Sip and Shop

By
Appears in the November 2024 issue.

By Peter Gianopulos

Tapville CEO Joseph Tota, franchisee Samuel Kirkland, and Vivian Kirkland

To compete with online shopping, malls seem to be pulling out all the stops to make local retail more enjoyable. The team that runs Tapville Social—a tech-savvy hospitality group that operates an eponymous bar and restaurant in Naperville—has a crafty solution: self-service beer taps and wine kiosks so shoppers can sip while they splurge.

At its newest “Drink While You Shop” concept in Yorktown Center in Lombard, guests hand over their ID and a credit card and receive a Pore Pass (beer/wine payment card) and a glass. From there, you’re free to play bartender. Digital screens provide flavor profiles of eight different beer and cider options and eight wine selections. Given that the system charges by the ounce, you’re free to sample small tastes or enjoy a full pour.

For Tapville Social, this is far from a one-off experiment. The group now operates four restaurants and 11 Drink While You Shop locations in malls and shopping centers across the country. In addition to beer and wine, the Yorkville location offers Tapville’s take on classic shaken cocktails as well as boozy slushies, which range from fruity margaritas to frosès (frozen rosè wine). And if you happen to fall hard for a particular beer or wine, you can purchase full bottles or growlers to take home.

“The idea is to make shopping more fun,” says Don DiBrita, Tapville’s vice president of marketing. “There are a lot of people who enjoy sitting in a quiet place with a beer while their spouse is shopping. And when you’re in a group shopping for a special occasion—say a wedding or baby shower—it’s even more fun.”

 

Photo: Emily Cummings Photography (Tapville CEO Joseph Tota, franchisee Samuel Kirkland, and Vivian Kirkland)