E123: The Entertainment-Driven Brewery Model with Chris O’Neill from One Well Brewing
From The True Craft Podcast by Small Batch Standard
February 6, 2026 · 1h 2m · Episode 124
About this episode
In this episode, Chris O’Neill discusses how One Well Brewing grew into a successful business by focusing on customer behavior and entertainment.
Join us at CBC 2026 for our free Brewery Profit Workshop on Monday, April 20th. Learn more and grab a spot at sbstandard.com/cbcprofit — In this episode of The True Craft Podcast, we sit down with Chris O’Neill of One Well Brewing out of Kalamazoo, Michigan. We unpack how a brewery that started with just $80K grew into a ~$1M business by paying close attention to why customers behave the way they do...and then designing the business around those behaviors instead of following what some would maybe call industry norms! Highlights include: Why a simple food menu stops customers from leaving (and could even double beer sales) The overlooked difference between attracting customers versus keeping them How the right entertainment mix can change how (and when) customers show up If you’ve ever felt that tension between playing it safe and trusting your instincts as an owner, this episode is a reminder that building something different is often the whole point.
People in this episode
Guest: Chris O’Neill
Topics covered
- brewery business model
- customer behavior
- entertainment in breweries
- business growth
- food menu impact
- customer retention
Keywords
- brewery
- business growth
- customer behavior
- entertainment
- food menu
- retention
- CBC 2026
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: One Well Brewing
Places: Kalamazoo
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