Start a Brass Tap Franchise in 2024

Franchise 500 Rank: N/R Not ranked last year

Initial investment: $781K - $1.3M

Units as of 2020: 41 12% over 3 years

Founded in 2007 and beginning to franchise in 2010, Brass Tap strives to offer exemplary services in different categories. Brass Tap may be more than an ordinary beer franchise. They offer in-house barrel-aged bourbons, handcrafted cocktails, craft beers, water faucets, and more.

The company offers various franchise opportunities, with each franchisee occupying a particular niche, and the company continues to look to build franchises throughout the United States.

Why You May Want to Start a Brass Tap Franchise

Brass Tap utilizes franchise advisors; the brand will provide this service for free from start to finish during the franchising process. Brass Tap also offers training to help get you on your feet. You will be required to attend multiple dozens of hours of on-the-job training and a classroom training of about slightly more than one dozen hours. Franchisees may need to complete an additional training multi-hour session at corporate before starting their franchise location.

To ensure that there is a reduction in the challenges you might face, Brass Tap has an ongoing support plan which includes purchasing co-ops, field operations, lease negotiations, online support, security and safety procedures, meetings, proprietary software, franchisee intranet platform, newsletter, site selection, and toll-free line. Their marketing support plans include co-op advertising, website development, ad templates, loyalty program app, email marketing, regional advertising, social media, and search engine optimization.

Although there's no mobile unit applicable to this franchise, absentee ownership is allowed with an exclusive territory available. With an exclusive territory, no other Brass Tap franchisee is permitted to operate in your jurisdiction. In addition, there are only several employees needed to run the business, making it easier to manage.

What Might Make a Brass Tap a Good Choice

Brass Tap has been ranked in Entrepreneur's Franchise 500 multiple times. The ranking is based on an evaluation of more than 150 data points in the areas of costs and fees, size and growth, franchisee support, brand strength, and financial strength and stability.

To be part of the Brass Tap team, you should make sure you're financially ready for an initial investment made up of a franchise fee and other startup costs. You should also prepare yourself for ongoing fees that will include advertising, royalty, and potential renewal fees. Franchisees will also need to meet the company's set net worth and liquid capital requirements.

If you open a Brass Tap franchise, a franchise agreement is typically good for ten years, and you may renew the agreement after that for an additional time frame.

How To Start a Brass Tap Franchise

As you make your decision to open a Brass Tap franchise, make sure you take time to explore the opportunity. Research the brand and your local area to see if a Brass Tap franchise would do well in your community. While competition is healthy, too much of it may not allow for the most possible growth.

Becoming a Brass Tap franchisee is relatively simple; start by submitting a franchise request form. If you are seen as a good fit, a franchise representative may reach out to you to begin the franchising process.

Soon, you may find yourself owning and operating your very own Brass Tap franchise.

Company Overview

About Brass Tap

Industry	Food
Related Categories	Sports Bars/Pubs, Miscellaneous Full-Service Restaurants
Founded	2008
Parent Company	FSC Franchise Co.
Leadership	Chris Elliott, CEO
Corporate Address	5660 W. Cypress St. Tampa, FL 33607
Social	Facebook, Twitter, Instagram

Business Overview

Franchising Since	2010 (14 years)
# of employees at HQ	35
# of Units	41 (as of 2020)

Information for Franchisees

Here's what you need to know if you're interested in opening a Brass Tap franchise.

Financial Requirements & Ongoing Fees

Here's what you can expect to spend to start the business and what ongoing fees the franchisor charges throughout the life of the business.

Initial Franchise Fee Definition: The initial fee paid to a franchisor to join their system What you need to know: Found in Item 5 of the FDD, this may be a flat fee, or may vary based on territory size, experience, or other factors.The franchise fee is an up-front (one-time) cost that a new franchisee pays to the franchisor. This fee is usually due at the signing of the franchise agreement and covers the right to use the franchisor's trademarks, name, and related business systems.	$37,500
Initial Investment Definition: The total amount necessary to begin operation of the franchise What you need to know: The initial investment includes the franchise fee, along with other startup expenses such as real estate, equipment, supplies, business licenses, and working capital. This is outlined in a chart in Item 7 of the FDD, showing a range of possible costs from low to high.	$780,925 - $1,318,525
Net Worth Requirement Definition: The minimum net worth you must have in order to qualify to become a franchisee of this company What you need to know: Net worth is the value of a person's assets minus liabilities. Assets include cash, stocks, retirement accounts, and real estate. Liabilities include items like mortgages, car payments, and credit card debt.	$500,000
Cash Requirement Definition: The minimum liquid capital you must have available in order to qualify to become a franchisee of this company.	$250,000
Veteran Incentives Definition: A discount or other incentive offered to military veterans who buy a franchise with this company.	10% off franchise fee
Royalty Fee Definition: A ongoing fee paid to the franchisor on a regular basis. What you need to know: Most franchisors require franchisees to pay an ongoing royalty fee, which is detailed in Item 6 of the FDD. This fee is typically a percentage of weekly or monthly gross sales, but may also be a flat weekly, monthly, or annual fee.	4%
Ad Royalty Fee Definition: An going fee paid to the franchisor on a regular basis to support advertising or marketing efforts. What you need to know: This may also be called advertising fee, marketing fee, brand fund fee, and more, but the basic purpose is the same-- to support promotion of the brand systemwide. As with the royalty fee, it is detailed in Item 6 of the FDD, and can be a percentage of weekly or monthly gross sales or a weekly, monthly, or annual fee.	1.5%
Term of Agreement Definition: The length of time your franchise agreement will last. What you need to know: Franchise terms are typically anywhere from 5 to 20 years in length, but are sometimes instead dependent on factors such as the term of your lease. Once your term is up, you may have the option to renew your agreement, typically for a smaller fee than the original franchise fee.	10 years
Is franchise term renewable?	Yes

Financing Options

Some franchisors offer in-house financing, while others have relationships with third-party financing sources to which they refer qualified franchisees.

Third Party Financing	Brass Tap has relationships with third-party sources which offer financing to cover the following: startup costs, equipment, inventory

Training & Support Offered

Franchisors offer initial training programs and a variety of ongoing support options to help franchisees run their businesses.

On-The-Job Training	80 hours
Classroom Training	20 hours
Ongoing Support	Purchasing Co-ops Newsletter Meetings & Conventions Toll-Free Line Grand Opening Online Support Security & Safety Procedures Lease Negotiation Field Operations Site Selection Proprietary Software Franchisee Intranet Platform
Marketing Support	Co-op Advertising Ad Templates Regional Advertising Social Media SEO Website Development Email Marketing Loyalty Program/App

Operations

Additional details about running this franchise.

Is absentee ownership allowed?	Yes
Can this franchise be run from home/mobile unit? Definition: The business can be run from your home and/or a vehicle, and it is not necessary to have a retail facility, office space, or warehouse.	No
Can this franchise be run part time? Definition: This business can be run by the owner on a part-time basis (less than 40 hours per week) and/or as a side business; it is not necessary for the business to be open/run full-time.	No
# of employees required to run	10-20
Are exclusive territories available? Definition: An exclusive territory is a fixed area in which you are given the right to operate and in which no other units of the same franchise may be opened. What you need to know: Territory size may be based on factors such as radius, population size, zip codes, and more. Details can be found in Item 12 of the FDD.	Yes