The professional bar & beverage manager’s handbook

The Professional Bar & Beverage

Manager’s Handbook:

How to Open and Operate a Financially

Successful Bar, Tavern, and Nightclub

By Amanda Miron & Douglas Robert

Brown

The Professional Bar & Beverage Manager’s Handbook:

How to Open and Operate a Financially Successful Bar,

Tavern, and Nightclub Copyright © 2006 by Atlantic

Publishing Group, Inc.

1210 SW 23rd Place • Ocala, Florida 34474 • 800-814-1132 • 352-622-5836–Fax Web site:

www.atlantic-pub.com • E-mail: [email protected]

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ISBN-13: 978-0-91062759-7

ISBN-10: 0910627-59-2

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Miron, Amanda.

The professional bar & beverage manager’s handbook : how to open and operate a financially

successful bar, tavern, and nightclub / Amanda Miron.

p. cm.

Includes index.

ISBN-13: 978-0-91062759-7 (alk. paper) 1. Bars (Drinking establishments)--Management. 2.

Taverns (Inns)--Management. I. Title.

TX950.7.M57 2005

647.95068--dc22

2005032247

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representations or warranties with respect to the accuracy or completeness of the contents of this

work and specifically disclaim all warranties, including without limitation warranties of fitness for a

particular purpose. No warranty may be created or extended by sales or promotional materials.

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“If you are thinking of opening your own bar, make sure you read this handbook

first. It may even save you thousands of dollars by avoiding costly mistakes in

areas you may have overlooked.”

— Mike Snyder

MrGoodbeer.com

“This is an excellent book, providing a thorough examination of the bar

business. Anyone considering the bar business, whether as a new start-up or

purchasing an existing one, would do well to read this book. For the beginner, it

poses some important aspects of the business and points out the work involved

with operating successfully versus the “romantic” idea of what being a bar

owner is.

It covers the essentials like legal issues, permitting, and determining customer

base and appeal in detail for the beginner. For the seasoned bar owner or

manager, it gives good advice on assessing customers, cost issues, and dealing

with problems. As someone who has professionally consulted with prospective

and present bar owners about their businesses, this book will be a welcome

addition to my job.

There is no one who wouldn’t be able to apply knowledge from this book to their

business and improve the business.”

— Jeff Uher

Co-founder, Uher Hospitality, LLC

“The Professional Bar & Beverage Manager’s Handbook is a necessity and your

ultimate guideline to success!”

— Gilles Bensabeur

Table of Contents

Introduction

Foreword

Chapter 1: Opening a Bar—An Overview

Chapter 2: Employees

Chapter 3: Inventory

Chapter 4: Bar Layout (Nuts and Bolts)

Chapter 5: Advertising and Marketing

Chapter 6: Types of Beverages

Chapter 7: Preparing and Serving Beverages

Chapter 8: Food & Sanitation

Chapter 9: Bar Controls

Chapter 10: Money

Chapter 11: Customers

Chapter 12: Tips to Making Your Bar a Success

Chapter 13: Your Bar’s Personality

Chapter 14: Dealing with Problems

Chapter 15: Myths About Managing a Bar That Could Hurt Your Business

Chapter 16: Nightclubs

Chapter 17: Additional Equipment

Chapter 18: Laws by State

Chapter 19: Forms and Charts

Conclusion

Glossary

Manufacturers Reference

More Great Titles from Atlantic Publishing

Introduction

Many reports have circulated suggesting that most new bars that are opened last

less than a year before closing. This leads many would-be bar owners to give up

their dreams of owning a bar long before they ever establish their premises.

However, you should not let doom-sayers talk you out of owning a bar if that is

your dream. In fact, studies have consistently shown that even in bad economic

times, bars tend to do well, and bars are often the most profitable part of a dance

club or restaurant.

So how can you make your bar a success? The secrets to creating a well￾managed bar that makes a profit and creates genuine pleasure for customers is

described here in this book. After reading these pages, you will be ready to

successfully manage every aspect of your bar business, whether you are new to

the bar business or looking to improve your current establishment.

This book is organized to help you find the information you need—fast. You can

use this book in two ways. First, read the entire book, front to back, to get plenty

of information about management, and then refer to this book as needed to help

you resolve the inevitable day-to-day quandaries that will occur as you run your

business.

In these pages, you will find it all:

Chapter 1 will cover the basics about opening a bar. Here you will learn about

conducting market research, examine the competition, tips on location, zoning

information, permits and licenses, and much more. Even better, you will learn

the basics of building a business and financial plan that can get your bar off the

ground and making profits. You will learn how to open correctly so that patrons

seek out your bar.

Chapter 2 will cover the hiring and training of employees. Your employees will

be your most important asset—they are the ones who will ultimately determine

whether your customers are happy and whether your bar delivers high-quality

service. Don’t make costly mistakes that can affect how customers see your bar

—learn the right ways to find out whether your staff is reliable and trustworthy.

Also, discover the best ways to train your staff.

Chapter 3 will cover all you need to know about inventory, including the basics

of storage and dealing with vendors. Here, you will also learn which supplies

you need in order to be a success.

Chapter 4 will cover the nuts and bolts of bar layout. You will learn how to set

up a bar to ensure maximum productivity and high profit. Don’t let poor design

drive away your customers; find out how to set up your bar so that customers

will love visiting your establishment.

Chapter 5 will cover the basics of advertising and marketing. You will learn how

to use word-of-mouth advertising, press releases, and other professional

marketing tools to entice customers and ensure that your bar is a success. You

can spend less money than you imagined and still create plenty of buzz about

your bar—find out how in this chapter!

Chapter 6 describes the various types of liquor and other alcoholic beverages

with which the restaurant manager must become familiar. Consider all the types

of liquor before ordering a bottle for your bar!

Chapter 7 covers the basics of preparing and serving the beverages—one of the

fundamentals of running a successful bar. In this chapter, you will find tips for

serving and mixing drinks. You will also find a no-nonsense guide to drink

recipes. You will also learn about flair bartending, one of the more controversial

aspects of bartending out there.

Chapter 8 describes the food that is an essential component of every bar. Find

out why your bar should serve at least some food and what types of food you

should serve to really attract patrons to your establishment. It also deals with

HACCP and sanitation, which are critical to any establishment that serves food.

Chapter 9 covers the bar controls that you need to enforce in order to make a

profit and to keep your bar running smoothly.

Chapter 10 covers money. Here, you will learn all you need to know to manage

money for your bar. You will also learn the biggest money losers for a bar and

how successful bar managers make money less of a hassle.

Chapter 11 outlines the backbone of your business: your customers. You will

learn how to attract the customers who will make your bar the most talked-about

establishment in town. You will also learn the successful bar manager’s secrets

to making each customer a raving fan of your establishment.

Chapter 12 describes the extras that can make your bar a success. Here, you will

consider the sound systems, themes, and additional expansions that often make

or break a bar.

Chapter 13 considers the personality of your bar and the ways you can project a

certain image that can lure specific clientele and attention.

Chapter 14 is a troubleshooting guide to the common problems that bars face.

With this guide, you will be able to deal with problems quickly and effectively—

before they hurt your business. You will find the common problems that can sink

a bar, as well as the solutions that can ensure that these problems don’t even faze

you.

Chapter 15 outlines the myths that bar managers sometimes hear. You need to

learn the truth about these misconceptions before inaccurate information hurts

your business.

Chapter 16 deals exclusively with nightclubs. It details the different types of

nightclubs as well as discussing expanding into the nightclub business.

Chapter 17 focuses on the equipment needed to make your bar run smoothly.

Chapter 18 is a comprehensive listing off each state’s alcohol laws.

Chapter 19 has over 50 pages of charts and forms that can be easily implemented

to streamline the running of your bar and increase profits.

There is also a complete alcohol-related glossary of terms.

Whether you are a bar owner or owner/bartender, running your own bar can be a

very rewarding prospect. Consider the fact that bars are a big part of our social

history. In Europe, bars have been part of the social scene for hundreds of years.

In North America, they are often depicted as key social centers in movies.

Where would the characters in the classic film Casablanca be if it were not for

“Rick’s,” the perfect bar in the middle of a desert metropolis? Today, bars are

where people go to get away from their lives and where they go to seek time

with friends. People celebrate life’s biggest milestones in bars.

If you are running a bar, you make a bigger impact on people’s lives than you

might imagine. Patrons will turn to your bar for entertainment and good times

with friends. Providing a pleasant place to eat, drink, and celebrate will not only

ensure business success for your bar, but will also allow your bar to become a

place patrons look forward to visiting. With the ideas and tips in this book, you

will be able to run a bar that is satisfying to yourself and your customers.

Table of Contents