At The Brass Tap, the 50-plus-unit upscale American tavern franchise, menu innovation starts with listening. The brand gathers feedback across multiple channels to better understand what guests want, then uses those insights alongside broader industry trends to shape new food, beverage and promotional offerings.

“Listening to our guests is very, very key,” said Heather Boggs, chief marketing officer of The Brass Tap. “It builds trust with our guests and with our franchisees to make sure we’re doing the right things and giving them what they want.”

The Brass Tap collects feedback through online reviews, social media, loyalty data and conversations taking place inside its restaurants. Franchisees also provide another direct connection to customers and can share what they are hearing in their individual markets.

On the digital side, the brand uses a platform that brings online reputation data from sites such as Google and Yelp into a single dashboard. The Brass Tap also surveys members of its loyalty program, including both customers who use certain offerings and those who do not.

“We actively collect guest feedback through online reviews, social media, loyalty data and restaurant-level conversations through our franchisees,” Boggs said. “As I’m looking at future menu innovation, we’ll send out surveys to our loyalty members, users and nonusers.”

That information goes back to the corporate team, where marketing leaders, culinary experts, and other departments can use it to help determine what comes next. Customer feedback is considered alongside market research and data on emerging trends, giving the brand multiple sources of information as it develops its marketing calendar and menu pipeline.

One of the clearest recent examples has come from the beverage side of the business. The Brass Tap has seen increased interest in nonalcoholic and low-alcohol drinks through both customer feedback and broader market research. 

“From consumers and market research, we’ve seen a lot of nonalcoholic or low-alcohol requests,” Boggs said. “We've more than doubled the number of options, expanding from just a few to eight to 10."

Creating New Reasons for Guests to Visit

While customer feedback helps shape the core menu, The Brass Tap also keeps guests engaged through limited-time offers, or LTOs. Each promotion typically combines food and beverages around a central theme. That allows The Brass Tap to introduce something different without moving away from the food, drinks and atmosphere customers already associate with the brand.

“Guests always want something new, but they do divert back to the main menu,” Boggs said. “We do at least three LTOs a year just to give consumers and franchisees something new to look forward to.”

One of the brand’s most successful recent examples was a summer luau promotion. The LTO included themed food and beverages, but individual franchisees took the concept further by hosting luau parties, themed Friday happy hours and Hawaii-inspired trivia.

“It just gets people excited,” Boggs said. “It’s an activation, something new going on.”

That approach gives franchisees a ready-made promotion while leaving room for them to bring it to life in ways that make sense for their restaurants.

Helping Franchisees Market New Offerings Locally

The Brass Tap’s marketing support extends beyond developing national promotions. Local store marketing is emphasized from the beginning of the franchisee journey, with owners encouraged to build relationships outside the restaurant and look for opportunities to become part of their communities.

“We teach and preach that from day one, how you can get outside of your four walls and support your local communities,” Boggs said. “Whether it’s a car dealership or the local dentist’s office, what do they need and how can we support them?”

Instead of assuming the same local marketing plan will work in every market, the corporate team can help franchisees develop strategies around the needs and opportunities in their communities.

“We’ll build a marketing plan around their local market versus us saying, ‘Here’s a cookie-cutter approach that works,’” Boggs said. “It’s more listening to our guests and our customers and our franchisees and seeing what they need.”

That local flexibility can also help franchisees promote the new menu items, LTOs and events being developed at the brand level. Corporate marketing provides the larger platform and promotional ideas, while franchisees can find the local connections that make those initiatives relevant in their individual markets.

Listening Today to Shape What Comes Next

By continually gathering feedback, testing new ideas and supporting franchisees at the local level, The Brass Tap has created a process that keeps customers involved in what comes next. The result is a brand that can introduce fresh offerings while maintaining the experience that keeps guests coming back.

To find out more information on costs to buy this franchise, please visit https://1851franchise.com/brasstap/info.