Wood-Fired Pizza + Craft Beer = Smokin’ Oak Wood-Fired Pizza & Taproom
Craft beer lovers will be celebrating in several cities in 2020 and 2021 as Smokin’ Oak Wood-Fired Pizza announces its new taproom concept. The first location in Omaha, NE will be opening in early Fall of this year. The taproom concept is an optional feature for those Franchisees who wish to expand their craft beer offering.
“This is great for Guests who want to sample several beers, as they can pour as little as an ounce, or for those that have their local favorites and have a full pint or two along with our amazing wood-fired pizza,” said Matt Mongoven, CEO of Smokin’ Oak Wood-Fired Pizza.
Streamlining the process was of upmost importance, especially in a fast casual restaurant environment. Guests using the beer wall provide an ID and credit card to open their tab, and are then given an RFID bracelet. They then tap their bracelet against a beer on the wall, which activates the tap for that beer. When the Guest is finished, they go back to a dedicated terminal and cash out.
“A Smokin’ Oak Wood-Fired Pizza & Taproom restaurant is typically around 3,000 – 3,500 square feet and has between 25-50 beers on the wall”, said Mongoven. “We’ve attracted new Franchise Partners with this concept, but we’ve also had huge interest from our existing Franchisees who are opening additional locations, and are excited to diversify by providing a self-serve beer wall.
Not only does it provide a greater, more unique Guest experience, but it also provides an additional revenue stream for our Franchisees”, Mongoven said.
In a case study by iPourIt, a leading supplier of self serve beer walls, fast casual concepts with a self serve beer wall see a 15% alcohol to food sales, compared to the industry average of 4-6%. In addition, the industry average keg yield is 75%, meaning operators are losing 24% of profits from keg loss due to over pours, pouring the wrong beer, etc. The iPourIt self-pour beverage dispense technology virtually eliminates that keg loss to 2%, giving operators a keg yield of 98%.
“We’re always looking to complement our amazing wood-fired pizza, and for ways to enhance the Guest experience, and the self-serve beer wall is going to be a home run for our Guest and our Franchisees ”, added Mongoven.
About Smokin’ Oak Wood-Fired Pizza
Founded in 2009 and franchising since 2017, Smokin’ Oak Wood-Fired Pizza is a fast-casual franchise concept that serves authentic and wood-fired pizzas. All pizzas are baked in a 900-degree wood-fired oven, which cooks pizzas to perfection in just 90 seconds. The brand uses only the freshest ingredients on all its menu items, in fact, none of Smokin’ Oak Pizza’s restaurants have a freezer in them. Customers can customize their own pizza by choosing a variety of Smokin’ Oak Pizza’s 35 toppings or choosing from one of the brand’s 12 signature pizzas, which include favorites like the Buffalo Chicken Pizza and the Smokey Dokey. The brand also offers delicious sandwiches, salads, and desserts.
