In the marketing tradition of celebrating locally born products, Whole Foods is soon to serve homegrown bottled and draft beer at On Tap, a new bar at its Time Warner Center location in New York City.
On Tap will be located next to the supermarket chain’s registers and will feature labels predominantly from New York breweries like Brooklyn Brewery, Blue Point Brewing Co. and Ithaca Beer Co. It will also offer wines by the glass and various pub food items like hot dogs, chili and pulled pork.
On Tap is not a new idea. It has been tested (and approved) in Austin, TX and is moving East.
USA Today reports that, “Coming out of the recession, people are looking for affordable luxuries and more intimate experiences.
If nothing else, bars in Whole Foods would be a relatively low-cost way to make a lot of money, grocery industry analysts say. Not only will it lure more folks into the store, but it also will likely keep them there longer and boost highly profitable sales of wine and beer.”
A beer and wine bar on the premises “can lift the entire experience of shopping,” says Kate Newlin, a business strategy consultant. The one risk, she warns, “is if it takes on a life of its own” and gets rowdy.