They are called many things. Mug Clubs, Memberships, Regulars … you name it (and you should, branding is important!) … having a special tier of consumers can help strengthen ties to your local beer scene. But what value does it really have?
The monetary worth may even out in the end, but there is much more value in the togetherness and camaraderie that the program inherently creates said Bonfire Brewing co-owner, Amanda Jessen.
“Our mug club members have become part of the Bonfire family, and act as unofficial ambassadors; a real-life representation of how we “walk the walk” as a company and a pillar in our community,” she said.
Tim Myers of Strange Craft agrees.
”With so many brewery options, we consider it a win-win for us,” the owner and founder of the Denver facility.
The brewery’s ‘Strangers Mug Club’ is an annual membership, renewed every January.
Mug Clubbers get their own numbered 20oz mug filled for the price of a pint along with 50 cents off 10oz pours; $2 off crowlers and growlers; 25% off merchandise; a mug club happy hour on Thursdays with $1 off all beers along with a mug club baseball out to a Colorado Rockies game.
”We get a nice cash bump in January, which can be a slow month,” Myers pointed out, “and we also incentivize our regulars to keep coming back.”
The Bonfire mug club started out with only 60 mugs, ’each one a ceramic masterpiece,’ Jessen notes as they were handmade by co-owner Andy Jessen’s mother.
”Each mug is slightly different, but they are all roughly 20oz in size, and the member pays the same price as a 16oz pint, meaning they get roughly 4oz free with each beer ordered,” Amanda Jessen said. ”Other perks include an annual customized gift, “Mug Club Mondays,” where the member receives happy hour prices all night long, and other random one-off events and specials.
”The main value to the customer is the uniqueness of the vessel and the camaraderie the member feels by being a regular,” Jessen said. ”Most of our members love to talk about the mug club and how much they love Bonfire Brewing as a whole and are particularly tickled when other patrons notice their mugs.”
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