Meet Liz Tarry of TailGate Brewery

Today we’d like to introduce you to Liz Tarry.

Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I’m the Marketing Manager for TailGate Brewery! I work across all three of our Nashville taprooms (soon to be four with the airport!) but spend the majority of my time on Charlotte Pike in West Nashville – our Headquarters.

Previously, I worked in digital content for an advertising agency in Nashville called the Buntin Group. I gained a lot of technical and creative skills working for various food and beverage brands during my years at Buntin, but I always dreamed of more autonomy over who I was working for. I’ve always been interested in beer and craft breweries – I think the breadth of specialties of brewery workers and the scientific process of brewing, combined with the communal nature of craft beer, is fascinating. Craft breweries are pillars of their community – places where people gather and return to and develop deep connections. I’ve always found it so interesting and knew it was an industry I’d like to work in.

I did some freelance work for a few breweries in my hometown of Charlotte, North Carolina, to build my portfolio and learn more about the business, and I always admired TailGate from the guest’s perspective. Their fun, inventive beer flavors, commitment to quality, and creating a great place to work made me a fan. The Marketing Manager position – a new position for them as they grew – came open, and I applied immediately! The rest, as they say, is history.

I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle-free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
There are no smooth roads in the beer business! I started my position in late January of 2020, which, as we all know, was mere weeks before the beginning of the pandemic and stay-at-home order.

Within a few months of starting my job, we were running takeout and delivery only, with all hands on deck to translate our beer & pizza business to a to-go model. I ran deliveries, cooked pizzas, and took orders over Instagram, in addition to coordinating a marketing push for awareness of our new services and keep guests up-to-date on changing hours, specials, and protocols. We were able to rehire all of our team members and continue to grow despite the significant reduction in business.

I’m incredibly proud of how our team handled the issues that cropped up along the way – we remained aggressive, forward-thinking, and proactive in the face of an unprecedented time for the food & beverage industry. Along the way, we enacted programs like our pay-it-forward pizza program, offering discounted pizza donations to healthcare workers at Vanderbilt Hospital. Guests could buy a pizza for a healthcare worker; we’d cook it and deliver it. All told, we donated over 2,000 pizzas!

Another significant challenge we’ve faced, still as a result of the ongoing pandemic, is the shortage of people looking for work in the food & beverage industry, even as business explodes. Again, we’ve been proactive in recruiting and in messaging our excellent team member retainment – we provide health benefits, PTO, 401k, great wages, and more – all benefits that are unfortunately rare in our industry.

Those are the big issues! That doesn’t include lots of smaller struggles that come with the process of making beer and running a restaurant. At the end of the day, though, it’s pizza and beer! It’s all in good fun.

We’ve been impressed with TailGate Brewery, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
We’re an independent craft brewery with three taprooms across Nashville. We’re known for our wide variety of beers – we brew 200 unique recipes each year!! From Pumpkin Pie Cheesecake Dessert Beer, Apple Spice Cider, to a classic lager, we brew it all.

Personally, I’m most proud that we’re known for quality in all things. So often, I’ll walk into a really well-known craft brewery with fabulous beer, a super slick, all-the-amenities taproom, but the service is terrible. Or the food is underwhelming. The atmosphere is “too-cool-for-you.” That’s never been us. We get 5-star reviews constantly for our food, our customer service, welcoming atmosphere, and of course, our beer. Cool is great, but I’d rather be welcoming. I’d rather be the place you could bring your 80 years old grandma, your eight-person family, or your first date, whoever you want!

Another component to quality is treating team members right. We’re incredibly proud to offer our team members health benefits, 401k, PTO, paid holidays, and some of the highest wages in our industry. Many people have been with us for 5+ years, and our management team is almost entirely promoted from within. We spend hours and hours each week talking about how to be better employers, managers, and friends. It’s a safe, supportive work environment in an industry that is so, unfortunately, lacking in that area.

Before we go, is there anything else you can share with us?
Not much! I have a really fun, creative job that I love, but at the end of the day, I work for a small business. It’s hard, but it’s so fun, and we’re so appreciative of all of the support from our community and craft beer lovers across Tennessee & the U.S. It’s a really special community, and we’re so thankful to be a part of it!

We have three taprooms in Nashville: HQ, Music Row, and East Nashville. Find more about us on Instagram or Facebook, and come see us for a beer and pizza.

Contact Info:

• Website: tailgatebeer.com
• Instagram: instagram.com/tailgatebrewery
• Facebook: facebook.com/tailgatebrewery