Two Food Industry Experts Talk about the Challenges of Starting a Kitchen in your Brewery
Wed Feb 04 2026
Starting or maintaining a kitchen in your brewery is challenging...and that's an understatement. But a lot of the data is showing that adding or maintaining food options ( beside a small bag of pretzels) is key to longevity and profitability. But many brewers are finding that instead of being in the brewery business, they are now in the hospitality business and they never thought they would have a restaurant or Kitchen.
We talk with Alexis & Scott from JBH Advisory about all the things that someone should be looking into before opening their kitchen. Staff, equipment, layout, menu, and more. The good news is that running a restaurant is a well worn business model and there are lot of lessons learned. The bad news, learning those lessons while operating your business can be extremely costly and end up costing you the business if you are not careful.
Dan Klasen, Founder of Beverage Federation. Years of experience now in craft beverage space, Dan has been helping breweries with their buying decisions. Dan will be asking our experts the questions he has been getting for years on when and how should I open up a kitchen in my brewery.
Scott Swiger, VP of business development and Brian Berger, principal at JBH Advisory Group. With 40 years of restaurant and food service experience between the two of them, they have been helping owners stand up kitchens for years.
The JBH Advisory Group is comprised of seasoned professionals with a deep and unique understanding of the hospitality, contract services and support services sectors. Their team experience is broad, ranging from hospital food & nutrition to restaurant transactional due diligence; from restaurant concept development to environmental services. Their specialists in their areas of expertise, including skills such as cost management, labor analysis, operational efficiencies and service excellence.
Stay up to date with CBP: http://update.craftbeerprofessionals.org
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Starting or maintaining a kitchen in your brewery is challenging...and that's an understatement. But a lot of the data is showing that adding or maintaining food options ( beside a small bag of pretzels) is key to longevity and profitability. But many brewers are finding that instead of being in the brewery business, they are now in the hospitality business and they never thought they would have a restaurant or Kitchen. We talk with Alexis & Scott from JBH Advisory about all the things that someone should be looking into before opening their kitchen. Staff, equipment, layout, menu, and more. The good news is that running a restaurant is a well worn business model and there are lot of lessons learned. The bad news, learning those lessons while operating your business can be extremely costly and end up costing you the business if you are not careful. Dan Klasen, Founder of Beverage Federation. Years of experience now in craft beverage space, Dan has been helping breweries with their buying decisions. Dan will be asking our experts the questions he has been getting for years on when and how should I open up a kitchen in my brewery. Scott Swiger, VP of business development and Brian Berger, principal at JBH Advisory Group. With 40 years of restaurant and food service experience between the two of them, they have been helping owners stand up kitchens for years. The JBH Advisory Group is comprised of seasoned professionals with a deep and unique understanding of the hospitality, contract services and support services sectors. Their team experience is broad, ranging from hospital food & nutrition to restaurant transactional due diligence; from restaurant concept development to environmental services. Their specialists in their areas of expertise, including skills such as cost management, labor analysis, operational efficiencies and service excellence. Stay up to date with CBP: http://update.craftbeerprofessionals.org