One of the local investors has decided to build a brewpub. It’s in the early planning stages and everyone involved is scratching their heads as to a possible sq. ft. cost. I realize this number varies, depending on locality and design however we are hoping to get a range of what could be expected. The lot size limits the building to 5000 sq. ft. with a 150 seating capacity. My question is: has anyone built a brewpub and if so what was the sq. ft. cost for the project. Any help or link to info would be much appreciated.
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I have done several restaurants/bars, but no 'brew pubs' I imagine it would be similat to an eatery plus the cost of brewery equipment plus your markup.
Will yo be doing any custom millwork, i.e. columns? Charge triple.
Chuck
live, work, build, ...better with wood
Will yo be doing any custom millwork,I'll most likely get the barrel vault ceiling and the bar. The rest will be subbed out to another shop. Right now the owner is attempting to get a handle on anticipated costs, something to compare numbers to. This is new to most of us so here so having a base figure for comparison would be helpful.
restaurants/bars is what i started building (my own) i was alot better at building em than run'n em... (alot of money in the bar business...and most of it's mine) I've done alot of consulting for people who wanted/intended to go into the food service industry...even convinced a few that they shouldn't...
I found the first step is the health dept... they have to approve all plans (around here anyway)
like anything else wide open space is cheaper than little cubes... if you start rounding or curving anything the price goes up...
what i do know is... most people spend way more than needed to dress a place up... people really don't care what a place looks like if the food, service,crowd & price is right... it's all about comfort level... lighting is big... few people look up or down... with harder laws and public awareness of drinking and driving people tend to travel less to a bar... so location and demographics are more important now than they use to be...
alot goes into "what does it cost" some people lease all their equipment
a 5000ft shell... stained concrete floors, built square, 12-14ft ceiling height... flat roof (you have to put all your compressors somewhere) guess'n 1000amp service... 150 people... think thats 3 stalls for women and 2 stalls and 2 urnals for the men, all ADA... plus one for workers and a mopsink room, standard wood commercial construction, maybe 50% brick exterior... around here think you could do the shell & divided spaces with parking lot ... think they'd require at least 50 spaces here... I'm guess'n 700k before you get any kitchen/bar brew'n equipment or decor... turn key i think you could get it pretty nice for (around here) for 1.5 to 2mil
so before you open the doors or employ anyone or turn on a light you have 15k a month nut look'n at you.... now if 1 or 150 walk in the door with staff you have to generate enough sales so that you clear 1k a day just to be even... at a 40% food cost, and 20% labor cost, 3k a day in sales might let you not lose money... but i wouldn't bet on it...
how to make a million in the food business? start with 5 million
p
Thanks guys, this will be a big help. I suspected 1 million plus. looks like I'm on the low side. I'm at the point of suggesting the investors set a budget for the project then plug in all the necessities then see what they have left over to spend on upgrades. Nothing like spending a boatload of time designing an interior only to find out it's over budget before it even leaves the drawing board.
I would start with a lifetime of free comsumption.
Negotiate down from there....
Namaste
"The truth, when told does nothing but bolster a mans character." -Big Cal Stew 2006
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I know of one that was built for around 2 million. That was 10 years ago though. Four tanks if I remember correctly. A little smaller than your square footage.
out of 5 brew pubs that opened 15 years ago, one remains.
That won't be the case here since it will be the only game in town. Munising Mi. is pretty much a tourist town with motel rooms up the wazoo and no place to eat. OK, that's a bit of a stretch. we have two restaurants and a Subway, and if the Subway served beer the other two would fold up like a cheap futon.
On that note, the one I was talking about has had 3 owners in about ten years and was closed for about a year before reopening recently. They do seem to have some inherent problems. I dont know whether its the market the management or more likely a little of both.
Riverman,
I the land of "busch lite", is there a market for high end beer?
Jasper Ridge, in Ishpeming seems to do OK, but they have the college town market, to help.
Are the investors banking on the tourists, locals or both? There can be a great difference in servicing the two groups, especially in the price points.
There is a local brewery here, Nicolet. They've been around 10 plus years, and make great beer, but aren't exactly flourishing. They, aren't really in the resturant business though. Just lunch I believe. I've never been there, and I love micro-brew beer.
Herford & Hops, in Escanaba did quite well, at first. But I think the novelty has worn off. And probably some of the business.
Can't help with the costs, but opening one has been in the back of my mind for some time. Just tough to make the leap from a reallt tough business , construction contracting, to an even more brutal one, food and beverage. I've done some pro-forma work on a resort with those services included. The margins seemed quite tight. There is much more competiton here though.
I'd think if they can offer a great steak dinner for less than $20.00 and a pint of good brew for under $3.00 , they will do alright. ( insert laughter from those outside the UP, at those prices). That's the status quo around here.
Good luck!
Brudoggie
Thanks for the input, it will be interesting to see what happens. I hope it goes off as this place really could use some help in the food department. Personally I was hoping they would build a Hooters however they said I would have to dress up my crew in the outfits until they found the girls. Man I just don't look good in orange shorts.You seem to know alot about the UP, where you from, or did I already ask you that?
Riverman,
Born and raised in Iron Mtn. Live close by in Wis. now. We usually get up in your are once a summer for the moto-x races in Christmas.
Brudoggie
next time your out here look me up and I'll buy you lunch.
lunch at subway with no beer?
P :)
ya just had to go ruin it didn't ya.
Riverman,
Sounds good! Hey, do you know Armin "the laminater" ? He used to be around BT quite a bit. Was from that area.
Brudoggie
Armin Hammer (the laminator) AKA - Riverman.
Exactly how many people do you think really live up there? The census shows quite a few but many of them are just new names.
I think.A great place for Information, Comraderie, and a sucker punch.
Remodeling Contractor just outside the Glass City.
Quittin' Time
Armin Hammer (the laminator) AKA - Riverman.
Exactly how many people do you think really live up there? The census shows quite a few but many of them are just new names.
Does that mean come next election I get three votes?
Armin, why don't you run for something.
Dog catcher is what my mother used to say.
She was a card.
Since I watched the weather..................would you be so kind as to turn off the coming cold front. There's still a good month of golf................rather-a month of good golf............left.
thanksA great place for Information, Comraderie, and a sucker punch.
Remodeling Contractor just outside the Glass City.
Quittin' Time
First snowflakes as we speak.Run for something. Does running from my ex-wife count?
Does running from my ex-wife count?
Well sure, better than running from your former gay, underage, lover.
You will be able to seek higher office.
Congrats.A great place for Information, Comraderie, and a sucker punch.
Remodeling Contractor just outside the Glass City.
Quittin' Time
Riverman,
I drove through a near whiteout last night. Some actually stayed on the ground. We're all getting wound up to break out the skiis.
Brudoggie
Photo taken 11:30 est. Over an inch of snow, wet frozen to everything. Sign of things to come.
Calvin,
"Exactly how many people do you think really live up there?"
I thought for a second, that maybe there were two. Turns out they are just the same guy :)
Actually, most of us up here, kind of like it that way. Me, I've always lived here, other than a few short stints elsewhere. Once I got to "the other side" , I found out the grass was actually greener, back here.
I seem to recall, Riverman was from the "Motown area". Seen it, don't care for it. I'm not a big city guy.
Like the Riverman, I like the outdoors. Lots of wilderness here. But, I run my kayak, on smaller water than him. Would love to get out on Lake Superior, some time. My kids are almost big enough for that. Those ice cliff pics, he had here awile back ,were awesome. That water is dang cold though, even in the summer.
Brudoggie
yup, Armin knows the city. But like you, prefers the UP.
I've only been thru there a few times, but someday must make a visit.
A great place for Information, Comraderie, and a sucker punch.
Remodeling Contractor just outside the Glass City.
Quittin' Time
What does the "investor" know about brewing beer?
There are two costs. One associated with what is basically a Bar & Grill. One is assocated with brewing process. Most modern brewing systems are all stainless and will cost plenty. Someone has to determine how much capacity, how much automation, and how much flexibility the brewery will require.
There was a BrewPub built in town were I work. I engineered the hvac and plumbing for the building. I also happen to be an amatuer brewer. The owner did not know what he was doing. Went cheap on the brewery part, made average to poor beer, and closed the doors after a year or so. People who like "real" beer will pay $5 a pint, if it good. You can't make stout that will appeal to the average lite beer drinker. If you try, neither group will like it. If they make anything but high quality, true-to-style beers, they will fail.
out of 5 brew pubs that opened 15 years ago, one remains
That seems pretty typical here in Texas for brewpubs. Like any other 'bar,' you have to be able to court and keep a base of regulars, who will generate the base income you need to achieve the business model.
To my thinking, too many eat up valuable and expensive, could-be-making nightly revenue floor space to brewing equipment. So, there's all the tanks & such, none of which you can let the custom wander among, and which is not critical to day-to-day operations. Further, the schedule for brewing is different than for serving (start and stop times do not align well, either). Most people understand you have to run a vinyard a while before you have a bottleable vintage--the same is true of beer (but dang few "investors" will believe it).
What OP may need, to my thinking, is to do the brewing on a floor above the service area. This will be particularly true if the business model includes serving food, a "real" kitchen will make more money than an "afterthought" one, hands down.
My guess would be to budget $5-6 mill, to allow enough "float" to see if the customer base develops, and, more importantly, stays. Depending on the state laws/rules, getting some nearby warehouse space may be a a very important idea, if only to stockpile product in kegs & bottles (if it's allowed, being able to sell product in package form can be an excellent business model).
you mean like Shiner Bock ?
carpenter in transition
more like Lone Star...Although the capitan of my dart team used to say"There are two kinds of beer: Lone Star and free. And I'll drink either one".Me, I love Shiner Bock, but I hated it when they decided to be a "micro-brew" and tripled the price.
understood.
can't tell you how many times my former next door neighbor (here in PA) used to remind me that Austin was the center of the universe.
he married a lovely girl from Pennsylvania.
and then promptly moved to Austin.
carpenter in transition