Paulaner is creating a congenial social dining experience for its customers
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How would you define joy of life? At Paulaner, we believe it is the embrace of a good friend, a heartfelt conversation, evenings spent in good company, or light-heartedly enjoying a fresh cool Paulaner beer together. It is this that we have missed most throughout the COVID-19 pandemic and why we can hardly wait to extend our hospitality from Munich to the world again.
Paulaner Franchise & Consulting GmbH, a subsidiary of the Paulaner Brewery Group, operates approximately 50 franchise locations throughout the world. “Beer, Food and Gemütlichkeit” forms the foundation of our holistic franchise concept, which combines the finest Munich beer culture, traditional cuisine, and Bavarian conviviality.
Those familiar with Bavarian gastronomy will doubtlessly agree, that much of its uniqueness lies within the social interaction.
Therefore, it is probably not surprising that selecting a new business partner is a highly personal process during which sympathy and trust are gained on both sides.
Lars Eckart, managing director of Paulaner Franchise & Consulting, adds, “we are very proud of each and every one of our franchise partners. Their enthusiasm and expertise in their respective markets are important factors of success.”
Three different entry points
Nevertheless, our team insists that in addition to choosing the right operator, the location and the concept are crucial to the success of any new business venture. Consequently, the Paulaner franchise system offers three differently sized products in its portfolio.
The Paulaner Bräuhaus is the flagship of our concept. Each Bräuhaus has a fully functioning inhouse brewery where an experienced resident brewmaster exercises his craft using original Paulaner recipes and in strict adherence with the German purity law.
The Paulaner Wirtshaus is a beacon of Bavarian “Gemütlichkeit” and offers the full range of Paulaner beers imported directly from Munich.
Finally there’s the Paulaner Bierhaus; albeit the smallest, but no less authentic, of our franchise products and developed specifically for high-frequency locations such as airports or train stations.
Gerrit Ringelstein, our in-house architect, emphasizes, “it is important that we adapt to the local conditions in the best possible way. We do not have standardized layouts; we always develop them together with our franchise partners. However, of course, for a Bräuhaus we need at least 1,200 square meters and 350 seats. For our Bierhaus, we can start from approximately 40 seats.”
Bringing munich to the world
The one thing that all of our franchise products have in common is best expressed through the words of Marco Steinhart, director of project and development at Paulaner: “We aim to bring Munich to the world giving a sense of home, comfort, and coziness. Nothing makes you forget the world around you like a cool Paulaner beer, delicious food, and authentic Bavarian hospitality. It feels like a short break from everyday life; it is the ideal environment for you to recover in.”
A further key to the success of our Paulaner concept is authenticity, and this can only be achieved through training and the digital innovation with which we support our partners. To ensure that all our franchisees receive the ongoing support they require, a dedicated team of area managers with an awareness of business needs, significant operational background, and a passion for the industry are strategically located in different areas of the world.
This has proven of particular value during the pandemic when international travel restrictions were imposed. They visit all outlets in regular intervals, working with management on-site to implement, uphold and continuously improve standards. In addition to which our proprietary mystery shopping system, “Stern der Gastlichkeit”, evaluates every outlet several times per year.
Relevant documentation and information is readily available via a media database and can be accessed on-demand whenever necessary.
Virtual and inperson training
Although we strongly believe that personal and interactive training is best, Paulaner Operations has set up a series of webinars and online trainings, which are offered on a regular basis to the approximately 2,000 managers and employees throughout the Paulaner network. This is particularly important, as the success of the franchisee also depends on a skilled and motivated team of employees.
Given the geographic spread of our partners and continuous international expansion, one cannot expect the same understanding of Bavarian cuisine everywhere in the world. To overcome this challenge, Paulaner implemented a digital kitchen system that makes trialed and proven recipes, preparation and cooking instructions, as well as predefined cooking programs available to our partners.
The Connected Cooking software solution allows for real-time support directly from Munich, adding great value to our franchise concept.
Food is king
In the Paulaner franchise concept, food is of (almost) equal importance to the guest experience as beer. This is something that is embodied through our own Paulaner chef, Dominik Österreicher.
Dominik develops all menu items in a kitchen lab, perfecting every dish and adapting presentation and preparation to our concept.
The kitchen training takes place online or on-site where a network of professional chefs, trained specifically to the Paulaner concept, supports Dominik in reaching even the most remote locations of the world – a fact that has again proven to be a distinct advantage during the ongoing travel restrictions worldwide.
Paulaner has created a union of professional expertise, modern kitchen equipment, and digitalization, which makes it possible to prepare core conceptual food items in even the smallest spaces. Our most recent outlet, which opened in June 2021 at Germany’s second most frequented train station in Frankfurt am Main, is testimony to this. Situated on only 77 square meters this unprecedented Bierhaus offers a considerable range of Paulaner beer specialties and Bavarian delicacies to dine in or take away.
“We are very proud of each and every one of our franchise partners. Their enthusiasm and expertise in their respective markets are important factors of success”
A further novelty of this latest project was the close collaboration with the renowned Lagardère Travel Retail. A partnership, which Jochen Halfmann, managing director for Lagardère Travel Retail Germany, described as follows: “We chose Paulaner for its world famous brand and its expertise in franchising. Immediately apparent from the start and throughout the entire project phase, we continue to experience its expertise in our daily operations. We look forward to growing together and are already talking about future projects. Working with Paulaner is a pleasure.”
At a glance Paulaner
Established: 1996
Number of franchised outlets: 50
Location of units: Germany, China, Russia, Singapore, Azerbaijan, Taiwan, Macau, Indonesia
Investment range: €2,500 to €3,000 per sqm.
Minimum required capital: Approx. €100,000
Contact: Mrs. Nadine Morper, franchise@paulaner.de
