Are influencers worth it?

A few months back we had a conversation with a BeerMenus customer who shared some frustrations he had with influencers. Specifically, he felt they asked way too much for what they provided.

Just a few weeks after that conversation, John Brandt-Lee, who owns Bar Avalon in West Chester and Bryn Mawr, PA, went viral for an Instagram reel about the same topic. The text over the video reads:

"This is my bar. An influencer quoted me 4k to post about it so I figured I'd just sit in front of it instead."

And that's all the video was. He waved and smiled at passersby a couple times, but that's it. Super simple.

The reel went viral, with comments from around the world. And he's hit gold again with a couple other posts that have gotten 10+ million views. So, for John, it would appear influencers aren't necessary. He seems to have cracked it himself.

We're currently working on getting an interview with John for Brave New Bar on how he thinks about using social media and virality, but in the meantime: what have your experiences with influencers been? Any good ones? Any bad ones?

Please let me know. I'd love to chat to get more nuance into how you all are thinking about influencers here at the end of 2025, since it definitely feels like it's shifting a bit.

Why it works

Customers can order more quickly, meaning your bartenders can serve more customers, faster.

How it works

• On their own, without the help of the bartender, your customers can read your full-info Print Menu (includes beer descriptions, ABV, etc.) to hone in on what to order.
• Then they can step up, look at the TV Menu, and just say “I”ll have a number 4” to the bartender.

The interaction is finished and significant time saved—no asking what's on tap, no samples, no back-and-forth about what to order.

This time savings can add up quickly on a busy night, and the more time saved means the more folks served per hour. And that means more sales.

David Hayden of multi-state chain Up-Down says this phenomenon "works out to thousands of additional dollars on a Friday or Saturday night."

How can I do it at my business?

You could do this manually. Google the beers you have, copy the info you need, drop the info into your Print Menu doc and your editable TV Menu, then adjust the design as necessary.

• Government closure a big problem for craft brewers. It's because the shutdown prevents the TTB (Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trace Bureau) from approving the labels for new products. That's of course not a big deal for big breweries who are always pumping out the same thing and don't need new labels approved, but for craft breweries who make new beers each week or month, the shutdown has thrown a big wrench into the normal flow.
• Free beer and wine in economy on Air Canada flights. There's a lot the Canadians do right. Add this to the list, though it's of course not out of the goodness of their hearts: passengers were upset with additional baggage and seat selection fees in economy, and executives knew offering free drinks was a lot cheaper than getting rid of the baggage fees.
• Truck crash near LA sends kegs and cans spraying across freeway. Seems like no one was hurt and nothing crazy caused it, but it's definitely interesting seeing a herd of firefighters in full gear rolling kegs across a freeway.