Buzztime spends a lot of time working with bar and restaurant operators inside of their venues. This gives them the opportunity, much like brand ambassadors, to see what's becoming popular in bars and restaurants. Fads that pick up steam become micro trends, and those that evolve rather than perish develop into macro trends.
There's more to Buzztime than interactive entertainment. In addition to trivia, games, live events, and the ability to order and pay via Buzztime tablets, the company collects data helpful to hospitality business operations.
For those in the process of opening a new bar or undergoing reconceptualization of an existing bar, Buzztime has curated a list of concept macro trends they believe will be popular throughout 2017. We'll take a look at two of their educated predictions here, but make sure to head over to Buzztime to read the original post for more information.
Rooftop Bars
The word "destination" has become the go-to adjective for describing bars and restaurants. Rooftop bars, normally located in thriving downtown areas of major cities, aren't shy about calling themselves destination venues. Rooftop bar operators have also learned that they can charge more for their drinks (and even charge a cover) due to guest perception. If you operate in a city with great weather, a rooftop bar makes perfect sense.
Craft Beer Bars
You would have to have been avoiding social media and hospitality business news altogether for the past several years to be unaware of the explosive growth of craft beer. Domestic mainstream beer may still rule the tap tower roost but craft beer, according to Buzztime, now accounts for 12% of the total market share. Guests, particularly Millennials, will happily pay more for craft beer. With well over 5,000 craft breweries in operation throughout the US, operators can keep profitable guests coming back for what's new and different.