Red Arrow Expands Beyond Elmhurst And Naperville

ELMHURST, IL — The Tapville franchising chain, which started with a Red Arrow Tap Room in Elmhurst, is expanding nationally — with a business model that works well in a pandemic environment, its founder says.

In 2016, Tapville started in Elmhurst and established its second restaurant in Naperville two years later. Another one is planned for Denver next year.

Tapville also has a kiosk location in Rosemont and plans another one in Aurora, where people will be able to stroll in the Fox Valley Mall with their beer, according to Tapville.

In an interview, Joseph Tota, the chain's founder and CEO, said his company entered a franchise deal to set up 11 locations in Florida. The franchisee, he said, is looking for airport leases that have gone in default because of the coronavirus.

He said Red Arrow's model works well in the pandemic.

"We have self-pour technology. Customers can order from a tablet at the table. They don't have to interact that closely with the server," Tota said. "Our concept works well with social distancing. Technology solves the problem."

Tapville has launched an investor campaign on StartEngine.com, where it is raising money for its franchising plans. The money will be used to market Tapville for potential franchisees and train employees of franchises, Tota said.

The chain hopes to raise $1 million. As of Tuesday, it had pulled in $113,000.

"We have a lot of support from the local community. Many are customers from Elmhurst," Tota said.

According to the campaign page, Tapville is tapping the growing trend in craft beer consumption. The company said it believes few bars are equipped to offer cost-effective sampling experiences for beer lovers.

"We believe restaurants are also one of the few industries that have severely lagged in the adoption of smart data strategies to help scale and run their businesses," the campaign page said. "It’s very unfortunate that many restaurants will not survive the pandemic. However, we believe the market opportunity for restaurants that are tech-forward with new ways of operating will not only survive but thrive."