What Taprooms Learned In 2025 & How Your Brewery Can Win In 2026

Another year has flown by. But before you dive headfirst into optimizing your brewery operations in 2026, let’s look back at 2025 to see what worked for growing breweries. 

The following tips are curated based on data from real Arryved merchants. You’ll find proven strategies that improved guest experiences, streamlined operations, and boosted brewery profitability. 

Insight #1: Peak-Day Planning Increases Pints Poured

This past year proved that taproom traffic is becoming more concentrated around key moments. These times can vary by brewery: It might be fairly typical, like weekends, or maybe your brewery’s Tuesday Bingo Night is popular. Whatever the case may be, it’s useful to plan your operations around these peak hours. 

Over 38.4 million pints were poured in 2025. According to Arryved data, spikes in traffic correlate directly to spikes in pints sold. So, it’s increasingly important to ensure your taproom operations are also running at peak performance during these spikes.

Here’s your homework:

• Identify when exactly your taproom experienced the most traffic in 2025, and expect the same this year. POS reports like Arryved’s Sales By Day make it easy to spot these periods. You can even get more granular with an Hourly Sales By Product report!
• Once you know your traffic expectations, plan accordingly. For Happy Hours, you may need to staff up in the kitchen and on the floor. Maybe your buffalo wings are popular during lunch, and not ordered as often during dinner. A well-prepared taproom improves operations and entices your guests to stay longer, order more, and even invite their friends for next time!

Insight #2: Plan Ahead for Classic Beer-Drinking Holidays

Speaking of peak traffic periods, it’s important to plan for the holidays that pair well with beer in addition to your day-to-day traffic predictions. And we’re not just talking about operational planning!

In 2025, St. Patrick’s Day weekend proved to be the busiest holiday for breweries. Saturday, March 15th, in particular, sold nearly 600,000 drinks alone across all Arryved merchants. So even if your brewery isn’t an Irish pub, this holiday attracts folks on the lookout for great beer!

In addition to planning staffing and supplies, breweries in 2026 need to prepare growth strategies for these known drinking holidays. Here are some holiday strategies that taprooms had success with this year:

• Create buzz around your membership programs. If your brewery doesn’t have a membership program yet, a holiday is a great time to generate hype around launching one! When guests are having fun in a packed taproom, they’re more likely to sign up and spread the word. Cha-ching!

Not sure where to start on a loyalty program? Power your very own app using the Arryved x Tapwyse membership programs. Leave the heavy lifting to the experts, so your brewery can focus on driving loyalty, recurring revenue, and taproom visits.

• Consider merchandise that sells well on holidays. Perhaps your staff rocks a green branded shirt around the taproom during St. Patty’s weekend. This increases eyes and sales on your merch, especially if it correlates to the holiday being celebrated!
• Offer special deals and discounts on holidays. Whether it’s on draught beer, merchandise, or six-packs to-go, holidays are a great time to boost tab size. Feel free to experiment with deals during your peak traffic days, too!

Insight #3: Flexible Service Models Drive Higher Tabs and Revenue

Modern taprooms prove that flexible service models worked in 2025. In fact, 34.9 million tabs were opened last year among Arryved merchants. This includes tabs opened at the bar, mobile POS tableside, and via QR codes. 

Tab-based workflows that adapt to traffic spikes are a must for growing taprooms. The more speed and flexibility you offer guests, the more guests order! Here are tools worth investing in that support flexible service models: 

Mobile POS devices: Mobile POS supports the fast pace of taprooms by allowing roaming servers to take orders from anywhere on-site. Synced devices save servers both time and steps: They don’t have to run back and forth from the bar just to relay orders! Guests appreciate getting their thirst quenched quickly, and the savviest of mobile POS systems improve experiences with other features, too:

• Pay in a variety of ways: Digital wallets are all the rage nowadays, and the best mobile POS accepts a wide variety of payment methods. 
• Don’t hold on to credit cards: If guests do pay with a physical card, all it takes is one tap, dip, or swipe to start a tab, and they get the card right back. (Staff love not babysitting a Rolodex, too!)
• Get suds off-site: Mobile POS empowers your team to go to off-site events. Set yourself up at a farmer’s market and say hello to a new revenue stream!

QR code ordering: Add even more flexibility to the ordering process by letting guests order on their own devices! QR codes have revolutionized taprooms by eliminating lines and boosting tab sizes. Tools like OpenTab allow guests to flex between ordering on their phones and with servers. Since all taproom devices are synced, guests can add to their tab in a number of ways. 

“[QR Codes] are a revenue driver. I’ve never seen it not work that way.” Adriane Hodges, Owner at Bold Republic Brewing Co.

Insight #4: Guests Continue to Reward Great Service with Great Tips

This data is a relief: Arryved saw an average tip rate of 21.36% in 2025. So while supply costs rise and prices tend to follow, your team will be glad to hear that guests still shell out for exceptional taproom service. 

So how can you support that trend in your own brewery? Protect the guest experience and empower your staff with tools that support fast checkout and clear tipping prompts.

Insight #5: Business Stability Translates Directly to Brewery Growth

Oftentimes, breweries need cash in order to make more money. Flexible access to capital lets you reinvest in your business and better support your team. Simplified financing was especially popular in 2025. In fact, $7 million in Arryved Capital funding originated last year. 

So whether it’s staffing, equipment, or other taproom upgrades, plan ahead for strategic investments in 2026. That way, your brewery has the capital available when growth opportunities present themselves. Don’t wait until your needs are urgent!

Insight #6: Follow Your Data Instead of Your Gut

As a brewery operator, you’re an expert in the good stuff: beer. So when it comes to optimizing other parts of your business, like online solutions, it’s OK to trust the experts in that field. 

Parish Brewing began using Arryved Web Solutions when it was clear their old website couldn’t keep up with demand from their loyal fans. They needed a beer-specific platform for eCommerce that could handle big drops, pick-up orders, and DTC shipping all at once. By working with the data gurus, Parish can run major sales with confidence: They sell up to 200 cases in a single day!

So while your gut instincts may have led you to the Lager that guests can’t stop sipping, let performance insights guide your operational changes in 2026. Teams like Arryved’s rely on real data and learnings from other breweries in order to maximize success for taprooms like yours!

Go Forth and Prosper in 2026

Follow these trends, and you’ll hit the ground running in 2026! If you need a system with the right tools, integrations, and team to boost profitability, chat with a friendly face at Arryved.