Help us elevate our restaurant experience

Service design | FiftyFifty Brewing Co.

Background

FiftyFifty Brewing Co. is an award-winning local brewery and restaurant in Truckee/Tahoe, aiming to deliver a world-class, beer-centric guest experience.

In late 2019, they recognized stagnating guest satisfaction and operational inefficiencies at their restaurant. They wanted to increase revenue per customer averages without alienating their local customer base; however, the brand identity felt diluted, and the guest experience didn’t reflect it’s mission as a premier brewery.

I was engaged to lead a comprehensive service and experience redesign—spanning discovery, training, menu, and physical space. The project’s impact was amplified by the unique opportunity to accelerate physical redesigns while the restaurant was closed during the COVID-19 pandemic.

If you build it, they will come

The success of the project brought new life into the brand. In 2025, FiftyFifty broke ground on 3 new expansion projects:

  1. To keep up with in-house production demands of their flagship brewery, they are relocating to a larger space, closer to downtown Truckee, CA.

  2. They’re also opening 2 new brewpub and social clubs in Reno, NV and Mammoth Lakes, CA.

My role

As the Service Design Consultant, I was tasked with:

  • Diagnosing root causes of experience and operational issues through a discovery phase.

  • Designing and developing solutions to:

    • Improve guest satisfaction and hospitality.

    • Increase average revenue per cover.

    • Realign the restaurant’s brand and service with its core brewery identity.

    • Prepare the team for a strong reopening post-pandemic.

Identifying gaps

  • Conducted in-depth interviews with staff and management; analyzed online reviews, and conducted a service audit.

  • Identified key pain points: high noise levels, inconsistent service, POS challenges, unclear job roles, lack of beer education, and operational inefficiencies.

  • Synthesized findings into actionable insights, highlighting the need for a unified brand experience, formal training, and physical upgrades.

Key findings

Brand & mission clarity:

  • The mission statement was not reflected in the guest experience; service, design, and menu felt disconnected.

  • The restaurant was trying to appeal to too many personas (brewery, family restaurant, sports bar), diluting its identity.

Training & hospitality gaps:

  • Training was brief (3 days) and focused on logistics, not hospitality or brand experience.

  • No pre-shift meetings or ongoing engagement; lack of proactive service.

  • Staff were friendly, open to feedback, and eager for change.

Team dynamics:

  • FOH showed strong camaraderie; BOH improved but needed more incentives and oversight.

  • Management lacked clear roles and accountability.

Guest touchpoints:

  • Excessive noise in the restaurant made both the employee and guest experience challenging.

  • Missed opportunities for engagement outside of the main server.

  • Inconsistent attire and lack of unified staff appearance.

  • Missed moments for brand storytelling and education (e.g., beer flights, kids menus, bathroom signage).

“How much revenue are we missing out on because of POS and upselling challenges?”

This question drove a focus on both operational fixes and staff empowerment.

Design parts to change the whole experience

Brand alignment

  • Facilitated a branding exercise to clarify brand’s mission, reassess target customers, and unify the guest experience around the brewery’s identity.

  • Ensured all touchpoints—service, design, and menu—reinforced the core mission, voice, and tone.

“How do you want people to feel when they enter? Cozy? Friendly? Educational? Pick two and design everything around them.”

Training & education

  • Developed a comprehensive employee training program, including a robust beer education curriculum and hospitality best practices.

  • Introduced pre-shift meetings, regular tastings, and ongoing learning opportunities.

  • Clarified roles and responsibilities with updated job descriptions and an organizational chart.

Service and menu enhancements

  • Created scripts for guest engagement and upselling.

  • Added beer pairings and educational elements to the menu. This included bringing back a “help us name this beer” program for guest engagement.

  • Streamlined menu offerings for clarity and profitability. Revamped menu design to match brand identity.

Physical & operational improvements

  • Led a near-complete restaurant redesign during COVID-19 closure: purchased new furniture, installed acoustical panels, upgraded signage, and improved back bar and restroom facilities.

  • Improved storage solutions and FOH-BOH communication protocols.

  • Retrained staff on POS usage to reduce errors and support upselling.

Metrics prove details matter: The changes worked

Employee performance & satisfaction

  • Staff reported increased confidence, motivation, and clarity in their roles.

  • Upselling and guest engagement improved due to the beer education program and new service scripts.

Guest experience

  • Notable reduction in guest complaints about noise and service inconsistency.

  • Guests responded positively to the enhanced ambiance, educational menu, and improved hospitality.

Operational & financial impact

  • Weekly tracking showed an increase in $/cover, beer sales, and upsell rates post-launch.

  • Physical upgrades were completed efficiently during the COVID-19 closure, minimizing disruption and maximizing ROI.

Brand and culture

  • The restaurant’s identity as a brewery was clarified and consistently expressed across all guest touchpoints.

  • A culture of continuous improvement and teamwork was established, with ongoing feedback loops and incentive programs.

Recap

By connecting research, brand strategy, and operational design, I helped FiftyFifty Brewing Co. transform from a scattered experience to a unified, beer-centric destination. This project demonstrates my ability to lead holistic, high-ROI service design in complex hospitality environments—balancing guest experience, brand clarity, and operational excellence.

My clients were happy with the results and extended my contract to tackle brand and experience challenges they were having with a sister distillery they were getting off the ground, Old Trestle.

Previous

Preparing to become Meta