Running a bar is a challenging is challenging business. There are a lot of details involved in the process. A manager of a bar needed to make sure all the liquor is stocked, the marketing plan is in place and the staff have taken the appropriate ABC classes to obtain their ABC licenses. A bar manager has to work to set their establishment apart from the other bars in the area. Here are some tips to make your bar succeed.
- Take the legal steps you need to take. Businesses who sell alcohol have rules and regulations that they have to follow. Anyone who serves alcohol needs to have taken an ABC class to get the corresponding license. The ABC class goes over things such as how to tell if a customer has been served too much or is on the verge of being too inebriated and to make other judgement calls when it comes to serving people. These are serious rules and the consequences are equally serious for bars that has been found to have not complied with these rules. For example, if someone at your business has been found to serve a drink to someone who has clearly had too much, you can be liable for anything that person does when they leave your bar. ABC classes are a good way to educate your staff who may not understand the full legal ramifications of not complying with the regulations for bar management in your state. ABC classes can also train bar staff how to identify fake IDs.
- Keep everything you need in stock. Keeping your bar well stocked is about more than the liquor, beer and wine selections. You need to pay attention to which of those sell the best so you can keep them on hand when you need them but there is much more to stocking your bar than that. You need to have your soft drinks and juices. You need to have all of the mixes, garnishes and other extras that your drinks need. Your bar has equipment and that needs to be maintained. You need to have all of your glasses and other items that you need to serve your clients.
- Make sure you have a handle on the amount of liquor your staff pours. There are ways to can make sure your staff is not giving away the store when they pour a drink in a number of ways. You can use glasses that are heavier at the base, jiggers and pourers that are measured. Many bartenders like to use jiggers because they do make it easier to mix a drink with the right ratio of ingredients. A measured pourer is similar but is not as exact. Glasses that are heavier at the base look full sooner.
- Host fun events. Bars that host fun events such as trivia, happy hours, karaoke, comedy nights and other events, bring people in the door. You can do certain events every day, once a week, month or other events for whatever the season is. The number of different kinds of events that you can host are almost endless. Having regular events such as the happy hour or trivia night, you can become both a spot people come back to and one that brings new customers in. These events can be fun for both your staff and your customers.
- Get a point of sale (POS) system. These are systems that can keep track of your transactions and organizes all of your orders. It can make sure all of your staff is in contact with each other and can get your customers’ orders right. These also give you a way to see who is selling how much and of what. You can keep a good eye on your inventory with these systems as well. This is not a small purchase so you will want to do some research. You may be able to get a model that you can try even before you purchase it. It will pay for itself.
There is no question that running a bar is a lot of of work. Being successful takes dedication, patience and follow through. The good news is that it can be a lot of fun as well.