Danby Millennium in a Pub?

[TinosPub]

I am new to the forum, and this is my first post. I have been reading the Danby threads for 2 days trying to catch up! Great info guys!

OK, so we just acquired a small 50-seat pub on the 2nd floor above a restaurant. They have drafts downstairs, but the walk-in is in the basement. I was told bringing the lines up 2 stories is going to make for a LOT of waste!

Adding a walk-in isn't in the budget AND we dont' have the room. I am actively searching for a used double or triple barrel kegerator. New is also not in the budget. So in the meantime, I am using a Danby Millennium. With the exception of the drip try being WAY too small without a drain, this thing is working out GREAT! I can see us having 3-4 of these and doing just fine. Since we have to carry beer up 2 flights of stairs, I would rather not have more than a 1/4 keg to move.

Beer is pouring well (Bud Light for now), and is very cold. I will check exact temp today. I have a 1/6 Shock Top and a backup 1/4 Bud Light on standby. I would ultimately like to have at least 3 beers on tap.

Can anyone see why these mini kegerators wouldn't do the job? It's not like I'm pouring 100 glasses a night...MOST people have been drinking bottles or mixed drinks and are happy with this. Your thoughts are welcomed!

[cubby_swans]

sounds great!

Moving post out of home draft forum to bar/pub forum.

[TinosPub]

Thanks Cubby...sorry about that. I posted here because I was using a "home brew" kegerator...Bud Light went empty last night so we're now serving Shock Top as a "beer of the week"...until I get another kegerator

[psychodad]

The cost of three Damnbys may be more than what you can find a good Bevair or True three tapper on CL for. But if it works for you fine.

[TinosPub]

I am having a HECK of a time finding a used Bevair or any other REAL kegerator for that matter...

[Scott Zuhse]

Scott,

How much are you selling a glass of beer for and how many kegs do you intend to sell a week short term?

[TinosPub]

At the moment I'm doing $2.75 drafts of Shock Top...but I bought a Beverage-Air BB48 tonight... It's got a dual faucet tower already (but no drip tray) so now I can have 3...I'll use the Millennium for specialty beers or stuff that doesn't sell quite as well.

[Scott Zuhse]

Wow! At that price, you may need to get a bigger building. The whole county will show up. You'll need a keg cooler for back up. Great to hear you upgraded to a commercial unit. Your ROI will be quick.

[TinosPub]

Wow! At that price, you may need to get a bigger building. The whole county will show up. You'll need a keg cooler for back up. Great to hear you upgraded to a commercial unit. Your ROI will be quick.

Do you think that's too cheap?

[cubby_swans]

What size glass are you using? 20oz? 16oz? 14oz?

If it's a 20oz glass, then I'd say it's cheap. If it's a pint or smaller I'd say it's not too cheap. You probably know your clientelle better than anyone here, so I would say maybe visit a few locations in your area and see what they're charging for a glass of Shock Top.

[Scott Zuhse]

If you are serving a shaker style pint glass (16oz), this is lower than I have seen in a few years. As I travel (average two weeks out of the month), the lowest pint cost is $3.00 / domestics (closer to $4.50) and the crafts / imports can be as high as $8.00. There is nothing better than a clean, fresh and properly dispensed glass of draught. If you are providing this to your customers, they will be back for more and more.

As cubby_swans indicated, research your market area as to what other retailers are charging. Don't be duped by those who have low pricing because they can barely give their product away due to quality issues. If you are serious about being profitable with draught, learn as much about it as you can. Before you know it, you will be installing a keg cooler and dispensing 24 flavors or more out of an elaborate remote glycol system. You have my ear and many retailers all across the country who have taken advantage of this resource are quite successful.

Good luck!

[TinosPub]

Thanks Scott. I am running 16oz glasses...and people are happy...I am upgrading the kegerator to get 4 - 1/4's in there and have 5 beers on tap.

[edramshaw]

The issue with the Danby is reliability. You're more likely to have issues with the cheaper units and down time in the bar business means lost profits.

[bkl63]

I know you are upstairs, but from an economic standpoint, you need to be running 1/2's and not 1/4 or 1/6's. A Shocktop 1/6 runs 35.00 to 40.00 for you (not sure about your state) while a 1/2 will be just over 2X that. With a 1/6's at 2.75 you are taking in around 100.00 for a 1/6 for 60.00 net while a 1/2 will get $300.00 for 200 plus net. These number are also what I would call best case scenario and actuals are probably a little less.

Being a small 50 seat operation means that you need to maximize your profits as size will be a limiting factor. Too much variety in too small a space really adds overhead to your operation. I would only run three beers on Tap and have them all 1/2's. Maybe add another dual Tap when you can find one.

Brian

[TinosPub]

Thanks for the tips Brian. I have raised Shock Top to 3.25 for last night and no one blinked an eye at the change. We still sold the same amount if not more. I do have a Bud Light 1/2 and a Coors Light 1/2 on standby as well as another Shock Top 1/6 and a Wachusett blueberry 1/6. The 1/6s I will need to charge craft prices and people seem to be ok with that as I am really the only one around with these specialty beers on tap.

I am adding a 3rd tap to the Bev-Air so I can run more...I can fit 2 1/2 barrels and a 1/4 tall in there I was told...I am using up all the kegs that were left by the restaurant downstairs before they expire...they were given to me. Once they are gone or almost empty, i will re-assess the situation with all the tips everyone has given. Thank you all...