Capital Region eatery now franchising nationwide

LATHAM, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- Tipsy Moose Tap & Tavern is now expanding into a national franchise model. The local restaurant chain has locations in Latham, Troy, and Albany.

Tipsy Moose owners Brendan Brader and Rob Tario announced the new franchising opportunities on October 9. The local chain was founded in Latham in 2016. In October 2023, the owners expanded the Tipsy Moose brand by opening Tipsy Taco Cantina in Latham.

"When the first Tipsy Moose opened eight years ago in a small spot with limited parking, we had high hopes for success, but never could have predicted how well-received and loved it's become," said Tario. "It was a dream to bring a piece of the Adirondacks and my childhood to life, combined with my love for the restaurant business. I am eternally grateful to everyone who has supported the Moose. None of this would be possible without family, friends, and patrons. It's a privilege to serve people and I hope expanding through franchising allows future owners to enjoy this as much as I do."

Tipsy Moose is known for its poutine, mac and cheese, burgers, sandwiches, wraps, pizza and quesadillas, as well as beer and specialty cocktails. Tipsy Moose has its own brand of coffee maple whiskey that Albany Distilling Company started to mass produce three years ago.

Tipsy Moose has also had collaborations with New York City-based Tipsy Scoop, which blended its ice cream with Tipsy Moose's coffee maple whiskey, Cider Belly Doughnuts, Upstate Cookie Shack, Nine Pin, Speckled Pig, Captain Lawrence, Wolf Hollow, and Lough Gill Brewery in Sligo, Ireland.

"We are excited for the opportunity to continue to expand the Tipsy Moose family," said Brader. "We believe our family friendly atmosphere, imaginative menu and charming, small physical blueprint have created a proven and resilient business model. We want our future franchise partners to have an experience like ours and hope they're as well-received in their hometowns as we've been in ours, which is why we've done all we can to make this process as enjoyable as possible. We've grown a lot over the years and are ready to share all we've learned."

The total initial investment to open your own Tipsy Moose franchise location is estimated to be around $298,400. If you're interested in learning more, you can visit the Tipsy Moose Franchising website.