Izak Du Plooy and his wife, Danielle, wanted to own a restaurant and bar for years. Danielle worked as a physician assistant while Izak built a career in cybersecurity, but they continued looking for an opportunity to become business owners. After finding a location in Philadelphia's Manayunk neighborhood, they searched for a concept that fit both the space and the community. That search led them to The Brass Tap, the 50-plus-unit American tavern franchise.
“Once we met with them and spoke to them, it just seemed perfect for what we were looking for,” Izak Du Plooy said. “We thought a craft beer bar would be perfect for Manayunk because it's a very social area."
The couple also appreciated that The Brass Tap offered the structure of a franchise while allowing owners to adapt their business to their local market. That flexibility became especially important because their Philadelphia location is much smaller than a typical The Brass Tap.
"We were looking for a franchise that didn't have really strict guidelines as far as menu items and beer," Danielle Du Plooy said. "They let us choose our own beers based on what works best for our clientele. We're also not one of their normal sites. Usually, the bars have about 100 beers on tap and big outdoor spaces. We're a small corner bar in Philadelphia with about 30 beers on tap, so we were excited that they were willing to work with us."
Like many new restaurants, the first few months required patience. Parking in Manayunk made it difficult to attract visitors from outside the neighborhood, and the owners had to introduce themselves to a market filled with restaurants and bars. Over time, regular customers began returning, and word-of-mouth started bringing new people in.
"In the beginning, we were just a bar starting up," Izak said. “Over time, though, we built up a really good local crowd because we're very much a walk-up bar. I'm South African, so we started showing a lot of South African sports, and we built up a pretty good crowd around that as well. What started as a pretty quiet little bar is now thriving.”
Creating a destination became another focus during the first year. The restaurant hosted trivia nights, themed events and sports watch parties while also promoting private events in its dining room for birthdays, graduations and other celebrations.
"The beginning of this summer has been pretty successful just because of the clientele we've already built," Danielle said. "With the FIFA World Cup and everything going on, people are coming back, and we're seeing those relationships pay off."
The Du Plooys believe the restaurant's biggest success has come from making customers feel like part of the business. One group of regulars even calls themselves "The Tappers" and has formed a kickball team together. The owners also sponsor local sports clubs throughout Philadelphia, creating connections that extend beyond the restaurant.
"I think developing relationships with clients has been one of the biggest keys to our success," Izak said. "If people ask us to put on a certain game or something, we really try to accommodate everybody. We sponsor various teams in Philadelphia, and those teams have built relationships with Danielle and me. It's nice helping them because these clubs need funding, and then they'll come in and support us during sporting events."
Throughout the first year, Du Plooy says The Brass Tap’s corporate team provided guidance while allowing franchisees to make decisions based on their own markets.
"They've been really awesome in guiding us, giving us tips and telling us where they see issues that we can easily fix," he said. "They genuinely worked with us when things were slow and helped us get people in the door. If I have ideas for a new menu item, they give me the option to add that as long as we go through the right steps."
That same flexibility extends to the beer program and seasonal offerings, allowing the Du Plooys to tailor the business to the preferences of their local customers. The ability to choose beers that fit the Philadelphia market, introduce approved menu items and adapt the concept to the neighborhood has helped the restaurant establish its own identity while remaining true to The Brass Tap’s brand.
As the business enters its second full year, the Du Plooys want The Brass Tap to continue growing its reputation throughout Philadelphia. Their goal is to make the restaurant the first place people think of when they're looking for a sporting event, a private party or simply a neighborhood bar where they know they'll be welcomed.
"We want to continue to grow and continue building more of a customer base," Izak said. "We want to keep pushing the events, be the go-to bar when people want to watch a certain sporting event and be the place people think of when they want to host an event. We just want to keep growing the name and keep building those relationships."
To find out more information on costs to buy this franchise, please visit https://1851franchise.com/brasstap/info.
The Brass Tap
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Izak and Danielle Du Plooy customized their smaller-format The Brass Tap for the Manayunk community, creating a neighborhood destination through local events and strong customer relationships.
Izak Du Plooy and his wife, Danielle, wanted to own a restaurant and bar for years. Danielle worked as a physician assistant while Izak built a career in cybersecurity, but they continued looking for an opportunity to become business owners. After finding a location in Philadelphia's Manayunk neighborhood, they searched for a concept that fit both the space and the community. That search led them to The Brass Tap, the 50-plus-unit American tavern franchise.
“Once we met with them and spoke to them, it just seemed perfect for what we were looking for,” Izak Du Plooy said. “We thought a craft beer bar would be perfect for Manayunk because it's a very social area."
The couple also appreciated that The Brass Tap offered the structure of a franchise while allowing owners to adapt their business to their local market. That flexibility became especially important because their Philadelphia location is much smaller than a typical The Brass Tap.
"We were looking for a franchise that didn't have really strict guidelines as far as menu items and beer," Danielle Du Plooy said. "They let us choose our own beers based on what works best for our clientele. We're also not one of their normal sites. Usually, the bars have about 100 beers on tap and big outdoor spaces. We're a small corner bar in Philadelphia with about 30 beers on tap, so we were excited that they were willing to work with us."
Like many new restaurants, the first few months required patience. Parking in Manayunk made it difficult to attract visitors from outside the neighborhood, and the owners had to introduce themselves to a market filled with restaurants and bars. Over time, regular customers began returning, and word-of-mouth started bringing new people in.
"In the beginning, we were just a bar starting up," Izak said. “Over time, though, we built up a really good local crowd because we're very much a walk-up bar. I'm South African, so we started showing a lot of South African sports, and we built up a pretty good crowd around that as well. What started as a pretty quiet little bar is now thriving.”
Creating a destination became another focus during the first year. The restaurant hosted trivia nights, themed events and sports watch parties while also promoting private events in its dining room for birthdays, graduations and other celebrations.
"The beginning of this summer has been pretty successful just because of the clientele we've already built," Danielle said. "With the FIFA World Cup and everything going on, people are coming back, and we're seeing those relationships pay off."
The Du Plooys believe the restaurant's biggest success has come from making customers feel like part of the business. One group of regulars even calls themselves "The Tappers" and has formed a kickball team together. The owners also sponsor local sports clubs throughout Philadelphia, creating connections that extend beyond the restaurant.
"I think developing relationships with clients has been one of the biggest keys to our success," Izak said. "If people ask us to put on a certain game or something, we really try to accommodate everybody. We sponsor various teams in Philadelphia, and those teams have built relationships with Danielle and me. It's nice helping them because these clubs need funding, and then they'll come in and support us during sporting events."
Throughout the first year, Du Plooy says The Brass Tap’s corporate team provided guidance while allowing franchisees to make decisions based on their own markets.
"They've been really awesome in guiding us, giving us tips and telling us where they see issues that we can easily fix," he said. "They genuinely worked with us when things were slow and helped us get people in the door. If I have ideas for a new menu item, they give me the option to add that as long as we go through the right steps."
That same flexibility extends to the beer program and seasonal offerings, allowing the Du Plooys to tailor the business to the preferences of their local customers. The ability to choose beers that fit the Philadelphia market, introduce approved menu items and adapt the concept to the neighborhood has helped the restaurant establish its own identity while remaining true to The Brass Tap’s brand.
As the business enters its second full year, the Du Plooys want The Brass Tap to continue growing its reputation throughout Philadelphia. Their goal is to make the restaurant the first place people think of when they're looking for a sporting event, a private party or simply a neighborhood bar where they know they'll be welcomed.
"We want to continue to grow and continue building more of a customer base," Izak said. "We want to keep pushing the events, be the go-to bar when people want to watch a certain sporting event and be the place people think of when they want to host an event. We just want to keep growing the name and keep building those relationships."
To find out more information on costs to buy this franchise, please visit https://1851franchise.com/brasstap/info.
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