How To Open a Bar

OPENING A BAR TIP 3.

Super Staff!

So, your current staff seem OK. The security guards seem friendly and reliable, the chef cooks pretty good food and the bar staff are attractive and fairly competent. There is, however, a difference between competent and excellent. One thing I always loved about one of my favorite wine bars called Bohjaz, was how friendly the staff were. It was always service with a smile and you got the impression they were truly interested in making your experience a good one. Believe it or not, some people actually enjoy working behind a bar; those people lift the morale of the whole place; they are the people you need. Put simply, great service makes patrons want to return, and without regulars your bar is doomed

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OPENING A BAR TIP 4.

Consistency.

Consistency is, in my opinion, one of the most important factors in growing a successful bar business. Without it, you confuse your customers and you really don't want to do that. Let me share one of my own experiences to illustrate this point.

I recently heard about a new bar that had just opened in my area so I got a few friends together and we went down to check it out. As a lover of cocktails, I was quick to ask the bartender what was on offer, only to be told "We do serve cocktails, but not tonight". This response left me wondering "if not tonight, a quiet Thursday night, then when?". My own experience and that of other bar owners I have had the pleasure of meeting has taught me that Consistency is one of the most important factors in the success of any hospitality business. People like to know what they are going to get before they go and get it. Sure, everyone likes a surprise but not if the surprise is "oh, you wanted steak? We don't do steak on Tuesdays" or "We do make cocktails, but not now, while you are here". There needs to be consistency in all aspects of the business and the staff needs to know what's going on always.

OPENING A BAR TIP 5.

Hosts & Hostesses.

Everyone loves attention from attractive members of the opposite sex. Whether they are just escorting patrons to their tables or socializing and running promotions, good looking people make good conversation topics and provide priceless eye candy.

OPENING A BAR TIP 6.

Televisions.

If your bar is a sports bar then people come specifically to watch sports on your screens, but for other types of bars, televisions and projector screens can be used in other ways to great effect. Use televisions to advertise your bar, your events, your specials and your menu. Anything you play on televisions in your bar has to be bold and eye catching. My suggestion would be to utilize these great assets and put them to work for you. In a noisy bar you don't have the luxury of audio to grab people's attention so any promotions or gimmicks you run on them need to be visually captivating. At times when you are not running ads on the screens try running some animated art. There are many multimedia artists working out there and ever changing wall art can keep the interior fresh and interesting. In my bar I projected animated art onto some of the walls. Sometimes it was nothing more than fish swimming across the blue, watery plaster, but it was enough to hold patrons attention for hours on end,and the longer they stay, the more they drink.

OPENING A BAR TIP 7.

Money, Money, Money.

If you try and open a bar without it, you wont get far. Even if your concept is appealing, your food is delicious and your staff and service are great, without money your bar will struggle to survive.

To make money you need customers and unless you've got 1000 heavy drinker friends to fill your bar each night, you will need to spend money to get people through your doors. To do this you either need to promote the hell out of your bar, which costs money, or you need to wait for your name to get out there via word of mouth, and waiting also costs money. Of course all bars are different and many factors influence how fast your business will grow, including location, concept, prices, promotions etc. etc, but unless you have enough cash in the bank to pay wages, buy liquor and cover the lease and license for at least 12 months you are taking a BIG RISK!

I am not trying to put off first time entrepreneurs with big dreams and small budgets, I was exactly that when I opened my bar. After spending all my money on fancy renovations, the lease deposit and stocking the bar, I thought the rest would be smooth sailing. As I would soon discover, there is a lot more to it than that. As a young and naive bar owner, I learned some of the hardest and most expensive lessons of my life running that bar, and looking back, it is a miracle I came out of it alive.

Mine was a roller coaster ride not unlike the one you are probably about to embark on. It was exciting, depressing, fun, challenging, stressful, exhausting and memorable all at once. They even made a documentary series about me called No Way San Jose which you can learn more about HERE

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