The hospitality business has been hit so hard by the pandemic that a quarter of restaurants in America may go out of business according to an article in The Drinks Business. Given that the “long-tail” of craft breweries in the country rely on the on-premise tap room sales, the predictions could portent a drop-off of similar proportions in the brewing industry.
Many states are beginning to allow restaurants and brewpubs to reopen, but with many restrictions including reduced seating. Brewery tap rooms often fall into a different category than restaurants and are not allowed to reopen until bars and taverns do. Once breweries are allowed to open for on-premise sales, the question remains if customers will be comfortable enough to go out and if the economic conditions and high unemployment will reduce spending.