Tapville

What Tapville does

Tapville, Inc. is a Naperville, IL-based hospitality technology company founded in 2016/2017 by Joseph Tota that operates a connected ecosystem of franchise concepts, technology, and services around self-pour beverage systems. Its core offering is the Tapville Social franchise concept, a full-service restaurant featuring 48-tap self-pour walls of craft beer, wine, cocktails, and seltzers, paired with the proprietary Pour Pass card (synced to a guest's credit card) and tabletop tablet ordering. The company also franchises two additional concepts: mall-based self-pour kiosks (Drink While You Shop) and mobile taprooms (8-tap and 16-tap trailers for private events). Supporting the franchise operation are Tapville Tech (technology and exclusive Enomatic wine dispenser distribution in the Great Lakes Region), WineServe (a B2B wine preservation and self-pour technology division launched April 2025), and Eyes Up Hospitality (enterprise AI tools marketed to independent restaurants).

Tapville generates revenue through a multi-stream franchise model: upfront franchise and location agreement fees, monthly royalties paid as a percentage of franchisee sales under 10-year agreements, technology licensing through WineServe, and hardware distribution revenue from Enomatic. The company sells franchises through social media, franchise broker networks, conventions, SBA directory listings, and Entrepreneur Magazine placements, and funds growth primarily through Regulation CF equity crowdfunding on StartEngine (approximately $1.8M raised across multiple campaigns since 2020). As of 2025, Tapville reports 85+ franchise and licensed locations across 16+ states, 38+ operating franchise units, 44 franchise agreements, and is recognized on Entrepreneur Magazine's Franchise 500 for 2025 and 2026, ranked #1 Self-Pour Franchise, and named to the Inc. 5000.

Name

Tapville

Legal name

Tapville Franchising, Inc.

Website

https://tapville.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Tapville franchises self-pour hospitality technology across restaurant, kiosk, and mobile taproom concepts, collecting franchise fees and royalties from a network of 85+ locations in 16+ US states while licensing wine technology (WineServe) and AI tools (Eyes Up Hospitality) to third-party operators.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Restaurant Franchising & Hospitality Technology

NAICS

Full-Service Restaurants (722511), Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages) (722410)

SIC

Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810), Retail-Eating Places (5812)

akta.pro primary industry

Brewpubs & Taprooms (On-site Beer Service) (THAFALAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Craft Beer Bars & Taprooms (THAFAEAG), Taprooms & Brewpubs (CRANACAF)

Keywords

• Self-pour beverage technology
• Hospitality franchise concepts
• Wine dispensing systems
• Restaurant automation software
• Mobile taproom trailers

Headquarters

HQ city

Naperville

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations

Revenue model

1. Franchise Fees: Tapville signs franchise and development agreements and collects franchise fees upfront. The business model requires a scale of open locations generating royalties to be profitable. Royalties are paid monthly as a percentage of the franchisee's sales.
2. Ongoing Royalties: Monthly royalties paid as a percentage of the franchisee's sales. The 10-year franchise agreements signed generate ongoing royalty streams as locations open and begin operations.
3. Location Agreements: Revenue from signing new location agreements, including both new development and expansion into new territories.
4. WineServe Technology Licensing: WineServe division provides wine preservation, controlled-pour, and self-pour systems to restaurants, bars, hotels, casinos, resorts, breweries, and wineries, generating licensing and technology revenue.
5. Enomatic Distribution: Tapville Tech is the exclusive distributor for Enomatic wine dispensers in the Great Lakes Region, generating revenue from hardware sales and distribution.
6. Equity Crowdfunding: Tapville has raised capital through multiple equity crowdfunding campaigns on StartEngine, including a Reg CF offering, to support national expansion and innovation.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

Tapville operates a hospitality franchise and technology platform that integrates self-pour beverage systems, POS technology, and enterprise AI tools across restaurant, kiosk, and mobile taproom concepts. The company franchises three concepts (full-service Tapville Social restaurants, mall kiosks, and mobile taprooms) and licenses wine technology through its WineServe division while distributing Enomatic wine dispensers regionally. Its ecosystem combines Pour Pass card access, tabletop tablets, and a live data node network to deliver guest-controlled beverage service and operational analytics.

Product overview

Tapville is a hospitality technology and intelligence company operating as a connected ecosystem of brands and solutions. The core offerings include Tapville Social (full-service restaurant with 48-tap self-pour technology), WineServe (wine technology solutions division), Tapville Tech (technology and Enomatic wine dispenser distribution), and Eyes Up Hospitality (enterprise AI for restaurants). Tapville offers three franchise concepts: brick-and-mortar restaurants, mall kiosks for drink-while-you-shop, and mobile taprooms. Additional products include Tapville University training platform and the Pour Pass card system for guest transactions. The ecosystem unifies self-pour innovation, POS technology, automation, and enterprise AI into one intelligent hospitality platform.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Tapville Social: Full-service self-pour restaurant concept with craft beer, wine, cocktails, and American scratch kitchen. Features 48 self-pour taps and tabletop tablet ordering.
• Tapville Kiosk
• Tapville Mobile Taproom
• WineServe
• Eyes Up Hospitality
• Tapville University

Products and services

• Tapville Social (Restaurant Franchise) Full-service restaurant franchise concept featuring 48 self-pour taps of craft beer, ciders, seltzers, cocktails, and wine. Guests use a Pour Pass card synchronized to their credit card to access taps and order food via tabletop tablets, with an American scratch kitchen completing the dining experience.
• Tapville Franchise (Mall Kiosk)

Quantifiable outcome

• Revenue increased 10.2x year-over-year to $1,018,970 in FY 2021, with gross margins increasing 11x year-over-year to $540,365
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature10 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• WineServe (Division of Tapville Tech)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 April 2025WineServe is a new technology division under Tapville Tech dedicated to transforming wine service across the hospitality industry. It offers cutting-edge technology solutions for wine preservation, controlled-pour, and self-pour systems to restaurants, bars, hotels, casinos, resorts, breweries, and wineries, helping businesses reduce waste, improve operational efficiency, and boost revenue without adding labor.
• EnomaticcoreTechnology or Integration · 1 October 2024Tapville Tech is the exclusive distributor for Enomatic wine dispensers in the Great Lakes Region. Enomatic's state-of-the-art wine dispensers allow guests to pour wine by the ounce and are featured at Tapville's Drink While You Shop kiosk locations. The technology is imported from Tuscany and preserves wine freshness.
• True Group, Inc.coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Tapville partnered with True Group, Inc. ('True') to launch Tapville University in Oak Brook, IL. True currently partners with many well-known organizations and has helped train thousands of team members across multiple industries, including some of the world's largest organizations in the QSR, packaged food, and beverage industries. True provides business simulation technology and scenario-based learning for franchisee training, augmenting Tapville's growing brand from training and performance support to technical support.

Scale indicators17 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• HopCat: Established craft beer bar chain offering broad tap selections and full food service. Larger incumbent in the craft beer taproom category that competes for guest occasions and franchise/operator attention without specializing in self-pour.
• Twin Peaks Restaurant: Sports bar/lodge franchise combining extensive beer selection with full food service. Overlaps with Tapville Social's positioning in casual bar-and-grill dining with broad beverage menus, but operates as a broader-incumbent franchise system rather than self-pour specialist.
• Yard House: Large casual dining chain known for massive tap selections of craft beer. A broader incumbent in the tap-focused dining category, overlapping with Tapville Social's positioning but operating at significantly larger scale and without a self-pour dispense model.
• Buffalo Wild Wings: Major sports bar franchise combining bar service with casual dining at national scale. Broader-incumbent peer competing for the same casual bar-and-grill guest occasion, with substantially greater capital and footprint than Tapville.

Others

• Enomatic: Italian manufacturer of premium wine dispensing systems. Tapville Tech is the exclusive distributor for Enomatic in the Great Lakes Region, making Enomatic both a supplier and ecosystem partner rather than a direct competitor in the franchise taproom category.

Direct peers

• PourMyBeer: Direct competitor in self-pour tap wall technology and self-serve taproom operations. Both companies deploy integrated self-pour hardware, POS, and card-based dispense systems into hospitality venues, serving overlapping customer profiles.
• iPourIt: Direct competitor providing self-pour beverage technology platforms to bars, restaurants, and taprooms. Operates a similar integrated hardware-plus-software model with comparable enterprise-grade dispense, payment, and analytics functionality.
• Growler USA: Self-serve growler fill and taproom franchise concept operating in a similar beer-focused, self-service format. Closely aligned business model — multi-unit franchise taproom concept serving craft beer in self-pour environment.
• Pour Taproom: Self-pour taproom franchise concept featuring self-serve beer and wine walls with card-based dispense. Direct format peer with comparable self-service taproom positioning and franchise system ambitions.
• Beerhead Bar & Eatery: Self-pour craft beer franchise combining self-serve beer walls with full food service. Closely aligned concept — taproom with extensive self-pour selection, scratch food, and franchise growth strategy.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/tapvillenaperville
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/tapville

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Subsidiaries4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds4 records

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Tapville