Running a Bar For Dummies, 3rd Edition

✍ Scribed by R. Foley, Heather Heath

• Publisher: For Dummies
• Year: 2024
• Tongue: English
• Leaves: 387
• Series: For Dummies (Business & Personal Finance)
• Edition: 3
• Category: Library

✦ Synopsis

Run a successful bar and a profitable business with expert advice on every aspect of bar management

Running a Bar For Dummies shows veteran and future bar owners and managers how to establish and maintain a successful business. You'll learn insider tips for keeping customers satisfied and the business operating smoothly. With the easy-to-follow guidance in this book, you can navigate your way through the maze of licensing and permits, develop a business plan, learn how to market your business, and create a profitable establishment. You'll also find clear, no-nonsense guidance on dealing with tough customers. In today's changing industry and economy, you'll need to remain flexible and adapt quickly to changing conditions. This Dummies book shows you how to do exactly that.

• Learn what it takes to own and operate a bar
• Stay on the right side of the law with clear licensing and tax information
• Discover apps, strategies, technology tools. and best practices for staying stocked and making a profit
• Improve your revenue, boost your online presence, spruce up your marketing plan, and find ways to keep your business healthy and viable

Running a Bar For Dummies is great for anyone considering buying or running a bar or pub, or anyone who needs guidance on running an existing bar more efficiently.

✦ Table of Contents

Title Page
Copyright Page
Table of Contents
Introduction
About This Book
Foolish Assumptions
Icons Used in This Book
Beyond the Book
Where to Go from Here
Part 1 Cheers! Getting Started in the Bar Industry
Chapter 1 Bar Business Basics
Deciding Whether the Bar Business Is Right for You
Why do you want to be in the bar business?
What do you expect to get out of your place?
Starting Fresh or Taking Over an Existing Bar
Location, location, location
Getting in with the right people
Staying on Top of the Latest Bar Trends
Figuring Out Your Financial and Legal Obligations
Setting yourself up to succeed
Hiring other people to help you steer the ship
Bringing In the Crowds and Keeping Them Coming Back
Chapter 2 Understanding What It Takes to Own and Operate a Bar
Social Skills 101: Do You Really Like People (And Their Problems)?
Considering your motivation
Mastering the key traits of a successful bar owner
Checking your expectations
Staying on the Positive Side of the Success–Failure Rate
Why do so many fail?
Figuring out why others succeed
Understanding the Financial Ramifications
Preparing yourself for personal guarantees
Accepting the worst-case scenario
Looking at the upside
Balancing Your Bar Life with Your Personal Life
Combining your professional and social lives
Celebrating holidays, birthdays, and other special times with family and friends
Getting support from your family
What if you really need a vacation?
Chapter 3 Minding the Money and the Law
Figuring Out Your Start-Up Costs
Financing Your New Business
Contacting a bank
Beg, borrow, or sweat: Finding partners
Potential business-partner candidates
Establishing terms you can live with
Familiarizing Yourself with Liquor Laws and Other Legalities
Obtaining a liquor license
Considering the classes of licenses
Applying for a new liquor license
Understanding why you must know your liquor laws up front
Other legal requirements
Getting to Know the Health Inspector
Establishing a regular cleaning schedule
Avoiding cross-contamination
Keeping critters out
Bringing In the Big Three: Accountants, Insurance Agents, and Attorneys
Hiring an accountant
Working with an attorney
Protecting yourself with insurance
Taking Over an Existing Bar: Some Things to Watch For
Looking Closely at Contractor Paperwork
Getting your Certificate of Occupancy
Fire codes and capacity
Chapter 4 Deciding What Type of Bar to Have
Determining Your Bar’s Potential Market
Conducting your own market research
What type of clientele do you want?
Using competitive analysis
Scratch that niche: Identifying an opportunity
Exploring Your Options: What Kind of Bar Do You Want?
Sports bar
Local drinking establishment
Upscale lounge
Martini bar or lounge
Cocktail bar or speakeasy
Wine bar
Bar and grill
Live entertainment venue
Remembering to Choose One Theme and Be Good at It
Part 2 Gearing Up to Open the Doors
Chapter 5 Putting Together Your Business Plan
What’s a Business Plan and Why Should You Create One?
Considering the Benefits of Having a Business Plan
Looking at the Parts of Your Plan
The cover page and table of contents
Your business concept
Example of a business concept for an Irish pub
Example of a business concept for a tequila bar
A sample drink and food menu
Market analysis and clientele demographics
Your management team
Putting Your Financial Forecasts on Paper
Forecasting your sales
Forecasting your expenses
Forecasting your cash flow
Generating an income statement
Creating a balance sheet
Chapter 6 Selecting Your Bar’s Site, Décor, and Name
Finding Your Bar’s Ideal Location
Is location truly everything?
Identifying possible areas
Knowing what to avoid
Considering traffic and parking in the area
Thinking about a location’s security
Comparing an apple (martini) to an orange (whip): The final choice
Choosing and Establishing Your Bar’s Name
The name: A few words about your bar
Protecting your bar name and trademarks
Performing a search on your potential name
Trademarking your name
Picking Out Your Bar’s Décor
Finding furniture
Figuring out what you need
Finding places to buy furniture
Looking at lighting
Figuring out flooring
Working on the walls
Configuring outdoor space
Fun and Games: TVs, Video Games, Pool Tables, and More
Tuning in with TVs and programming
Picking the right spot and installing the TV
Signals from outer space: Satellite systems
Considering games for your bar
Traditional live bar games
Video and interactive games
Music, Professor! Jukeboxes, DJs, and Live Tunes
Getting your jukebox
Finding and signing live performers
Hiring a DJ or karaoke company
Chapter 7 Stocking Up on Smallwares and Equipment
Picking Out Your Bar Equipment
Getting your glassware
Touching on basic bar tools
Stocking up on smallwares
Flatware
Dishware
Linens
Miscellaneous supplies
Stocking the table
Acquiring Bar Appliances
Selecting Kitchen Appliances
Leasing versus Buying, New versus Used
Looking at leasing
Negotiating for new equipment
Evaluating used equipment
Chapter 8 Setting Up Your Bar’s Inventory
Creating Your Storerooms
Tracking your day-to-day inventory
Securing your inventory
Keeping Your Inventory Well Stocked
Stocking your drink items
Liquor
Cordials
Beer
Wine
Mixers and soft drinks
Water
Stocking your basic food items
Garnishes
Other miscellaneous foodstuffs that you need
Items for the Back of the House (Like Restrooms!)
Chapter 9 Planning and Creating Your Menus
Planning Your Food Menu 101
Figuring out what kind of food to serve
Appetizing appetizers
Appealing pub grub
Happy hour fare
Tantalizing tapas
Full-blown menus
Considering what hours to serve food
Determining the size of your menu
Analyzing your kitchen space
Thinking about signature dishes
Insisting on high profit margins
Requiring easy preparation
Establishing good-quality recipes
Planning Your Drink Menu 101
Selecting beers for your menu
Creating a signature cocktail menu
Planning your wine list
Including nonalcoholic drinks
Pricing Your Menus Right
Using food cost to price your menu
Figuring out the cost of a dish
Pricing items based on food cost
Pricing your drinks
Designing and Printing Your Menus
Experimenting with layout
Menu engineering basics
Writing the menu text
Creating a contactless menu
Passing along the costs to your vendors
Placing your menus in the bar
Specials boards
Table tents
Drink menus
Food menus
Making Changes to Your Menu
Part 3 Employees, Customers, and Products: Managing the “Right Stuff ”
Chapter 10 Hiring, Training, and Keeping Your Employees
Identifying the Players on Your Team
Front of the house: Bartenders, servers, greeters, and security staff
Bartenders
Servers
Greeters
Security staff
Back of the house: Cooks and dishwashers
Cooks
Dishwashers
Managers
Finding the Right Employees
Sourcing potential employees
The Internet
Recruiters
Bartending schools
Word of mouth
Interviewing candidates
Testing bartenders and servers before hiring them
Selecting the best applicants for your bar
Making the job offer
Must-have forms for hiring staff members
Training New Employees
Creating standards and keeping them up
Using an employee manual
Training for job-specific functions
Providing on-the-job training
Developing a mentoring program
Improving Employee Performance
Growing employee skill sets
Motivating your staff
When It Doesn’t Work Out: Dismissing Employees
Looking at causes for immediate termination
Considering the legal issues involved
Changing staffing levels during a business slowdown
Chapter 11 Rule #1: Practicing Good Customer Service
Why Customer Service Is So Important
Making people feel important
Building customer loyalty
Training Your Team in the Art of Customer Service
Hiring people with a service mindset
Answering the phone
Establishing service standards
Empowering your staff to make things right
Keeping your employees in the loop
Dealing with Difficult Customer Situations
Handling unhappy customers
Beware of providing freebies: Complimentary food and free drinks
Problem-solving policy: Timely and private responses
Handling intoxicated patrons
Watching for signs of intoxication
Intervening with a potentially intoxicated patron
Cutting off service entirely
What to do with troublemakers
Chapter 12 Boning Up on Bar Beverages
Knowing the Bar Basics and Then Some
Wondering about wines
White wines
Red wines
Rosé wines
Sparkling wines (commonly called champagne)
Appreciating beer, hard teas, and seltzers
Demystifying distilled spirits and liqueurs
Musing over mixers
Mixing and Pouring the Best Drinks in Town
Choosing your pouring strategy
Pouring the perfect beer
Maintaining your draft beer equipment
Considering the importance of ice
Shaking versus stirring
Prettifying Drinks with Garnishes
Having fun with citrus fruit
Other must-have garnishes
Rimming a glass: Why, when, and how to do it
Chapter 13 Getting Ready for Your Grand Opening, Step by Step
Figuring Out How Much Time You Need to Prepare
One Year Out: Planning!
Nine Months Out: Finding Funds, a Location, and POS Systems
Seven Months Out: Signing the Lease and Setting Up Finances
Six Months Out: Getting Organized!
Five Months Out: Building and Buying
Four Months Out: Manuals and Menus
Three Months Out: Supervisors, Suppliers, and Vendors
Two Months Out: Preparing to Hire, Attending to Details
Six Weeks Out: Finalizing All Paperwork
Thirty Days Out: Navigating the Final Month
Ten Days Out: Fine-Tuning
Three Days Out: Dress Rehearsal!
The Day Before: Relaxing before the Big Opening
Part 4 Managing Your Inventory, Revenue, and Future
Chapter 14 Controlling Expenses and Operating Efficiently
Perusing the Power of Purchasing
Putting together your list of supplies
Finding the best suppliers for your bar
Setting up supplier relationships
Keeping the good vibes going
Using purchase orders
Reordering your supplies
Using requisition sheets
Receiving your products
Maintaining Your Bar’s Inventory
Par levels: Consistently keeping enough product on hand
Taking your bar’s inventory
Paying Attention to What Goes On in Your Bar
Reducing waste
Looking at the most-common wasted items
When good food goes bad: Eliminating spoilage
Battling breakage
Reducing and eliminating theft
Watching out for your staff’s sticky fingers
Chapter 15 Keeping Your Bar’s Bottom Line from Hitting Bottom
Reading Your Income Statement
Deciphering Your Balance Sheet
Analyzing Reports in the Bar Business
Using a daily business review
Controlling cash flow
Creating a cost of goods sold report
Setting Up Your Payroll System
Determining your payroll period
Doing payroll yourself or outsourcing it
Keeping and Protecting Your Records
Preventing identity theft
Hackers be gone! Protecting your computer system
Chapter 16 Tackling Technology for Your Bar
Creating QR Codes for Menus
Considering Contactless Ordering and Payments
Enabling contactless ordering
Processing contactless payments
Opting for handheld ordering tablets
Working with Reservation Platforms
Setting the table for OpenTable
Trying out Tock
Using Social Media to Build Your Business
Taking control of your Google Business Profile
Understanding Yelp
Excelling with X
Finding friends on Facebook
Influencing with Instagram
Trying out TikTok
Chapter 17 Building and Keeping Your Bar Crowd
Generating Word of Mouth
Making sure everyone knows your name (and logo)
Whipping up a website
Registering your website address
Getting your website content together
Considering do-it-yourself web design
Getting your employees excited about your place
Making the most of community involvement
Getting New Customers in the Door
Handling your first customers: The grand-opening crowd
Promoting your, uh, promotions
Drink and food specials
Scheduling happy hour to maximize the crowds
Offering drink nights
Catering to certain groups
Promoting specific dishes
Making the most of music
Giving Your Customers a Reason to Come Back
Ensuring good customer service
Figuring out what your customers want
Turning complaints into repeat customers
Making patrons feel special
Making changes to your business as necessary
Maintaining Your Success
Researching your competition
Staying marketplace savvy
Part 5 The Part of Tens
Chapter 18 Ten Ways to Run a Safe Bar
Hiring Safely
Practicing Fire Safety
Using Video Cameras
Using Locks and Alarms
Preventing Slips and Falls
Installing Lighting
Checking IDs
Serving Hot Food
Keeping a First-Aid Kit
Following Handicapped and Discrimination Laws
Chapter 19 Ten Myths about Running a Bar
The Hours and Days Are Short
Free Drinks All Day, Every Day
There’s Not Too Much Paperwork
Your Family Will Want to Work for You
You Can Hire Good Help in a Snap
You Know Everything about Everything
Nobody Would Steal from You
Everyone Is Trustworthy
Everyone Likes the Boss
Anyone Can Run a Bar or Tavern
Chapter 20 Ten Bar Owner Sins Not to Commit, Ever
Depending on Your Friends and Family
Extending Lines of Credit to Customers
Allowing Gambling or Betting
Not Taking the Keys from an Intoxicated Patron
Believing the Customer Needs “Just One More”
Lending Money to Anyone
Becoming Romantically Involved with an Employee
Drinking and Working
Ignoring Last Call
Not Paying All Your Taxes
Appendix Useful Websites for Every Bar Owner
Bar Supplies and Equipment
Logo and Menu Design
Trade Associations and Industry Information
Index
EULA

✦ Subjects

Business; Small Business; Personal Finance