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Beer Business Brews Up Billions in Economic Impact For Tennessee, Study Finds

Tennesseans’ interest in good beer is fueling a multi-billion-dollar industry that supports nearly 30,000 jobs in the state, according to a report released Tuesday. The Beer Serves America report found America’s beer industry contributed $4.2 billion last year to the Tennessee economy and supported 28,646 jobs in the state. Nationwide, the beer industry had a $328.4 billion economic impact…

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Beer Business Brews Up Billions in Economic Impact For Tennessee, Study Finds

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Tennesseans’ interest in good beer is fueling a multi-billion-dollar industry that supports nearly 30,000 jobs in the state, according to a report released Tuesday.

The Beer Serves America report found America’s beer industry contributed $4.2 billion last year to the Tennessee economy and supported 28,646 jobs in the state. Nationwide, the beer industry had a $328.4 billion economic impact in 2018 and generated a total of 2.19 million jobs, ranging from distributors to barley farmers and retail workers associated with the beer industry.

Tennessee ranked 25th in the nation for economic impact in the beer industry and 26th in jobs. California ranked first in both categories, followed by Texas.

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Restaurants are buying more customer tech even as visits stay 7% below 2019

Restaurants are buying more customer tech even as visits stay 7% below 2019

U.S. restaurant operators are budgeting more customer-facing technology for 2026, with 60% prioritizing customer experience investments, according to the National Restaurant Association data reported by Restaurant Business. The push comes while average chain restaurant occasions remain 7% below 2019 levels, a gap Restaurant Business says has persisted even as kiosks, digital menu boards, loyalty programs, and AI tools proliferated. Bar & Restaurant’s reporting on high-volume staffing shows why the timing matters operationally: with labor still tight and peak periods exposing process friction, operators are trying to shift guest decisions earlier, improve scheduling discipline, and free managers to coach instead of firefight. The near coin-flip in consumer sentiment, 41% saying tech improves hospitality versus 38% saying it hurts, indicates deployments that reduce staff burden without making the guest feel “sent to a screen” will be the ones that hold up in 2026 traffic conditions.

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  • 03QSR Magazine, citing the National Restaurant Association’s estimate that about 71% of QSR revenue comes from repeat customers, frames store design and the in-restaurant environment as part of the discussion around repeat visits.

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