franchise, including the New Kensington location, has adapted its model in order to safely accommodate customers and keep the beer and good vibes flowing. “We focused, and transitioned quickly to be able to serve as much as possible outdoors,” he says, adding, “Two of our locations began serving beer out of retrofitted shipping containers in an outdoor area. Our Cleveland location built a new outdoor area. In addition, we have encouraged the use of food trucks as they limit staff and labor costs while providing less exposure, and we have limited our menus to highly cross-utilized ingredients that have a long shelf life; this is because with the constantly changing regulation we essentially have to watch our inventory very carefully.”

Voelker also offers high praise for the Franchise Owners of the New Kensington brewery franchise location and their ability to roll with the changes as they worked to open their new space, stating, “Our New Ken location team is very nimble, and has done a great job transitioning into outdoor space and holding socially distanced events, such as trivia.”

By keeping on top of the situation and remaining adaptable to circumstances that seem to change almost by the day, our executive team has been able to help all of our brewery Franchise Owners successfully pivot to a model that still allows for good times in the ‘new normal.’

Part of the New Kensington Downtown Historic District, the Ritz Theatre stopped showing movies in the late 1950s, transitioning to a bingo parlor and then a recreation hall for another couple of decades before finally shuttering its doors in 1971. In short, it’s exactly the kind of property we love! Repurposing second- or even third-generation buildings in need of a little TLC is our jam- not only because it helps us preserve historic sites and fit in with the natural vibe and architecture of each community we open a Voodoo Brewery franchise in, but also because it can save our Franchise Owners BIG time! Especially now, amid COVID-19, when interest rates are at historic lows and commercial real estate is abundant, we’re able to help our Franchise Owners uncover these hidden gems right in their community, shine them up, and make them their own by rubbing a little Voodoo Brewery funk on them. It’s just one more thing that makes us kind of the “anti-franchise” brewery franchise.

Feeling a little jealous of Mike and Sue Malcanas, their awesome new taproom, and all the new friends they’ll inevitably make in New Kensington now that they’re purveyors of our legendary craft beer? No need for that- by this time next year, you could be chilling out in the beer garden of a Voodoo Brewery franchise location of your own! We’ve got all the details on our Voodoo Brewery franchise website– take a look and score some free info on how to make your secret (or not so secret) dream of owning a kickass craft brewery franchise come true.