A seasonal brewpub in a tourist town and how to survive the off season

Know your real season

Every tourist town has its rhythm. Coastal Goa is busiest from roughly October to March, then the monsoon empties the beaches from June to September. Many hill stations peak in the summer holidays and again around the year end, then quieten in the monsoon and deep winter. Long weekends and festivals create short spikes in between.

Do not rely on general knowledge. Ask local restaurant owners, hotel managers and taxi drivers how their months compare. If you can, get a few years of hotel occupancy or footfall figures from the local tourism body. Then build your plan month by month, not as an annual average divided by twelve.

Cash: save the peak for the trough

The single biggest risk is spending peak profits as if they will continue. Rent, loan payments, core salaries and utilities keep running in the off season. Revenue may fall to a fraction of the peak.

Build a monthly cash flow forecast. Add up fixed costs for the quiet months and set that amount aside, in a separate account, during the busy ones. If your quiet months need four months of fixed costs and peak trade covers that with something left over, you are in good shape. If they do not, renegotiate rent before signing. Some landlords in seasonal towns will accept lower rent in the off season or a share of revenue. Our guide on rent as a share of revenue covers that conversation.

Brew for the season you are in

A brewery cannot switch off overnight. Beer takes weeks to make. Fresh beer has a limited life. Plan brewing to taper as the season ends so you do not finish the peak with full fermenters and an empty dining room. Ales are ready in two to three weeks. Lagers need longer, so start them early for the peak and stop them early as it fades.

In the off season, brew smaller batches of fewer beers. Keep two or three core beers fresh rather than eight beers going stale. Hoppy beers lose aroma fastest, so brew those closest to when they will be drunk. A strong dark beer holds up better over a slow month.

People: core team and seasonal staff

Most seasonal venues keep a small year-round core team and add seasonal staff for the peak. The core should include your head brewer, a kitchen lead and a floor manager who know the systems. Losing your brewer every monsoon means retraining every October.

Hire seasonal staff early, before competitors take the best people. Train them before the rush, not during it. Our guide on hiring seasonal and casual staff covers contracts, training and rotas. Keep in touch with good seasonal staff over the off season. Many will come back if asked.

Build trade that does not depend on tourists

The off season is when locals return to the town's restaurants. Give them a reason to choose you. Weeknight specials, a local menu, quiz nights, live music from local bands and loyalty offers for residents can fill tables when tourists are absent. Price some of the menu for local pockets, not only for visitors.

Corporate offsites, weddings and events often run outside peak tourist months, when hotels are cheaper. A private dining space or a buyout package can bring large groups in a quiet week. Talk to local hotels and event planners early.

Maintenance, training and new beers

The off season is the brewery's maintenance window. Service pumps and the glycol chiller. Replace gaskets. Deep clean the cold room. Recalibrate pH meters and thermometers. These jobs are hard to fit into a busy peak and expensive to ignore.

It is also the time to develop recipes for the next season, train staff on beer styles and service. Review what sold and what did not. Pull a full year of POS data and look at which beers, dishes and hours earned money. Use that to plan the next peak.

Close or stay open?

Some seasonal venues close entirely for part of the year. That saves staff and utility costs but loses local trade and leaves equipment idle. Others stay open for shorter hours or fewer days. The right answer depends on your fixed costs and local demand.

Run the numbers both ways: the cost of staying open at reduced hours against the cost of closing, including the price of restarting. Check your licence conditions too, since some states have rules on closure and renewal. The Brewery Business Management course covers cash flow, staffing and costing for venues like this. Your first step this week: build a twelve month cash flow forecast and mark the month your cash is lowest.

Common questions

How does a seasonal brewpub survive the off season?

By saving peak profits to cover fixed costs, tapering brewing, keeping a small core team and building local trade that does not depend on tourists.

Should a brewpub close in the off season?

It depends on fixed costs, local demand and licence conditions. Compare the cost of reduced hours with the cost of closing and restarting.

What beers suit the off season?

Fewer beers in smaller batches. Keep core beers fresh and brew hoppy beers close to when they will be served.