Eater Talks | How Bars Compete With Breweries

Eater Talks: What’s the future of the neighborhood tavern as brewery taprooms continue to eat up marketshare?

Thursday, June 20 — 6:30 p.m.

Eater Chicago and the Ace Hotel will continue its ongoing restaurant industry discussion series in June, with a new topic: What’s the future of the neighborhood tavern as brewery taprooms continue to eat up marketshare?

Chicago’s bar culture is part of what makes the city unique, and three panelists in the city’s bar and beer industry will join moderator Ashok Selvam for a conversation on the bar history, how mainstay taverns are battling to stay relevant in a market saturated with new bars, and how breweries and their shiny taprooms are threats to the local corner bar.

Younger customers, the ones who are allegedly looking for an experience, may not be interested in sharing stories of old Chicago over pints of Old Style. Instead they’re looking for a fancy cocktail they can feature on their Instagram feed. Meanwhile breweries, ones many which are armed with deep pockets, put together lavish build outs with roof decks and state of the art draft systems. How can bar owners, especially authentic dives, compete?

The panelists for the hour-long discussion are Michael Roper who owns Hopleaf Bar, an iconic Andersonville restaurant and tavern known nationally for its unique selection of beer; writer Peter Frost, editor of MillerCoors Behind The Beer blog and formerly of Crain’s; and Pete Ternes is the co-owner of Middle Brow Beer. They recently opened a brewpub in Logan Square.

This new Eater Chicago x Ace Hotel discussion goes down on Thursday, June 20 from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the hotel’s first-floor event space. Tickets cost $20, and include one drink ticket.