Local Philadelphians Bring The Brass Tap to Manayunk this Fall

Danielle and Izak Du Plooy love Philadelphia, and they love entertaining. Having been part of the city’s social scene for some time, the pair are now introducing their own business where locals and visitors can gather and enjoy great food and drinks: The Brass Tap*. 

Because Philadelphia has such a unique food culture, Danielle and Izak didn’t want to bring just anything to the market. They decided to open The Brass Tap because it gave them the opportunity to create a customizable experience and the potential to host exciting events the whole community can enjoy. 

1851 Franchise spoke with the Du Plooys to learn more about their franchise journey with The Brass Tap. 

1851 Franchise: Frame your personal story for us. What did you do before franchising, and how did you decide franchising made sense for you?

Danielle: To give us a bit of supplemental income on top of both of our nine to five jobs, we got into real estate investing a few years ago. As a part of that, we bought a building located in Manayunk, Philadelphia, which included a bar space. We initially rented that out to tenants, but what we were really interested in was opening our own bar and restaurant. After their lease ended, we decided to look into different franchises because of the successful business model and help getting started. When we came across The Brass Tap and saw everything they had to offer, it looked really great. The Philadelphia area loves its growing craft beer industry. They also love good food and entertainment, so we really liked that The Brass Tap offered different trivia nights and events like that. 

1851: What was your perception of franchising prior to becoming a franchisee, and what do you want people to know about franchising now that you are in it?

Izak: We have friends that have multiple franchises, and through their experience, we have seen that it's a way better model than trying to start your own restaurant. They have a formula that works. When we flew down to meet with The Bass Tap team, we were pretty much on board since day one. They really helped us out. Any time we have questions, we can approach them. They’ve seen it all because they’ve been in the industry for so long, so that’s the biggest reason why we wanted to be a part of a franchise. 

Danielle: One of my hesitations was that I wasn't sure how it would fit in the Philadelphia area, because Philadelphia is so unique when it comes to the food experience. People don’t usually want to go to a chain restaurant in a city like this. So something that surprised me when I started researching it was that there are a lot of unique franchises, especially The Brass Tap, that a lot of people aren't aware of. They cater their menu to the local area, which is something I really liked about them. We already brought up some special Philadelphia ideas that we can incorporate to attract locals, and they have been super supportive of those ideas.

1851: What made you pick this brand? What excites you most about this company?

Danielle: I think something that really excited me was when we met with them and saw how open they are to our ideas. My husband's a Philadelphia rugby coach, and because of this, he knows that there's a big need for rugby viewing, for example. We brought that up and ran it by them to see if that would be something they were open to, and they were very receptive. I like how they aren’t a franchise that is so rigid in their ways.

1851: What do you hope to achieve with your business? What are your plans for growth? 

Danielle: We hope to become a place that a lot of the locals are familiar with and like to stop in during the week. And then on the weekends we hope to reach the surrounding suburbs in New Jersey and other parts of Philadelphia. Even though we're a smaller place, I hope that it'll be a revolving door of customers going in and out. We definitely want to try to keep the menu fresh and have different events all the time to keep it new and exciting. 

1851: What is the one thing about your story you want us to know?

Danielle: We really love the Philadelphia area, and it is really exciting for us to be able to be a part of the social scene. We're really involved in it. Izak coaches, and we love being around people and entertaining. So we really want to bring that to our restaurant. We really hope that Philadelphians will enjoy that, and that it can be a fun experience, as well as a business venture. 

1851: What advice do you have for other people thinking about becoming a franchise owner?

Danielle: When I was looking over the website, some of the financial and other requirements initially scared me, but I would definitely recommend reaching out to the franchise. They were very receptive and willing to work with us. Even though we didn't hit all their requirements on the dot, because we had the bar space already, along with other unique assets, like the young demographics in our area, they really were excited about working with us.