Former Daytona 500 winner and popular NASCAR television personality Micheal Waltrip has announced that he will be launching his own brewery business, with plans to open 100 new bars in the next half-decade.
In 2020, Waltrip began the venture by creating the Michael Waltrip Brewing Co. Since then, he has begun to set his sights on a master plan that will someday, if all goes well, see the brand become a mainstay in the brewing industry. According to Fox News, this is what Waltrip had to say on “The Big Money Show:”
“We were in Arizona, and when COVID hit, we didn’t know whether to charge forward or get back on our heels. We just took a break and decided to relocate to the southeast and we opened a wonderful historic brewery in Bristol, Virginia, where we serve 20 different of our beers… our brewmaster is constantly making something new and different. It’s been a huge success, and so we decided to expand down into Charlotte, North Carolina.”
Waltrip then went on to give some encouraging news to fans of his brewing brand, saying that despite hardships faced due to the COVID pandemic, the brand is seeing success:
“It’s a concern, obviously, but we’ve been able to not only survive but also to persevere through it all. And I think that’s going to make us tougher in the long run. And we have great food here in Charlotte.”
“We’re forecasted to do $1.6 million to $2 million at this location over the next year. And we’ve only been open for a couple of months, and we’re right on target to do just that. So things are going well. You got to be tough in these times and I think our team is just that.”
Waltrip also talked about the hottest topic right now in the brewery business, Bud Light’s public relations nightmare that unfolded following their most recent ad campaign starring Dylan Mulvaney:
“A cold beer should make everybody happy. It should never alienate anyone. I’ll tell you something that is most important to me. The thing that I love the most about this project, you see someone you don’t know drinking one of your beers with a smile on their face. That’s what it’s all about to me. Just having a good time.”
“We just want to have a good beer and have a good time and not be political about anything we do.”
As their valuation plummeted following that ad campaign, Bud Light may have opened the door to smaller brands to gain market share. Ellis from The American Tribune wrote:
According to industry reports, Bud Light sales have fallen for the sixth consecutive week since the Bud Light boycott began in April. Bud Light has to offer serious incentives to get the beer off the shelves as consumer demand has plummeted.
Reportedly, at least one store is selling a 24-pack of Bud Light for as low as $3.49. Parent company Anheuser-Busch is also introducing a customer rebate for Memorial Day weekend. The discount seeks to provide an amount “equivalent to the purchase price of one (1) 15-pack or larger, up to $15.” According to a statement from Bud Light, “GET UP TO $15 BACK VIA REBATE ON THE PURCHASE OF BUDWEISER, BUD LIGHT, BUDWEISER SELECT, OR BUDWEISER SELECT 55.”
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