Tapville Social in downtown Naperville has been named among the top 50 new and emerging franchises in the country by Entrepreneur Magazine, coming in at No. 33 for franchises started within the last five years.
What’s more, in the magazine’s newly created “Self Pour Bars” category, it’s in the top spot.
‘A lot of growth’
The rankings were made taking into account factors like costs and fees, brand strength, financial stability, size, and another component that Tapville Social CEO and Founder Joseph Tota says the business has had plenty of.
“We’ve had a lot of growth with this company. This was the first Tapville Social restaurant, and we started franchising back in 2020. And we’ve expanded nationally. We’re in over 16 states right now, and we just signed our 44th franchise agreement. We’re super excited. It’s been a lot of growth. But it all started here on Washington Street,” said Tota.
Tapville Social – a restaurant with a self-pour twist
The restaurant has over 68 taps of beer and wine. Patrons can pour their own drinks, choosing the amount they would like to consume, while also trying different things.
It’s a model that Entrepreneur says is setting new trends, and which helped Tapville also crack its Top 500 Franchises list, slotted in at No. 454.
Tota said he’s happy the first Tapville Social is located in downtown Naperville.
“I grew up locally, I’m from Plainfield, so when I was young I used to come to downtown Naperville. So, when I was gonna build a restaurant, this was the place I was gonna choose,” said Tota.
The future of Tapville Social
He’s thrilled that his concept has taken off, and that others will be able to enjoy this self-pour style.
“We’re continuing to expand nationally. We’ve got over 16 states. We’re opening up in cities like Austin, downtown Pittsburgh, and Jersey City. We have locations in Denver, Colorado. We actually opened up in Hawthorne, California, across from the Space-X headquarters. So we just see a lot more national growth, and I think the work that our team is doing, and our franchise partners has really shown that this is a concept that can have a national presence,” said Tota.
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