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Archive for the ‘Industry Information’ Category

10 Traits of Bar Owners Determined to Fail

Thursday, December 10th, 2009

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Opening a bar or managing a bar is not as easy as many would have you believe. Although the rewards for those who get it right can be great, a large majority fail for the same few reasons again and again.

Having worked with more than 200 bars and restaurants, I’ve listed the 10 things I have come across most often that have ended up costing a lot of money, alienating customers and even contributed to the closure of the business. In no particular order:

1. No research done on location or market

Too many times I have met with struggling bar owners who spent a fortune on a concept that worked well somewhere else but for some reason it isn’t doing the business for them. Could it be because the high end bar/restaurant you built is in a brand new neighborhood where the inhabitants are young couples tied into mortgages and childcare costs? (more…)

Tags: Attend Nightclub & Bar Show, bar business, beverage business
Posted in Industry Information | 4 Comments »

How One Bar Owner Gets A Near Perfect Inventory Result

Thursday, November 19th, 2009

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Speaking to a nightclub owner recently who turns over $100,000+ per week in his busy city center premises I learned that his weekly variance/stock loss is less than $200 at cost.

I know of other businesses taking in $6000 per week that have the same losses. So how does the nightclub owner do it? It’s actually quite simple: He systemizes his business and has implemented basic procedures to control stock from receipt to eventual sale:

1. Staff are assigned to a specific bar each shift and cannot work in other bars without management direction. This makes the staff members accountable for any stock losses/cash shortages.

2. Each bar (7 in total) is inventoried separately at the end of each night. This takes ten minutes per bar and identifies losses on the spot.
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Tags: bar business, bettering your bar, helping increase, increase bar profits, increasing your bar's inventory, increasing your bar's quality, nightclub owner
Posted in Industry Information | No Comments »

You can have perfect draft beer: Every glass. Every day.

Monday, September 28th, 2009

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Draft beer can be your shining star. It should make about 80% profit margins and keep your customers returning again and again. Good draft beer is your silent salesman, prodding customers to have a second one because the first was so good. Most customers may not know exactly why they love your place but good draft beer is a key to creating return business.

Good beer/bad beer. Draft beer should be at its best, fresh to drink and beautiful to the eye. It comes in the most economically and environmentally friendly package possible. Good beer only takes up about 13.5 oz of space in a 16oz glass. It has a rich color and a beautiful head about 3/4” high.
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Tags: bar sales, beer, beer distribution, beer taps, beer trends, maximizing profits
Posted in Industry Information | 1 Comment »

David Commer on Why Quality Still Matters

Monday, September 14th, 2009

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In these uncertain economic times, there is a temptation and a tendency to reduce costs at all cost! The focus turns from running a good business and growing sales, to cutting costs. This is a mistake that leads to short sighted initiatives that can permanently damage your brand’s reputation. You don’t have to compromise quality in an effort to control or reduce costs. Controlling costs should be a normal part of operating your business and not be a knee jerk reaction to the economy or a specific event. Controlling costs by focusing on the operational details is good business all of the time.

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Tags: beverage business, beverages, hospitality industry, liquor, liquor for bars, liquor for nightclubs
Posted in Industry Information | 1 Comment »

Sips & Apps – debuted at Nightclub & Bar Show

Tuesday, September 8th, 2009

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I am so excited about my new book Sips & Apps that just came out this summer! I hope it will become your go-to handbook for creative cocktails, inspired classics, and timeless appetizers. It features more than 100 recipes – 69 cocktails and 35 appetizers along with over 60 beautiful photos by the talented Angie Norwood Browne.

AND .. it was so great to be at the 2009 Vegas Nightclub and Bar Show with preview copies! My good pals at Beam Global purchased custom pre-release copies with their logo on the inside page and had me at their booth signing and giving away copies – thank you Beam Global!

Over the years, I have incorporated much of the kitchen into my creative potions. Everything from vodka infused with honeycomb… (more…)

Tags: appetizers, beverages, cocktails, drink recipes, drinks, hot trends for bars, martinis, products for bars
Posted in Industry Information, NCB Show Insight | 1 Comment »