The Need for a Positive Bar Atmosphere
A positive attitude from the top-down is a major factor in the success of any bar. That is to say, you need to radiate the kind of behavior you want to see in your pub. You can likely verbalize the concept behind your establishment. “A craft beer bar, serving local and regional sought-after brews, catering to millennials” for instance. You probably spent a lot of time coming up the interior design, the location, the food on the menu (if you serve food) and of course the drinks being poured. With that in place, all you need are employees and customers. The two biggest pieces of your success.
Take a look at your employees. How do they carry themselves? You can have the best beer list in the country. But if your bartenders put out a negative vibe, regular customers will be few and far between. Your employees need to be upbeat and having fun. We’ve all been in bars where the servers are smiling, the bartenders are loose and the customers are laughing. This is what makes a regular a regular and keeps the revenue flowing. The flip side of that environment is one that many people have experienced and most won’t return to. If this is a problem area, first ask yourself how you present to your staff and then work on individual concerns. Remember, it starts from the top down.
Next, take a look at your customers. If you don’t see regular faces, that’s a red flag. Finding new customers is far more work than retaining a current customer. No regulars means customers come once and don’t come again. Why? Well, when you’re looking around, how do your customers look? Are they smiling and having fun or bored and looking at their watch? No matter what you do, there will always be unhappy customers. But if that’s the norm, you need to be looking back at yourself and your employees. Whatever attitude you exude is being mirrored in your patrons. A cranky customer is inevitable, so focus on what you can control. A positive attitude from you and your team.
Finally, focus on the details of your bar. What kind of music is playing? What are your servers wearing? How bright or dark is it? Does the furniture and décor flow? Is the beer list up to date? All these elements should fit into the concept you have for you bar. Customers know when you’re paying attention to the details. Even if they don’t mention it. If the bartender looks like he just woke up, half the beers on the chalkboard aren’t available and the music is way too loud, there’s a feeling of something being “off”.
There are a lot of factors at play when it comes to running a bar that you’re proud to call your own. Start with a positive attitude, make sure your staff enjoys what they’re doing and the rest will take care of itself. An easy way to handle two birds with one stone is using TapHunter. A surefire way to irritate customers is having multiple drinks listed but in fact not available. It makes you look lazy. And of course, at 10 o’clock on a Friday night, asking your bartender to climb a ladder and update the chalkboard beer options will just as easily irritate them. With TapHunter, when a new beer has been tapped, just update it online. Using digital drink menus, the revised list updates immediately and everyone’s happy. Just the way it should be.
Bars and Restaurants – Want to save hours daily, drive thirsty patrons through your door and create an engaging experience for your customers? Learn more about how TapHunter can help your business today!
