Slow Death of Bars, Rise of Restaurants is Bad for Beer

Dear Client: Neighborhood bars are dropping like flies, and restaurants are popping up like mushrooms. Since 2004, the former has declined by 12,766 units, while the latter has increased by 60,906, according to stats shared by Nielsen CGA in the Brewers Association's latest Power Hour. This dynamic is bad news for the entire beer category, because there's about a 20% swing between people picking beer at a "drinking" venue versus an "eating" one, per recent surveys conducted by Nielsen CGA: