Not an easy business

I recently saw a sign for yet another brewery being built in Branford. I don’t single out Branford for this because it seems that every other week either in the paper or on the news you see another brewery is opening somewhere. While I don’t mean to diminish anyone’s entrepreneurial spirit I have to wonder about the amount of market research being done prior to deciding to start these projects. I have been involved in the food business one way or another all my life and have seen so many of these business fads come and go. So I encourage these people looking to jump into the brewery business to look at these facts:

Start up costs are tremendous

The market is saturated

You are late into the game

Is your beer going to be so good or so different that people are going to leave their favorite place to come to yours

Population in Connecticut is not growing Talk to the pizza guys. With the exception of a few big name places, everyone else is making a 40-hour paycheck while working a 70-hour week

If you are leaving a food job with medical benefits and vacation time, and other perks you are giving all that up at a tremendous cost

Working seven days a week takes its toll on you and your family

I am not writing this to criticize but only advise based on my over 50 years of experience in the food business.

Don Rondini Branford