Having additional room in your brewery’s taproom to be used as a private or semi-private event space can be a great use to bring in a new customer base, fill in slow nights or create a separate revenue stream. Birthday or retirement parties and rehearsal dinners are the most common types of events and making sure the right insurance coverage protects your customers and employees can be key.
Marc Buttera at O’so Brewing said that they put a $3 million umbrella on top of the brewery’s regular liability coverage.
“We had nightmares of someone falling from a 14-foot mezzanine after having drinks,” said the owner of the Plover, Wisconsin facility. “Our space is directly connected to the brewery and taproom so when it is not being rented, it is open to the public to hang out and enjoy.”
O’so can separate the rental space by leaving the mezzanine open to the public and only rent the lower space if desired in the 32,000 square foot area.
READ MORE: Preventing Liquor Liability Claims Before They Happen
Located in a historic church, Urban Artifact reserves the upstairs sanctuary space for event rentals and built the taproom and music spaces into the lower level and the courtyard beer garden space. The event space has its own name and branding: The Reliquary at Urban Artifact.
“While the execution was lacking when we started, we did have this strategy in place from the beginning,” Scott Hand said. “It’s taken a lot of work and money to continually improve and restore the building — and specifically the event space — to its current state.”
Hand said they have always been transparent about the onsite activities with the brewery’s insurance carrier to determine the best coverage, but the staff never has discussed allowing the public in the production spaces to use it as additional event space.
Although Dust Bowl doesn’t gear its space toward events anymore, Michelle Peterson explained that if guests brought in any outside vendors or entertainment, the Turlock, California brewery required a certificate of insurance (COI).
Photo courtesy Urban Artifact
Be the first to comment