Growing Into Brewing
The Ram operates 17 on-site breweries at two chains, the Ram Restaurant and Brewery and CB & Potts restaurants. The Big Horn Brewery is an off-site operation. Founded in 1971where? I couldn’t find it on the website, it was not until 1995 that Ram started brewing. The company also operates Sonrisa Modern Mex, CI Shenanigans, The Stonehouse and Murphy’s Steak and Seafood.
“Our beers appeal to the uber beer geek and the casual consumer because of the quality and care that goes into brewing beers of all styles,” said Dave Iverson, a partner in The Ram. “Not a lot of companies with multiple locations are continuing to do what we do. More and more of them are contracting out their beer or bringing it in across state lines.”
Because the company started out with a non-brewpub model, they have continued to serve other domestic and import brands because, Iverson said, “We have always recognized the fact not every one of our guests wants a micro beer.”
Fermenting Change
Granite City Food & Brewery operates 26 restaurants in 11 midwestern states from Toledo, OH, to Wichita, KS. The company opened its first location in St. Cloud, MN, in 1999. According to Granite City’s President and Founder Steven Wagenheim, their concept is serving “made from scratch food and made from scratch beer.” He said a centralized brewing operation in Iowa and a double-patented brewing process has made it possible for Granite City to grow.
“We have a centralized brewing plant in Iowa and finish all of our beers on-site,” Wagenheim said. “We call the process fermentas interruptus. The expensive part is making the wort and we do that under one roof with one brewing team. We add the yeast at our restaurants and in 19 to 35 days you have beer.”
Wagenheim said Granity City beers are consistent because the same water source is used for brewing. The company started by focusing on house beers and once that was perfected added seasonals and specialty products. “We’ve taken the complexity out of the equation,” Wagenheim said.
Granite City averages 4,500 Mug Club members at each of its restaurants. These regulars get invited to tapping parties for seasonal beer launches, enabling the company to stay connected with its best customers.
Wagenheim expects Granite City to add locations in the next two years. He said the company’s success is tied to the food side of the operation, while avoiding the trap of being “way too focused on beer,” a problem that he said has caused other brewpub chains to fail.
“Our menu pricing is focused on a mid-American, mid-income range of customers,” Wagenheim said. “We recognized from the start that beer is important to our concept, but for longevity we had to be focused on the food we serve.”
