Beverage Dynamics

www.beveragedynamics.com Digital Edition Exclusive • Beverage Dynamics 2 STAFFING PRIORITIES A skilled staff is a primary point of differentiation. "It's always great when you find someone who has knowledge of the craft beer industry. However, most important to us are people who understand the retail industry," says Jason Daniels of Half Time Beverage. With two New York locations, the beer-centered stores boast "the world's largest selection of beer." "You can always teach beer," Daniels says. "However, you can't teach how to be hospitable, to interact with customers, to walk patrons around the store, to showcase what our talents are." An employee with a passion for interacting with the public, Daniels feels, will be skilled at dealing with the whole range of customers who visit Half Time. "We want to be the all-encom- passing place where everybody feels comfortable, from the mom with the three kids, two standing in the shopping cart, to the painter who just got off work and wants to buy a 36-pack of Bud- weiser and one really nice bottle of Belgian beer, to the beer geek who comes in for one special can, and if it's not here, he leaves." The Craft Beer Cellar weighs qualifications differently when it comes to new hires. The company comprises 31 specialty stores across 13 states, a franchise system founded by Suzanne Scha- low and Kate Baker in 2010. The company's guiding "trinity" is "amazing beer, hospitality and education," but the hiring process starts with education, according to Schalow. "All staff members across the franchise are Certified Beer Serv- ers or BJCP Judges," Schalow says, referring to the first level of the four-tier Cicerone program, designed for beer service profession- als, and the Beer Judge Certification Program, which trains judges to evaluate entries in brewing competitions. Schalow and Baker have themselves qualified for the second level of the Cicerone program, and will sit the exam for the third level late this spring. Their hiring process begins with a 500-word written assign- ment, on a deadline. "It tells us a bunch of things," says Schalow. "Can they follow directions? Do they need to be told what to write about? Some of them will be late. For one reason or another, you can knock your applicant pool in half." The next stage is "rapid-fire" questions, which cull the appli- cant pool further, and, finally, a group interview. The process, which is replicated across the franchise, nets "amazing people." Unlike traditional franchises, which sell access to bulk prod- ucts, Craft Beer Cellar must contend with state-based alcohol laws and distribution networks that make such bulk purchases impossible. Instead, the company shares with franchisees the name, identity, philosophy and operations - such as hiring - that have been tested at the flagship store in Belmont, Massachusetts. COURTING THE BEER GEEKS Hazel's Beverage World is the largest liquor store in Boulder, Col- orado. The town supports 20 breweries and is home to the Brew- ers' Association (the trade association for small breweries), so the level of beer sophistication is high. Social media has become an essential component for contacting customers before they even enter the business. Mike Barton, the assistant beer manager at Hazel's, looks to the marketing team for outreach. "Facebook seems to be our big- gest method," he says. "I've got a lot of my beer nerds that just come in after they read something and chitchat with us a lot." Hazel's publishes its own quarterly magazine, available online, devoted to beverage alcohol of all varieties. Beer columns edu- cate customers about emerging styles and trends, while features suggest recipes, gift ideas and themes for entertaining that incor- porate food and drink. The store's loyalty program, the ZCard, connects members to news about special events and tastings, as well as awarding "frequent flyer miles"(the store's theme features vintage planes) and discounts. At Half Time, Daniels says, "We have a full-time marketing and social media guru in-house who spends quite a bit of time each week putting together email blasts, flyers, campaigns and social media shout-outs, and geo-targeting certain customers." He cautions, however, against too narrow a focus that follows the tastes of the most specialized consumers. "On social media, the driving force is that 1% of 1%," of beer drinkers," he says. "The 99% is saying, 'I just want to go to a store and get a couple of six packs of good beer.'" Other forms of outreach have broader appeal and can com- plement social media blasts. Half Time hosts the Harbor Island International Beer Festival, now in its fourth year. "It's one of the single largest international beer festivals on the eastern seaboard," Daniels says. The 2016 event featured more than 200 breweries, and attracted thousands of beer drinkers.

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