Pour Taproom
Pour Taproom operates self-serve taproom venues across eight US cities where customers pour craft beer, wine, and cocktails by the ounce from 68 rotating digital taps via a wristband system, with additional revenue from food, growlers, merchandise, and private events under a franchise model.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2014
- HeadquartersAsheville, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Pour Taproom does
Pour Taproom, founded in 2014 in Asheville, North Carolina and now headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, operates a self-serve taproom concept under which customers sample craft beer, wine, ciders, meads, and cocktails by the ounce from a wall of 68 always-rotating digital taps. The core technology is an IoT-enabled dispense system: patrons check in with a government-issued ID and a debit or credit card to receive an RFID wristband that activates any tap, and they pay only for the volume they pour. Each location curates a market-specific selection celebrating local and regional breweries, with the Knoxville venue alone having tapped over 3,000 different beverages in seven-plus years of operation.
The company's revenue model is a hybrid of usage-based pour sales, ancillary food and merchandise, off-premise growler fills (with a 20% discount when filled), and private event bookings for corporate happy hours, weddings, birthdays, and fundraisers. Distribution is through a mix of corporate-owned and franchise locations across eight cities in the East and Southeast US (Atlanta, Asheville, Buffalo, Charleston, Durham, Jacksonville, Knoxville, Wilmington), with each franchisee independently and locally owned. The company actively recruits new franchisees via [email protected]. Customer segments center on craft beer and wine enthusiasts seeking low-commitment discovery, social groups wanting a casual multi-taste environment, and corporate/private event hosts.
Operationally the business is a low-headcount, asset-light franchisor with 11–50 total employees and no disclosed institutional capital, parent company, or M&A activity. Pour Taproom supplements its on-premise experience with branded programming — live music weekends, weekly trivia, local brewery partnerships including co-branded beer releases — to drive repeat traffic, and extends the brand through reusable gift cards and merchandise (glasses, shirts, hats, koozies). The concept is positioned as a "beer and wine festival every day of the week" with no admission cost, distinguishing it from traditional full-pint bar formats.
Pour Taproom firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Pour Taproom
- Website
- https://pourtaproom.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2014
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Pour Taproom operates self-serve taproom venues across eight US cities where customers pour craft beer, wine, and cocktails by the ounce from 68 rotating digital taps via a wristband system, with additional revenue from food, growlers, merchandise, and private events under a franchise model.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Pour Taproom industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Self-serve taproom / beverage hospitality
- NAICS
- Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages) (7224)
- SIC
- Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Craft Beer Bars & Taprooms (THAFAEAG)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Taprooms & Brewpubs (CRANACAF), Brewpubs & Taprooms (On-site Beer Service) (THAFALAA)
Keywords
Where Pour Taproom is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Asheville
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices8 records
Markets served
Pour Taproom business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Operations, Personnel, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Pour-by-Ounce Sales: Revenue from selling beer, wine, and spirits by the ounce through self-serve taps. Customers pay for exact amounts poured.
- Food & Merchandise Sales: Sale of food items (pretzels, nachos, paninis) and merchandise (specialty glasses, shirts, hats, koozies, growlers).
- Growler Fills: Glass growlers available for purchase with 20% discount on total tab when filled. Customers can bring their own growlers.
- Private Event Booking: Revenue from hosting private events including corporate happy hours, wedding after-parties, birthday parties, fundraisers, and social hours.
- Franchise Fees: Franchising opportunities generate revenue through franchise agreements. Each location is independently and locally owned and operated.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Usage-based | Pay-as-you-go | Pay by the ounce consumption model |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels6 records
Pour Taproom product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Pour Taproom operates self-serve taprooms featuring 68 rotating digital taps where customers activate a card or wristband, self-pour their beer, and pay by the ounce. The concept combines draft beer service with food, merchandise, growler fills, private events, and franchising across eight locations in the East and Southeast United States.
Product overview
Pour Taproom is a unified self-serve taproom concept offering a rotating selection of craft beers, wines, ciders, meads, and cocktails across multiple franchise locations. The core product is the self-serve tapwall system with 68+ digital taps where customers pay by the ounce. Supporting offerings include a food menu, growler sales with discounts, gift cards, merchandise, and private event services. All locations celebrate the local craft scene with community-specific selections.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Self-Serve Taproom Experience Pay-by-the-ounce self-pour draft beer service across 68 rotating digital taps at each Pour Taproom location, aimed at adult craft beer consumers.
- Food Service Food offerings available alongside beer service at Pour Taproom taproom locations.
- Merchandise Branded merchandise sold at Pour Taproom taproom locations.
- Growler Fills Off-premise beer to-go via growler fills using the same self-pour tap system.
- Private Events Booking of taproom spaces for private events, parties, and group gatherings.
- Pour Taproom Franchise Franchise offering that licenses the Pour Taproom self-serve taproom brand, operating system, and concept to franchisees who open new locations under the system.
Quantifiable outcome
- Over 3,000 different beverages sampled at a single location in 7+ years
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use Pour Taproom
Customer profileSegments4 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Pour Taproom technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature1 record
Pour Taproom partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators5 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Pour Taproom competitors and assessment
Company assessmentOthers
- Pour Taproom: Subject company reference included only as anchor.
- Beverage Metrics (iPour technology): Provider of self-serve tapwall metering technology used by self-pour bar operators. Comparable as the infrastructure layer enabling Pour Taproom's core pour-by-the-ounce model and a potential partner or competitor depending on vertical integration.
Broad incumbents
- BJ's Restaurant Brewhouse: National brewpub chain combining on-site beer brewing with a wide draft selection and bar service. Comparable as a multi-unit franchise-feel craft beer concept, though it manufactures rather than curates taps.
- Gordon Biersch Brewery Restaurant: Multi-unit brewpub chain pairing on-site brewing with draft-heavy bar service. Comparable to Pour Taproom in the craft-beer-on-tap experiential dining niche.
- Yard House: Large national full-service restaurant chain centered on a 100+ tap draft beer program. Operates in the same on-premise craft/draft beer category as Pour Taproom but at substantially larger scale with full kitchens.
Direct peers
- World of Beer: A franchised craft beer bar chain with a large rotating tap wall across many US cities. Closest operational and brand analogue to Pour Taproom — multi-unit franchise model built around craft beer discovery.
- HopCat: Multi-location craft beer tavern chain known for an extensive tap list and 'beer-focused' positioning. Comparable to Pour Taproom in craft-centric menu, rotating selection, and bar-restaurant hybrid format.
Regional players
- The Trappist: Bay Area craft beer bar known for an unusually deep rotating tap selection and curated bottle list. Mirrors Pour Taproom's discovery-and-rotation value proposition, but operates only regionally and as a single (small chain) venue.
- Monk's Kettle: San Francisco craft beer tavern emphasizing a curated rotating draft list and food pairing. Comparable as a craft-focused taproom with strong local identity, though single-location and regional.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Pour Taproom social profiles
Digital presencePour Taproom financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Pour Taproom leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
Pour Taproom funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Pour Taproom M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Pour Taproom
What does Pour Taproom do?
Pour Taproom operates self-serve taprooms featuring 68 rotating digital taps where customers activate a card or wristband, self-pour their beer, and pay by the ounce. The concept combines draft beer service with food, merchandise, growler fills, private events, and franchising across eight locations in the East and Southeast United States.
Is Pour Taproom a public or private company?
Pour Taproom is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Pour Taproom founded?
Pour Taproom was founded in 2014. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Pour Taproom based?
Pour Taproom is headquartered in Asheville, United States, in the North America region.
How does Pour Taproom make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. Pour-by-Ounce Sales are the primary driver. The others are food & Merchandise Sales, growler Fills, private Event Booking and franchise Fees.
Who are Pour Taproom's main competitors?
Others on record are Pour Taproom and Beverage Metrics (iPour technology). Broad incumbents are BJ's Restaurant Brewhouse, Gordon Biersch Brewery Restaurant and Yard House. Direct peers are World of Beer and HopCat. Regional players are The Trappist and Monk's Kettle.
Does Pour Taproom have an API?
No public API is recorded for Pour Taproom.
What industry is Pour Taproom in?
Pour Taproom's product category is Self-serve taproom / beverage hospitality. Its primary akta.pro industry code is THAFAEAG, Craft Beer Bars & Taprooms, with a secondary code of CRANACAF, Taprooms & Brewpubs. Its NAICS code is 7224 and its SIC code is 5810.