Bryn + Dane’s and Beverage On Tap

Founded in 2010 in Horsham, Pennsylvania, Bryn & Dane’s is a fast-food restaurant chain, unlike most others. Instead of greasy hamburgers and sugary sodas, the chain serves healthy, low-calorie items with sustainable ingredients such as salads, wraps, and “Buddha Bowls,” along with a variety of smoothies. But understanding that not all customers want a smoothie, owner Bryn Davis decided to offer several fresh drink alternatives, such as drip coffee, cold brew, iced tea, orange drinks, lemonade, and more.

To offer this wide variety of drinks, Davis knew he needed to put them on tap; after all, making these beverages from scratch each day would have been a logistical nightmare, and purchasing them in cans and bottles would have introduced countless pounds of packaging waste into the environment, a big taboo for a company employing sustainable practices and trying to attract environmentally-conscious millennials. Also, an on-tap system would allow beverage offerings to be changed frequently or seasonally, controlling the ingredients and improving the service speed while providing the consistency customers crave.

To accommodate the variety of non-smoothie beverages Bryn & Dane’s wanted to offer on tap, Davis chose industry leader Micro Matic, a name he knew and trusted, and had it installed through a general contractor.

Outlet Expansion Planning Begins

As Bryn & Dane’s continued to expand, Nick Muzyczka, Director of Operations, knew the locations would need installations performed quickly and efficiently—he also knew he wanted to stick with Micro Matic. Muzyczka asked around and was overwhelmingly referred to Brennan Beverage Services, Inc. Owner Frank Brennan had a reputation around town to provide reliable, high-quality work and for using Micro Matic products. “I was thrilled to hear from Nick at Bryn & Dane’s,” he says. “I was already familiar with their restaurants, and the fact that so many had recommended me to him meant a lot.”

Doug Wetmore, the Area Sales Representation for Micro Matic, had worked with Brennan before on a variety of installations. When he was contacted to help with the rollout, he wasn’t quite prepared to hear that the plan was for an additional 100 Bryn & Dane’s locations within the next five years. “It’s not every day you get a call like that, but I was ecstatic,” says Wetmore. “Micro Matic maintains a very close relationship with all of our installers, and over the years, Frank and I have come to really trust one another. It's a pleasure to be working with him on a project of this magnitude, and with an industry leader like Bryn & Dane’s that understands the importance of beverages on tap.”

Installations Get Underway

Today, the installation has been performed for three more Bryn & Dane’s locations, including the latest in Center City Philadelphia, which opened its doors to much media frenzy and a crowd of over 400 in late August 2019.

Brennan says that a typical installation requires a full day’s work, about 8-10 hours and that the results always make an impact. “All I ask is that when it comes time to perform an installation, my customers don’t think of a beverage dispense system as secondary. Get me in the door early, and I can find a solution to even the biggest challenges.”

Space can sometimes be one of those challenges, and locations often have very different setups. To go above and beyond, Brennan always quotes out three options to accommodate the needs of a particular location: an 8-tap, 10-tap, and 12-tap system. This way, the owner of any particular location can decide what’s most important, offering more drink options or leaving more room for POS systems.

The Micro Matic Difference

With any operator, keeping costs low is always a consideration, so Micro Matic is always quick to explain what makes Micro Matic worth the investment and the company’s philosophy of “quality without compromise.” “Many suppliers in our space turn to foreign markets for finished goods or low-cost components,” says Trey Wiegand, National Sales Director. “We don’t take that approach. Our core products have to meet the standards set by the world’s largest brewers. To get top-quality raw materials at a competitive price, we’ve established long-term relationships and significant purchasing power. I guess that’s bound to happen after 50-something years in the business!”

“Working with a leader in on-tap dispense equipment is important to me,” says Brennan. “When you’ve got a keg that’s housing a variety of beverages instead of just alcohol, you need NSF certified, high-grade 304 stainless line of equipment that can handle it; from their patented Barriermaster Flavourlock tubing to their beverage mixing systems, you get all of that with Micro Matic.”

“We also work with only the best installers,” adds Wetmore. “I know my clients are in good hands because Frank doesn’t perform a job and forget about it. He’s checking in every couple of weeks and making himself available 24/7 if need be.”