Every now and then, someone tells us our prices are too high. And every now and then, someone else tells us our prices are perfectly reasonable. Welcome to the magical world of opinions — where everyone has one, and none of them agree. (It’s one of the reasons we have EIGHTEEN beers on tap… for the choice!)
So instead of debating feelings, let’s talk about facts, because facts don’t get into Facebook arguments.
We’re Small. We’re Family‑Owned. We’re Not Feeding Shareholders.
bmc brewing isn’t part of a giant beverage conglomerate. There’s no boardroom. No quarterly earnings call. No “maximize shareholder value” memo.
It’s just us — a local family, a really small devoted-to-us team, and a whole lot of sweat equity.
When you buy a beer here, your money stays in Pittsboro. It doesn’t fly off to a corporate office in a city you’ve never visited.
Sales Tax: The Math Nobody Wants to Think About
We had two choices:
- Add sales tax on top of every purchase
- Build it into the price so you pay a clean, simple number
We chose the second option because nobody wants to deal with a pocket full of coins. So when you hand us $7 cash, that’s all you pay — but we only keep $6.51.
If we added tax separately, you’d owe $7.49, and we’d keep $7.
Same beer. Different math. And yes, those pennies matter when you’re small.
Credit Cards: The Silent Wallet Drainers
We accept cards because, realistically, most people don’t carry cash anymore. But every swipe comes with a fee — and those fees add up fast.
On a $7 beer:
- Card fees run $1.51–$2.57
- Apple/Google Pay? You pay $7.95, and we keep $5.39
That means $2.08 goes straight to a massive corporation for the privilege of processing your payment and to buy some millionaire’s yacht snacks.
That’s a big chunk of our effort padding someone else’s pockets.
How You Can Help Small Businesses (Including Us)
If you want to support small, local spots — not just bmc — here’s how to make a real difference:
- Carry a little cash for small purchases. It helps more than you think.
- Start a tab if you’re using a card. Every single swipe adds an extra $0.25 on top of the percentage fees. Tabs = fewer swipes = fewer fees = more money staying local.
Small changes in your habits make big changes in our ability to keep doing what we do at prices that don’t make you want to stay home.
Compare Us Around Town
We encourage you to look at what you pay here versus your other favorite watering holes. Check the prices, the pour sizes, the vibe, the community impact — all of it.
Then decide where your money feels best spent.
We’ll keep making good beer. You keep choosing where your dollars go. That’s how small businesses survive, thrive, and stay part of the community.