Cabarrus County’s first self-serve tap wall is open for business!

Crave Hot Dogs & Barbecue isn’t just another new restaurant on the block, it’s also home to Cabarrus County’s first self-serve beer tap wall. Now you might be asking yourself, “what’s a self-serve beer tap wall? Never heard of it.” Well, we’re here to fill you in and give you the basics of what to expect so you can go in with confidence on your first visit.

Before we get into how the tap wall works, let’s take a second to introduce you to Crave. This new addition to the local food and beverage scene opened their doors on April 24, 2021, and describe their concept as: “At Crave, we have made it our mission to deliver a menu where there is something for everyone and you leave happy, not hungry! We strive to give our customers not only excellent food but a great experience they will remember. Our self-serve beer wall is perfect for those local crafts and IPA drinkers. There is also wine and sometimes cocktails on tap too! You can join us on our patios for some games and live entertainment, or inside the restaurant as well.”

Though they have a pretty sizable food menu, the main purpose of our visit was to stop by for a beer from the tap wall. The self-serve beer wall features 20 taps that are primarily craft focused – ten of which were from Charlotte area breweries on our visit. In addition to the craft focused tap offerings, there are two taps dedicated to macro, “big beer” lagers and one tap for the wine drinkers with Prosecco on tap. To keep up with their latest tap lineup, you can check out their Untappd page here.

How It Works

First off, a “self-serve tap wall” is exactly what it sounds like. You pour your own beer from the tap. Simple as that. It’s the perfect way to live out any fantasies you may have about being a bartender.

When you place your food order at the front register (we highly recommend the BBQ Taco Trio, by the way), you’ll need to tell the employee taking your order that you would like to pour a beer from the self-serve tap wall. You will then show your ID and give them a debit/credit card. They will place a $25 hold on your card and hand you a pint glass and a card that will track your pours, in ounces, from the wall. Flight tasting glasses are also available upon request if you’d like to do some sampling before going all-in on a full pint.

After receiving your glass and tracking card, make your way over to the tap wall and check out the various beers, and wine, available on tap. Once you have decided on your choice of beverage, place the card in the slot above the tap of your choice. The card reader will notify you that it read the card properly and you can begin pouring. If you’re not familiar with how to properly pour a beer, begin by rinsing your glass on one of the built-in glass rinsers on the wall. Once your glass is clean,  hold it at a 45-degree angle and pour down the side of the glass. You will begin to slowly rotate the glass as it fills until it’s completely vertical when full (check out this video on how to properly pour a beer if you still have questions). This will give you a proper pour, minimize any loss and cut down on the foamy head on the beer. You only want about one inch of head on your pour. Don’t forget, you are being charged by the ounce on your pours, so you definitely don’t want to waste money on over pours and excessive foam. When you finish your pour be sure to grab your tracking card from the slot, walk back to your table and enjoy your brew.

When you’re ready to close out your tab, simply return to the front counter and turn in your tracking card to the employee at the register. They will check the balance of your pours on the card and either apply the $25 hold that was originally placed on your credit/debit card when you first placed your order or cancel the hold and only charge you for the ounces you poured. Based on the charges we accrued during our visit, the average price ends up being roughly $6 per pint. Which is pretty much on-par with most craft beverage retailers in the area.

Operating Hours:
Sunday – Thursday: 11am-9pm
Friday – Saturday: 11am-10pm

Address:
3050 Derita Road
Suite 10
Concord, NC 28027

Phone:
704-910-0009

Iwantcrave.com
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