The birth of the ‘Beerstro’
Some 15 years ago, the Robinette family of Knoxville, Tenn. conceived a vision of a neighborhood hangout that would mirror the concept employed by large microbreweries where patrons get to sample their brews and have a bite to eat. On their way out, they could stop at the brewery’s shop to buy six-packs to take home with them.
Nathan Robinette thought the concept would work well in Knoxville and convinced his father to finance it. Thus was born The Casual Pint Craft Beerstro, a term that has been trademarked by the Robinette family.
“We had a hard time explaining to people what we were. We had to define ourselves and we started throwing names out. Somehow ‘Beerstro’ came out,” said Nathan’s brother Josh Robinette, CEO of The Casual Pint, now a franchise with 16 locations in Tennessee, Alabama, Ohio, Nebraska, and Arizona.
The Casual Pint started out as a downtown location where patrons would stop in on a regular basis for great beer (up to 35 taps behind the bar) and a menu featuring several varieties of flatbreads, chicken wings, pretzels, fries, and brats. Now the brand is being fanned out to lifestyle and open-air centers by local franchisees in key markets. Robinette seeks franchisees who are steeped in their markets and can adjust offerings and events to local tastes.
“We leaned heavily into streamlined operations for all locations. It doesn’t take us long to train new staffers,” said Robinette. “We’ve experienced great revenue growth with our kitchen concept.”
Franchisees also do collaborations with local breweries on tasting events and charitable efforts such as “Tap for Good,” and Ronald McDonald House.
“People in densely populated areas want a community gathering spot. At the end of the day, they want a friendly place to take their families out for some food and beer and wine,” said David Hinkle, The Casual Pint's head of real estate and franchise development. “Dwell time has been great at all Casual Pint locations.”
Robinette is moving slowly with The Casual Pint’s expansion, focusing on finding franchisees who have expert knowledge of their local markets.
“Slow and smart growth is what I’m looking for. It may be just five new franchises a year for the time being,” Robinette said. “Our ultimate goal is to have hundreds of locations, but we want to make sure that each of them will be steady and stable.”
