With 46 open locations across the system and another 40 stores in development, The Brass Tap has seen tremendous growth over the past few years. Most recently, the craft beer franchise has set its sights on the state of Georgia.

Pooler, Georgia resident Neal Patel signed a 5-unit deal with The Brass Tap to open restaurants around greater Savannah. 

After owning and later selling multiple Lenny’s Subs locations, Patel went on to open Broughton Market. Nestled in Savannah’s historic district, Broughton Market is a high-end convenience store with over 300 labels of craft beer and wines. Patel grew his footprint to three stores under the Broughton Market name before he and a business partner signed on to open a gas station in Parcel 11 of Savannah’s popular Tanger Outlets. Tanger representatives approached Patel about purchasing a second lot, and he initially was interested in opening a cafe or wine bar. That was, until he discovered The Brass Tap. 

“I have been selling craft beer to customers in the Pooler area through Broughton Market for years,” said Patel. “As I have come to grow my passion for beer, I have seen residents in the area do the same. They’re continuously looking for new variants to try out. After visiting The Brass Tap in Atlanta, it was clear that the business model was perfect for the Savannah area and that I wanted to build that footprint.”

Patel was sold—so much so that he even filled out an ownership application before leaving from the visit.

“Savannah is a big craft beer market, the host of the second largest St. Patrick’s Day parade and we have an open container policy for the historic district,” said Patel.” Our goal is to develop in Pooler first, then come from Pooler to Beaufort to the historic district in Savannah. In Pooler we get a lot of traffic from the nearby airport and we’re also close to Golf Stream, which is the largest employer in the area. It’s big for development and has a growing population. We signed on for a five-unit contract with locations across four counties — three in Georgia and one in South Carolina. We’re in the design phase for the Tanger location in Pooler right now. We also went to Beaufort recently to scout locations with a realtor. As soon as we finish construction on the Tanger Outlet location, we want to target and develop Beaufort.”

Overall, the move into Savannah will be a big opportunity for the brand to expand its presence in the South already having locations throughout the state of Florida, including Orlando, Tampa, Miami and Tallahassee as well as Charlotte, NC, Myrtle Beach, SC, Huntsville, AL and Atlanta, GA. 

“Savannah is a perfect market for us,” said Jamie Cecil, Vice President of Franchise Development for The Brass Tap. “The growing craft beer scene, overall population and proximity to other prime markets gives us an opportunity to continue grabbing market share. We are excited to get into a new town in Georgia and with someone who has strong business experience and a passion for the craft beer space.  

Patel and the team at The Brass Tap are already moving forward on opening the first location and are planning to open one new location each year. 

Ultimately, Patel wants to work closely with local brewers in the market to get new beers on tap on a rotating basis while also planning tasting events for local residents. 

“Bottle shares are very popular in the craft beer space, especially in Savannah,” said Patel. “These events allow craft beer enthusiasts to share rare beers and/or some of their favorites with each other in order to try new variants. I am looking forward to hosting beer pairing events as well as providing opportunities for local beer enthusiasts to share new craft beers they find.” 

In addition to entering a new market, the restaurant brand will be rolling out a new design for Patel’s first location.

“The first Savannah location will be exciting for us as it will include a rooftop bar,” said Cecil.” This will be the first rooftop bar for The Brass Tap and something we will look to duplicate in other locations in the future. The bar will also include a full kitchen. Overall, the new food menu has improved revenue, with food sales being an average of 35% across locations. Some of the items on the menu include prime ribs nachos, prime rib sandwiches and gourmet burgers made with chuck, brisket and short ribs. 

The initial start-up investment for a single-unit deal of The Brass Tap ranges between $780,700 to $1,318,30 and has a franchise fee of $37,500. To learn more about franchise opportunities with The Brass Tap, visit https://thebrasstapfranchise.com/.