Hourglass Brewing

The Challenge

Hourglass Brewing initially approached Integral with concerns about its Longwood location.

Sales had declined, the craft beer industry was changing, and ownership needed to determine whether the location still had a viable future. Early assumptions pointed toward changing consumer habits, generational drinking trends, local market conditions, and a possible lack of demand.

But the business needed more than assumptions.

Before making decisions about marketing, staffing, operations, or the future of the location, ownership needed a clearer view of what was actually happening, and whether Longwood’s challenges were caused by the market, the customer experience, internal operations, or a combination of factors.

What Integral Did

Integral led a comprehensive business performance diagnostic in collaboration with strategic research and data partner Grounded With Data.

Grounded With Data combines business diagnostics, research, and human insight to help organizations understand what is happening beneath the surface and make clearer decisions about what to do next.

Together, we evaluated both Hourglass Brewing locations so the Longwood findings could be compared against the stronger-performing Hourglass District location.

Mystery shopping and on-site observation

We completed eight visits across both locations, covering different days, traffic levels, event nights, and customer types.

Participants represented multiple generations and included beer drinkers, casual drinkers, non-beer drinkers, parents, hospitality professionals, and guests who were unfamiliar with the brand.

The research examined:

• Atmosphere and first impressions
• Customer traffic and behavior
• Staff interaction and service
• Ordering and payment experience
• Food and non-beer options
• Facility upkeep
• Event experience
• Likelihood to return

The fieldwork found that the customer experience was not fundamentally broken, but it was inconsistent. Both locations still offered strong products and moments of genuine hospitality, yet unclear ordering, passive service, limited follow-up, and uneven upkeep created unnecessary friction for customers.

Market and audience research

We analyzed the trade areas surrounding both locations to determine whether Longwood’s market could still support the business.

The research showed that Longwood was not an unwinnable market. Its surrounding area included a stable, mature customer base with household income growth and beer-purchasing potential above the Florida average.

This helped disprove the assumption that changing generational drinking habits or a weak local market were solely responsible for the decline.

Competitive and customer sentiment review

We reviewed nearby competitors, local hospitality options, public reviews, and social sentiment to better understand what customers expected from similar businesses.

This work helped identify gaps in areas such as food availability, service clarity, family-friendly experiences, menu visibility, and how effectively Hourglass communicated what made the brand different.

Financial and operational analysis

We reviewed financial performance, transaction activity, discounts, coupons, comps, cash behavior, ticket counts, and event economics across both locations.

Results and Impact

The diagnostic changed the business conversation.

Instead of treating Hourglass as a simple marketing or demand problem, the research showed that the immediate priority was operational control.

Key findings included:

• Both locations still showed meaningful customer demand.
• Beer quality and brand personality remained real strengths.
• Longwood’s surrounding market was still viable.
• Customer experience issues were largely tied to inconsistency rather than total concept failure.
• Events created activity, but not every event created meaningful financial value.
• Major growth investments should wait until operational controls were strengthened.

The final recommendation was not to immediately spend more on advertising.

It was to first verify where revenue was being lost, tighten point-of-sale controls, establish clearer operating standards, and then determine what parts of the business deserved reinvestment.

Strategic Takeaway

Sometimes the problem that looks like marketing is not a marketing problem.

Declining sales can lead businesses to assume they need more customers, more advertising, or a complete rebrand. But growth cannot solve a business that is not consistently protecting the value it already creates.

For Hourglass Brewing, the most responsible next step was not generating more attention. It was understanding what was happening after customers walked through the door.

Good strategy does not begin with tactics.

It begins by asking the right questions, testing the assumptions, and being willing to follow the evidence, even when it points somewhere unexpected.

About the Collaboration

This engagement was led by Integral Marketing & Advertising in partnership with Grounded With Data.

Grounded With Data brought deep expertise in business diagnostics, market research, field observation, data analysis, and operational insight. Integral led the client strategy, project direction, business framing, and translation of the findings into clear, practical recommendations.

Together, the teams combined data, customer experience research, and strategic thinking to give Hourglass Brewing a fuller picture of the business and a more responsible path forward.