Tap & Barrel
Failed filmmaker Daniel Frankel started out in the restaurant business in 2001 with a coffee shop in Vancouver. Today, he has seven restaurants, all variations on his original Tap & Barrel theme. But the path Frankel took to arrive at the Tap & Barrel concept was long and involved opening different restaurants, gift shops, and pubs. After 10 years of this, Frankel determined that the company needed to be more focused and that he needed to concentrate on what he was good at. He determined that his best skills involved finding the right locations for his restaurants and building a brand.
At the same time as Frankel was examining the organization of the business, he became determined to bring more of his own personal beliefs into the business concept. He decided he had to live the brand, and so he had to decide what was important to him. His answer to that question determined the direction of company from that point. What was important to him was local craft beers, local British Columbia wines, locally produced food, and being sustainable. At about the same time, Frankel met one of his mentors, Anthony von Mandl, the owner of a British Columbia winery. Von Mandl instilled in Frankel the stewardship for excellence. Excellence for Frankel means minding the small changes and making incremental improvements that have a compounding effect.
The original Tap & Barrel is a large, open-concept restaurant on the waterfront that serves locally brewed craft beer from the barrel and locally produced food. The restaurant has a large patio area, dining areas for large groups, and smaller quiet areas. There are anywhere from 24 to 36 different kinds of beer available, but only on tap. Serving beer on tap eliminates the need for bottles, caps, and packaging. The wine available also local to British Columbia and is served by the glass from the barrel. The food menu ranges from happy hour treats to share with friends to pub-style meals. There are three Tap & Barrel restaurants, all in Vancouver. Following the same concept, but on a smaller scale, is TAPshack. There are two TAPshack locations, also in Vancouver.
Frankel further expanded on the brand when he opened BREWHALL. This venue is larger than the others and includes an onsite brewery. Located in the Olympic Village, BREWHALL has been described by Frankel as a collaborative craft brewery and food hall that brings the community together in one space and encourages our inner child to play and explore. Local craft breweries are invited to brew their beer at BREWHALL on a rotating basis.
In a constant effort to improve service and make the operation more efficient, the company recently installed robo-servers. This technology allows diners to scan a QR code with their smartphones and access their bill at their table. The technology even allows each diner in a group to pay for their individual order and to do so with their phone. Research relating to this technology shows that tables are available for the next diners 20 minutes faster than with traditional bill payment methods.
Frankels concept of supporting local craft breweries, wine makers, and food producers has been successful. The company has been named as one of Canadas best managed by Canadian Businessmagazine. When asked recently what the future holds, Frankel replied, We feel that there needs to be a Tap & Barrel in every community. Certainly, across the country and even beyond.
Questions
What component of service quality is being demonstrated when the staff at Tap & Barrel provide prompt service?
The management at the Tap & Barrel treats their employees as customers. What is this an example of?
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| What type of service process is being carried out at Tap & Barrel? | | a. mental stimulus processing | | | | | | | c. information processing | | | | | | | |
Which gap in the service quality model is being represented when the customers of the Tap & Barrel receive a different level of service than they are expecting?
The staff at the Tap & Barrel can't serve beer or prepare food until the customer arrives. What service characteristic is this an example of?
