Happy New Year from the Board Member Dev Committee

January is traditionally a time for new years resolutions, but as these often involve cutting out garlic chips and reducing beer intake, lets skip this and instead look at what opportunities 2020 will bring. Lions fans may be getting used to a rebuild year (every year*) but we at BlackStar Co-Op aren’t willing to settle for that**. Here is how will we ensure a winning record this coming season…

·        Membership Events: Look out for an increased schedule of membership events in 2020 with the goal of continuing the community aspect of membership

·        Pub Facility Investment: If you have been to recent membership meetings you will be aware, we have been polling for ideas on how to physically improve our space. In 2020 we have an opportunity to put this into action and we may be enlisting your help in elements of this to ensure the result meets your needs.

·        10 years of Black Star: It’s party time all the time in 2020 as Black Start celebrates it’s a decade of great beer, food and people. Look out for the special events and activities on the calendar, if ever there was a time to go over the top…. this is it!

Fresh Ideas on the Board: In December we confirmed James Farris and Gabe Prado onto the board of directors. If you haven’t said hello yet please do they are nice guys! The Board calendar kicks off at the January offsite in a few weeks so look out for an update soon with our action plan for the year

·        Co-Op Message: The Black Star Co-Op is special in that we run our business differently, we treat people differently, and we provide a different service to the community than your run-of-the-mill beer bar. In 2020 if Black Star is to thrive, this story needs to be told more loudly, more widely and more clearly, and for this we need your help. As a member owner we shall be looking to work with you to champion our Co-Op and ensure its long-term success in Austin. More to come on this subject…

·        New Beers and Menus: Have you tried the latest Dockhand variant yet? When was the last time you tried the cask ale special that is often at the bottom of the black board***? How many flavors of homemade bread pudding can you say you have tried? With the Beer and Kitchen teams constantly updating the menu why not try something new in 2020 and surprise yourself?

Once again, Happy New Year and I look forward to seeing you for a pint soon

Graham 
Board Member Development Committee Chair

*This burn is for you Ozz (Black Star Member-Owner from Michigan)
** Especially as we already have the dream team on staff so a favorable draft pick isn’t really an advantage
***Did you know cask beer is considered a rational pint and so member discount applies?