Number 04
Touchy Tables:
Interactive environments that can help bar owners keep in touch.
The How-To Publication
BAR BUSINE$$ April 2013
M A G A Z I N E
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Bar Business Magazine
Every Last Drop
The Spring season brings with it creative cocktail ideas
a pri l 2013
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. pg
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FURNITURE ON
DEMAND PRODUCT IN STOCK. READY TO SHIP.
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Rio Grande
Left/Right Side
Private. Practical. Premium.
Tall Corner
Short Corner
Extension
BAR BUSINE$$
On Tap april 2013
CONTENTS
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spring fling
HOW TO 18
22
26
touching tables
getting better tips
the power projectors
The latest in touch screen interactive tables brings a little something extra to the notion of an immerseive on-premise experience.
We let a seasoned expert explain nine vital business tips that can translate into better bar business when properly applied.
When thinking about a projector for your on-premise viewing entertainment, there are several factors to consider beforehand.
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April 2013 Bar Business Magazine
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On Tap
BAR BUSINE$$
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Features
CONTENTS
As the warmer weather begins to roll in, Contributing Editor Adam Levy looks at some seasonal suggestions for both session beers and spirited cocktails suitable for Spring.
Departments 4 Bar room drawL 6 Booze newS Bowmore gives us the undiluted truth about whisky and water; Sipping Scotch in the Grand Canyon; 10 Cane tenders hit the surf; The Nightclub & Bar Show is back; New Heineken bottle is a star.
10 Liquid aSSetS No longer just your grandpappy’s spirit of choice, gin has become a welcome adventure behind the bar.
14 tuning up Take a look back at the history of the bar room jukebox.
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30 Spring FLingS
38 Big Six The Fremont District of Las Vegas continues to grow its bar scene, thanks in part to one innovative ownership group opening its second venue there, Park on Fremont.
44 inventory 47 hoLiday happeningS
34 gaeLic green At one of the oldest Irish pubs in America, green isn’t just a color on the flag—it’s now a way of doing business for the family-owned Philly landmark McGillan’s Old Ale House.
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48 owning up After 20 years of serving the locals and building a community, one New York sports bar delves into the strange world of selling it all away.
on the cover:
Egor Polonskiy’s Pistachio Mustachio cocktails won third place at the 10 Cane Surf ’s Up Mixology Contest. For more on the competition, check out this month’s Booze News coverage.
“Bar Business Magazine” (ISSN 1944-7531 [print], ISSN 2161-5071 [digital]) (USPS# 000-342) is published February, April, June, August, October, & December for $45.00 per year and January, March, May, July, September, & November will only be offered in a digital format at no charge by Simmons-Boardman, 55 Broad St 26th Fl., New York, NY 10004. Periodicals postage paid at New York, NY and additional mailing offices. Copyright © 2013 Simmons-Boardman. All rights reserved. Printed in the U.S.A. No part of the magazine may be reproduced in any fashion without the expressed written consent of Simmons-Boardman. Qualified U.S. bar owners may request a free subscription. Non-qualified U.S. Subscriptions printed or digital version: 1 year US $45.00; Canada $90.00; foreign $189.00; foreign, air mail $289.00. 2 years US 75.00; Canada $120.00; foreign $300.00; foreign, air mail $500.00. BOTH Print and Digital Versions: 1 year US 68.00; Canada $135.00; foreign $284.00; foreign, air mail $384.00. 2 years US $113.00; Canada $180.00; foreign $450.00; foreign, air mail $650.00. Single Copies are $10.00 each. Subscriptions must be paid for in U.S. funds only. For Subscriptions, address changes, and adjustments, write to: Bar Business Magazine, PO Box 10, Omaha, NE 68101-0010. Instructional information in this magazine should only be performed by skilled crafts people with the proper equipment. The publisher and authors of information provided herein advise all reader to exercise care when engaging in any o the how-to activities published in the magazine. Further, the publisher and authors assume no liability for damages or injuries resulting from projects contained herein. All rights reserved. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Bar Business Magazine, PO Box 10, Omaha, NE 68101-0010.
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Bar Business Magazine April 2013
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Bar Room Drawl By Chris Ytuarte editor-in-Chief
No Beer? Buh Bye. I’m repurposing my photo this month from a Bar Room Drawl column we ran back in April 2011, when I was showing support for a craft vodka distillery that had popped up in the great state of Maryland, where I went to college. This time around, however, the shirt I’m wearing reminds me of the fact that sometimes the business of booze can really annoy people, including me. My personal beef is not with you, o’ great purveyors of fine spirits. After all, as Winston Churchill once said: “I have taken more from alcohol than alcohol has taken from me.” I do not wish to quarrel with my cocktails. However, as I discovered this past month, those in control of my beloved potent potables can sometimes make me—and others—quite irate. Take, for example, my attempt in early April to get behind my University of Maryland Terrapins basketball team as they toiled amidst the mediocrity of the N.I.T. (National Invitation Tournament), which is, and always will be, the redheaded stepchild of the Big Dance that is the NCAA Tournament. That said, the N.I.T. semifinals, played at Madison Square Garden in New York City, did manage to create some March Madness of its own—namely making myself and hundreds of other college basketball fans very mad. As we headed into the game (to see Maryland fall in defeat to Iowa), my fellow Terps alumni and I were shocked 4
Bar Business Magazine April 2013
to find that we would not be able to purchase any beer or cocktails for the duration of the game, by decree of the N.I.T. organizers. We immediately left and found the nearest bar with a big TV. And here is the reason for my anger over this unadvertised alcohol ban: Any college athletics fan knows that beer and spirits are never sold at games on campus, but when teams play offcampus (for example, when St. John’s University plays half of its regular season games at MSG), alcoholic beverages are available to of-age patrons who wish to partake. When my Maryland Terrapins opened the season at the Barclays Center Classic in Brooklyn, my buddies and I all enjoyed some cold beers at the game (another loss, to Kentucky this time). There was no reason for us to expect anything different entering the N.I.T. match-up. Hence, our complete shock at the dry run we faced in MSG. We had spent our hard-earned money to purchase tickets for this game assuming (beer) business as usual. Nowhere on our ticket did it state that alcohol would not be sold. The stub does say this, however: WARNING! HOCKEY PUCKS, BALLS AND OTHER OBJECTS FREQUENTLY LEAVE THE PLAYING SURFACE AND MAY CAUSE INJURY. But no such alarm about the absence of spirited beverages can be found. For those of us who enjoy a beer or a cocktail during certain social events— sports, concerts, bocce ball tournaments—we have become accustomed to those experiences being accompanied by a beverage. And an organization like the NCAA simply pulling that out from under us at the N.I.T., without notice, is very annoying. Kind of like your team being in the N.I.T. to begin with.
BAR BUSINE$$ MAGAZINE
April 2013, Vol. 6, No. 4 Bar Business Magazine (ISSN 1944-7531) is published by Simmons-Boardman Publishing Corporation 55 Broad St 26th Fl., New York, NY 10004 executive offices
President and Publisher Arthur J. McGinnis, Jr. Associate Publisher Arthur J. Sutley 212-620-7200; fax: 212-633-1863 asutley@sbpub.com editorial
Editor-in-Chief Chris Ytuarte 212-620-7223; fax: 212-633-1863 cytuarte@sbpub.com Contributing Editor Beer, Wine, and Spirits Adam Levy art
Creative Director Wendy Williams wwilliams@sbpub.com Art Director Sarah Vogwill svogwill@sbpub.com production
Corporate Production Director Mary Conyers mconyers@sbpub.com
circulation
Circulation Director Maureen Cooney mcooney@sbpub.com
advertising sales
Art Sutley 212-620-7247; fax: 212-633-1863 asutley@sbpub.com circulation department
800-895-4389
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M U S I C
Booze News Whisky & Water: The Undiluted Truth
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owmore®, the first Islay Single Malt whisky, introduces The Bowmore Water Program, a global whisky and water education program featuring hand-crafted water dispensing units and staff trainings to key on-premise accounts around the world. The program has been designed as an educational tool for the trade that explains what the addition of water does to your Bowmore Single Malt Scotch Whisky—and that this practice is not an aberration as some might think, but can bring about another level of sensory (smell, sight) and gustatory (taste) experiences. The Bowmore Water Program will roll out Spring 2013. The centerpieces of the Bowmore Water Program are the exquisitely hand-crafted water dispensing units, which are certain to be the showpiece of any bar. Bowmore will work with their distributors to identify eligible on-premise accounts that will receive a Bowmore water dispenser; staff training and tasting; and Bowmore’s Water & Whisky Guide that describes in laymen’s terms the chemical reaction and science behind adding water to whisky. The two units are: THE WATER SAFE: Hand-crafted and individually numbered, the copper Water Safe dispenser will ideally sit in a place of prominence behind the bar and will create the ultimate in water dispensing theater. THE TILTER: Hand-made and individually numbered, The Tilter is a more fun and quirky dispenser that tilts on an axis and allows a fine flow of water to be dispensed from one side or small droplets from the other. The sometimes polarizing question is: why add water? Rachel Barrie, Master Blender at Morrison Bowmore Distillers worked together with the Bowmore brand team to develop the Bowmore Water Program, not to tell people how they should drink their whisky but to give whisky lovers an option to explore and let them make up their own minds. “Bowmore is an amazingly complex and harmonious whisky with an enigmatic flavour spectrum,” says Barrie. “The spirit takes the drinker on a sensory adventure through sweetness and ocean spices with multiple layers of fruit and smoke. It is delicious on its own of course but if the drinker chooses to add water, different flavours emerge and take you on a new taste adventure.” Barrie, whose scientific background includes a 1st class Honours degree in Chemistry and a stint as a Research Scientist at the Scotch Whisky Research Institute, explains that when water is added to whisky, certain physicochemical changes occur in the glass some of
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which you can see, smell and taste: ♦ SEE: Viscimetric whorls develop. These are the eddies and threads created when fluids of different viscosities mix. ♦ SMELL: As the alcohol and water combine, energy is released and the temperature of the liquid is initially increased by about 2º C (an exothermic reaction), allowing the liquid to ‘open up’ and release more of the volatile aromas. By reducing the higher alcohol strength, it enables our sense of smell to work better and the aroma paradoxically seems to increase in intensity when first adding water. ♦ TASTE: The addition of water and the dropping of the alcohol strength creates a ‘cooling’ effect on the tongue and makes us more receptive to salty and fruity tastes, rather than sweet and spicy. Therefore, we discover different facets of Bowmore’s taste profile than a dram taken neat. www.barbizmag.com
Sipping Scotch in the Grand Canyon
SURF'S UP FOR MIXOLOGY
O
n Wednesday, February 27, 2013, Glenfiddich Single Malt Scotch Whisky toasted the Grand Canyon, renaming one of the seven natural wonders of the world ‘Glen Canyon,’ and offered whisky connoisseurs and thrill-seekers a once-in-a-lifetime tasting experience. Ian Millar, Global Brand Ambassador for Glenfiddich, led guests, who arrived to the remote canyon location via helicopter, in a tasting of a collection of Glenfiddich offerings that together are valued at an estimated $50,000. Additional marques included the Glenfiddich Original 1991 50 Year Old Single Malt; the Glenfiddich 1964 Travel Retail Exclusive Single Malt (42 Year Old); and the Glenfiddich American Oak 30 Year Old Single Malt. “Glenfiddich has always been a true original and it was only fitting for us to offer the world’s first single malt Scotch tasting in the Grand Canyon,” said Ian Millar, Global Brand Ambassador for Glenfiddich. “It was always William Grant’s dream to have the best dram in the valley and we certainly had the best drams in one of the most picturesque valleys in the world. I look forward to creating new once-in-a-lifetime tasting experiences for single malt connoisseurs around the world.” The event was a part of The Universal Whisky Experience, which was founded by Mahesh Patel.
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T
en of South Florida's best bartenders went “glass to glass” last month at the Surf's Up Mixology Contest to see who could concoct the freshest 10 Cane cocktail for 2013. The event, which kicked off 10 Cane's National Surf Tour, was held beachside at Nikki Beach Club. First place prize, a 10-foot paddleboard, was awarded to John Lermayer of The Regent Cocktail Club for his modern take on a classic daiquiri, called 'The Perfect 10!’ Jake Bereson of Hyde Beach SLS came in second with his Pirate's Punch, securing an Izod bag. Finally, Egor Polonskiy of the James Royal Palm snagged third place for his Pistachio Mustachio recipe, winning a 10-Cane branded backpack. All recipes will be available on 10 Cane's Facebook page. “We are thrilled to congratulate our three talented winners on their outstanding recipes," said 10 Cane Regional Marketing Manager Trisha Cancilla. “10 Cane lovers will now have three fresh new ways to enjoy their rum." More than 100 guests watched and cheered on their favorite contestants at the event while enjoying farm-toglass mojitos, live music from Gold Dust Lounge, and an interactive photo experience where they could take home photos of themselves 'surfing'. Judges for the contest included Ms. Cancilla along with 10 Cane National
Ambassador Aaron Birnbaum, and Fred Gonzalez, editor of Miami.com and writer for The Miami Herald. A 6-foot custom designed short board was raffled off at the event to benefit The Surfrider Foundation's Miami Chapter, a non-profit dedicated to the protection and enjoyment of oceans, waves, and beaches. The Foundation also discussed their Rise Above Plastics Campaign with guests and event organizers. The 10 Cane Jeep, which was on site to greet guests, will continue the brand's National Surf Tour in Florida through May before heading to Texas, Chicago, Long Island, Massachusetts, Arizona, and California.
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Booze News CEELO GREEN & TY KU KICK OFF THE 28th ANNUAL NIGHTCLUB & BAR SHOW CeeLo Green & “Bar Rescue” Star Jon Taffer Light up the Red Carpet as The NCB Show Rocks Vegas with its Highest Numbers Ever In its 28th year, the Nightclub & Bar Convention and Trade Show has continued its tradition of success, wrapping the March 19-21 event, with 37,740 attendees this year —an 11% increase in attendance. The show also saw a 10% increase in new exhibiting companies, with nearly 700 companies represented. The largest beverage, bar and nightclub event of the year featured a kick-off ribbon cutting with newest resident performer, CeeLo Green and Jon Taffer, star of Spike TV’s Bar Rescue and President of Nightclub & Bar Media Group.
“We are thrilled with the success of this year’s show and were pleased to offer our attendees access to the top beverage, bar and nightlife vendors in the country,” said Taffer. “Our sponsors, including Indemnity Insurance Corporation, Anheuser Busch, MillerCoors, Diageo Innovation, Revention, TY KU, Spike’s Bar Rescue, Kahlua Midnight, BevIntel and Coca-Cola, displayed some of the newest, most innovative and technologically advanced products and services our industry has ever seen. Once again, Las Vegas, the nightlife capital of the world, provided the
perfect back drop to showcase our industry.” “The booth traffic was impressive this year at NCB," said Ben Wulf, Vice President of Marketing for Port-A-Cool. " We were thrilled to launch the new Islander evaporative cooler, specifically designed for the patio to reduce temperatures up to 30 degrees Fahrenheit. We achieved the feedback and sales interest we were after, and look forward to next year.”
Heineken Launches New “Star Bottle” In the U.S.
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eineken, the world’s leading premium beer brand, announces the U.S. debut of its premium Star Bottle packaging for Heineken and Heineken Light. The new Star Bottle design, Heineken’s first package change in nearly two decades, represents a more modern take on the brand’s iconic green bottle that will further reinforce the brand’s upscale status and set it apart as the innovative and relevant upscale choice for today’s adult consumers, 21 and older. The Star Bottle packaging, available in 12 oz. and 22 oz. sizes, features strong shoulders and a taller, slimmer neck that elongates the look of the bottle giving it a more modern air of confident masculinity and pride. The new design also features a curved embossment, inspired by the iconic racetrack label, and thumb groove that improves bottle grip and encourages drinkers to hold the bottle at
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a lower point, keeping the beer colder. While the package is new, the liquid inside is the same high quality taste that is legendary around the world. “The upscale segment represents the greatest opportunity for growth in the beer category,” noted Colin Westcott-Pitt, VP of Marketing, HEINEKEN USA. “In 2012, upscale beer drove 2 percent growth in volume and 5.3 percent growth in value and in the past five years has grown 1.5 times more volume than the premium and value segments combined . Evolving our iconic packaging to an even more premium and contemporary look is perfectly timed to meet that changing demands of today’s upscale millennial and multicultural consumer and to provide retailers and on-premise operators with the product and package that translates to increased sales of Heineken – a leader
in the growing upscale segment.” In addition to the primary pack change, Heineken and Heineken Light secondary packaging, including the sixpack, 12-pack, 18-pack, 24-pack and Draught Keg, will boast new high impact and modern graphics that reinforce the progressive upscale attributes that define the Heineken brand and truly make Heineken and Heineken Light stand out on the shelf, in the cold box and on display. The launch of the new Star bottle will be supported with a fully integrated 360 marketing and sales plan that includes unprecedented TV, digital and OOH media support, retail and on-premise programming and extensive event activation that brings the brand and the new bottle to life. In addition, an innovative “Star App” encourages consumers to scan the Star Bottle to be entered into the national promotion and receive premium Star Bottle giveaways (where legal). Westcott-Pitt added, “This app will contribute to an increase in Star Bottle awareness and rate of sale. The Heineken Star Bottle package is now in market, as of March 2013. www.barbizmag.com
Liquid Assets
Gin History, romance, and adventure… tHe indiana Jones of alcoHol
A
floral bouquet enhanced with spice and crisp freshness. Cardamom, anise, and coriander of the Spice Route engage boldly aromatic juniper of the Mediterranean to create a spirit possessing a distinct palate with international inspiration. Gin: “It’s not just history in a glass, it’s romance and adventure too.” Gin possesses a magic that defines it from other spirits. It marries the flavors of India, China and Italy, with Dutch and English style, affording the development of a harmonious, refined spirit. One sip of gin takes you on an international 10
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journey. It is a voyage of colliding cultures, wars, medicine men, monks, trade routes, gin joints, prohibitions—it is the Indiana Jones of alcohol. Since its popular resurgence in the late 90’s gin has grown to become not just a gentleman’s drink. Fully capable of competing with the flavored vodka market, gin makers utilize its delicate bouquet and explore cocktails that highlight the distinct character of the spirit. With the rise of professional bartenders taking helm behind the rail further encouraging the craft cocktail movement, drinkers grow more comfortable www.barbizmag.com
a bar professional, one can overcome these boundaries. He recommends targeting cocktails that embrace already familiar tastes while showcasing gin, such as the the Red Snapper, a gin-based Bloody Mary, or the White Lady, a gin Margarita, both classic cocktails that neither mask nor overwhelm one with juniper flavor. Incorporate aromatics like mint and basil, play to the spice and herbaceousness of the spirit while balancing with a hint of citrus or a splash of soda. Build your cocktail around a spirit, not a brand. Mr. Winchester believes, “If you choose to work around one botanical in a brand, you limit the scope of your drinks. Classic drinks, ones that stand the test of time, work with any brand in the spirit.” Mixology is establishing a perfect balance, a harmony between the complex spirit and its counterparts. Catering to patrons however, is knowing your products and targeting the brand that best suits the individual. David Bromige and Jacob Ehrenkrona, owners of Martin Miller’s Gin, embrace the complexity of gin, recognizing that quality botanicals and refined distillation techniques create the most beloved of spirits. Aware of the conflicted gin resurgence, they set forth to create a cleaner, softer and crisper spirit than its juniper-heavy predecessors. “At the time when we started on Martin Miller’s Gin, back in 1998, pretty much all gin came with that strong, dominant, some might say overpowering juniper ‘rush’ loved by a generation of older gin drinkers. However, (this intense juniper flavor
“It’s not just history in a glass, it’s romance and adventure too.” — Martin Miller’s
By Deborah Harris, Nightlife Consultant & Mixologist
and even more demanding of a sophisticated drink fueled by a discerning thirst. Classics have overcome fruity concoctions. Bartenders are capable of balancing stiffer spirits in mixed cocktails and patrons are receptive to indulging in them. Gin is no exception. You can introduce any flavor to juniper, from sharp to bitter to sweet. Though the berry may intimidate some, it offers immense mixability. It is most important to realize that many guests may think they do not like gin. Angus Winchester, the Global Brand Ambassador for Tanqueray, suggests that as www.barbizmag.com
April 2013 Bar Business Magazine
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Liquid Assets
re Treasu
Map
“Gin relies on global travel and global trade. The interaction between people truly embodies the spirit.”
profile was) rejected by younger drinkers intrigued by gin’s retro appeal.” The partners resolved to develop a loyal, robust spirit that does not overwhelm with heavy floral notes. It is a traditional gin with definite mixability. With a mindfulness of the rich history of gin production, Martin Miller’s honors gin’s earliest styles by utilizing a traditional single pot distilling technique. (History…check!) But where do they capture their romance and adventure? By employing extended steeping and botanical maceration to release vital oils and aromatics creating the heart of their gin. Oh, and they will be quick to add…it’s all about the water. Prior to their foray into the gin market, David and Jacob had been curating a cucumber vodka in Iceland. They found that the water created a spirit so smooth it offered “almost magical properties…when blended with spirit.” They define these properties as an “inhibiting” of rapid evaporation, thus offering a “slow delivery of bouquet and burn” giving Martin Miller’s Gin its gentle nose and mouth feel. Martin Miller’s founders further integrated their cucumber vodka expertise by utilizing a cucumber distillate to dry out their gin. The vegetable acted as a functional ingredient rather than a flavor additive, offering a soft yet crisp floral start with a long dry finish, perfect for a classic G&T, French 75 or Aviation, or their custom Hedgerow Sling, Tuscan Sunset, Martin Miller’s Mojito, and Perfect Pour. The gins spawning from the recent resurgence expand the already established collective of gin distillers, making for an exciting and innovative gin revolution. However, no bar is complete without the presence of history. It is gin’s rich past that makes for a refined, glamorous, and noteworthy spirit. Mastering cocktail culture includes exploring the newbies while embracing their predecessors. And few spirits have accomplished more than Tanqueray. In an unprecedented feat, Tanqueray 10 won “Best Gin” three years in a row at the San Francisco World Spirits 12
Bar Business Magazine April 2013
Competition, leading to the creation of the Spirits Competition’s Hall of Fame, where only one other spirit accompanies it. With a devotion to quality, Tanqueray remains one of the most recognized brands of gin. Yet they continue to develop their portfolio, honoring older styles of the spirit while bringing forward the flavors of the 21st century with Tanqueray Rangpur, a gin distilled with the sweet Indian Rangpur lime, kaffir lime leaves, and hints of ginger and sage. It is their belief that you must “have a grounding in the past before you start shredding the envelope and thinking outside the box. Know the box first,” states Angus Winchester. That is why this 180-year-old spirit is, to this day, made by five men in two stills, generating two million cases of Tanqueray London each year. It is attention to quality control that ensures a most consistent, authentic product. Each year, Tanqueray’s master distillers taste 2,000 juniper samples, accepting only 5% of those provided, to maintain the integrity of the recipe Charles Tanqueray spent two years developing. With quality and consistency as top priorities, Tanqueray approaches each of its botanicals with the same painstaking attention to flavor profile. Sourcing their Angelica root from Saxony, Licorice powder from China, and Coriander seed from Bulgaria, Tanqueray is a true embodiment of East meets West. “Gin relies on global travel and global trade. It is the interaction between people on an international level,” states Winchester. “This does not just embody the history of the spirit, it also encapsulates a more modern society in a glass.” Which is why Angus goes on to state, “Gin is style. It is a well-made suit, a pressed white shirt, a little black dress. It is not of this moment, it is always of the moment. There is a swagger and class that is permanent.” It is this timelessness that sustains gin. Beyond palates, beyond cocktail culture, gin will forever be a bar staple. www.barbizmag.com
___________________________________ The perfecT pour _______________________________________ INGREDIENTS: _______________________________________ ¼ Martin Miller’s Gin _______________________________________ ¾ tonic _______________________________________ Twist of lime _______________________________________ 3 juniper berries _______________________________________ Ice _______________________________________ _______________________________________ FILL a balloon glass with large _______________________________________ cubes of ice from the freezer; add a _______________________________________ twist of lime and 3 juniper berries. _______________________________________ POuR in the Martin Miller’s. _______________________________________ PuSH a long-handled spoon deep into the ice and _______________________________________ gently pour the tonic down the handle, preserving _______________________________________ as much of the fizz as you can in the tonic. _______________________________________ Be patient! Wait 30 seconds or so to allow all the _______________________________________ subtle flavours and aromas to appear. _______________________________________ Experience Ginspiration! _______________________________________ ___________________________________ The WesT hampTon _______________________________________ courtesy of Deborah Harris _______________________________________ INGREDIENTS: _______________________________________ 1 ½ oz Gin _______________________________________ ¾ oz Zen Green Tea Liquor _______________________________________ Two cubes of honeydew _______________________________________ ¼ barspoon of sugar _______________________________________ GuS Meyer Lemon Soda _______________________________________ Sparkling sake _______________________________________ Honeydew with a quarter spoonful of sugar. _______________________________________ _______________________________________ ADD ice, gin, Zen Green Tea Liquor _______________________________________ SHAKE. Pour into higball _______________________________________ TOP with Gus Meyer Lemon Soda and _______________________________________ a splash of sparkling sake. _______________________________________ ____________________________________ san francisco INGREDIENTS: _______________________________________ 50ml Martin Miller’s Gin _______________________________________ 15 ml lemon juice _______________________________________ 15 ml simple syrup _______________________________________ 12 blueberries _______________________________________ 6 tarragon leaves _______________________________________ _______________________________________ MuDDLE blueberries and _______________________________________ tarragon leaves _______________________________________ Add gin, lemon juice and simple syrup _______________________________________ SHAKE with ice _______________________________________ STRAIn into rocks glass over fresh ice _______________________________________ GARnISH with blueberries and tarragon leaves _______________________________________
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Tanqueray
_____________________________________ WhiTe lady _______________________________________ INGREDIENTS: _______________________________________ 1.25 oz TLD _______________________________________ 0.75 oz lemon juice _______________________________________ 0.75 oz simple syrup _______________________________________ (Egg white optional) _______________________________________ If using egg white, dry _______________________________________ shake all, fine strain into _______________________________________ chilled cocktail glass. _______________________________________ ___________________________________ The WildcaT _______________________________________ courtesy of Andy Hottovy _______________________________________ INGREDIENTS: _______________________________________ 3 parts gin _______________________________________ 1 part St. Germain _______________________________________ 2 slices of cucumber _______________________________________ Lime juice _______________________________________ Club Soda _______________________________________ _______________________________________ MuDDLE cucumbers in a shaker _______________________________________ ADD gin, St. Germain, splash of lime juice and ice _______________________________________ SHAKE Pour into highball and top with club soda _______________________________________ GARnISH with slice of cucumber _______________________________________ ___________________________________ norTh sea Breeze _______________________________________ INGREDIENTS: _______________________________________ 50 ml Martin Miller’s Gin _______________________________________ 2 spoons of lime marmalade _______________________________________ 70 ml fresh pink grapefruit juice _______________________________________ 70 ml lychee juice _______________________________________ _______________________________________ BuILD drink over ice in hi-ball _______________________________________ STIR _______________________________________
Tanqueray
_____________________________________ Basil smash _______________________________________ INGREDIENTS: _______________________________________ 1.5 oz TLD _______________________________________ 0.75 oz lemon juice _______________________________________ 0.75 oz simple syrup _______________________________________ 12 large basil leaves _______________________________________ _______________________________________ SHAKE very hard, strain into _______________________________________ cubed ice filled rocks glass. _______________________________________ GARnISH: nice looking basil sprig. _______________________________________
April 2013 Bar Business Magazine
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Tuning Up
The jukebox evoluTion Perhaps the most constant component of American bars since the 1920s, the jukebox has evolved over time, and today’s digital, Internet-based technology is changing the way bar owners approach entertainment. But even while looking forward, it’s always good to remember where we came from. By Chris Ytuarte
J
uke·box [jook-boks], noun: A coin-operated phonograph, typically in a gaudy, illuminated cabinet, having a variety of records that can be selected by push button. Yes, this is the actual definition provided when you type “jukebox” into the search engine of Dictionary.com. Evidently, the folks who update that particular Web site haven’t been in a bar lately, and it’s unlikely they have seen a TouchTunes Virtuo hanging from the wall, offering Karaoke and PhotoBooth services along with music and videos. There is nothing “gaudy” about it. In fact, there is nothing gaudy about the modern jukebox industry at all. Sexy hardware like the Virtuo make the bar room jukebox as much a fashion statement as a functioning source of on-premise entertainment. The options available today— millions of MP3 songs on-demand via the Internet, high-definition music videos, touch screen interaction, and now Karaoke and PhotoBooth services from the likes of TouchTunes—exemplify how far this nightlife staple has come since its early days. But 14
Bar Business Magazine April 2013
it’s still good to know how we got here. Gert J. Almind is a Danish editor and a recognized expert in the history of the jukebox. In 2009, he submitted an elaborate and wonderfully detailed paper on the subject to RadioMuseum. org (www.radiomuseum.org), a Web site that is both a virtual museum and a “most complete reference work for radios” of all kinds. In this jukebox thesis, if you will, Almind speaks with a mix of wonderment and factuality on the topic, starting some 125 years ago. Abridged, some of his timeline can be seen here: “The ‘pay to play’ jukebox concept arrived when Louis T. Glass, manager of the Pacific Phonograph Co., and his business partner William S. Arnold, demonstrated an Edison phonograph with a coin attachment to the public in the Palais Royal Saloon on 303 Sutter Street in San Francisco. The first recorded public demonstration of a coin-operated phonograph took place here on November 23rd, 1889. “The first successful and reliable coin-op phonograph in the U.S., however, was developed and filed for patent in 1891 by www.barbizmag.com
Albert K. Keller, who soon assigned the patent rights to the Model 1015, popularly referred to as the “bubbler.” A 24-selection machine (meaning it played just one side of twenty-four 78 rpm Automatic Phonograph Exhibition Co. in New York. “And the era of the modern electrically amplified phonographs records), almost 60,000 of these jukeboxes were produced for started after 1927, when the “Electramuse,” based on a 1921 the marketplace. The Wurlitzer 1015 was first manufactured in 1946, following patent by James E. Stout, was introduced by the firm Holcomb & World War II. In fact, the popularity of jukeboxes in this period Hoke Manufacturing Co., in Indianapolis, Indiana. “Then the Rudolph Wurlitzer Co., established in 1865, started can be partially attributed to the fact that U.S. armed forces out in the automatic phonograph business by introducing the took their music with them wherever they went, and as such, left a trail of jukeboxes wherever they had been stationed. With the 10-selection “Debutante” in 1933. Of course, manufacturers at the time did not call them emergence of rock ‘n’ roll in the 1950s, the demand for jukeboxes “jukeboxes.” They were instead referred to as Automatic Coin- went through the roof. In the 1950s and 60s, Rock-Ola became a major name in the Operated Phonographs, or Automatic Phonographs, or Coinjukebox field as well. The company Operated Phonographs. The term was responsible for many new “jukebox” first appeared in the it s estimated that almost ideas, including a full-featured 1930s, likely derived from their of the urlitzer jukebox that was so small it could prominence as the main music be hung on the wall—an early source in so-called “juke joints,” odel jukeboxes Were predecessor to today’s modern which were informal establishments jukeboxes, such as the Virtuo, featuring music, dancing, gambling, manufactured in its heyday which take up less floor space in and drinking found mostly in the American south in the late 1800s and early 1900s. (The term bars by attaching to a wall. However, it was in 1949 that another “juke” is believed to derive from the creole word “joog,” meaning manufacturer, Seeburg would change the face of the jukebox industry when it engineered a mechanism that could play both rowdy or disorderly.) And from there, the rest, as they say, is history. A national sides of 50 records, making it a true 100-select jukebox. In 1950, craze was born, and as arguably the most recognizable name in Seeburg introduced the M100B, the first jukebox to play 45 rpm jukeboxes for the better part of a century, the Wurlitzer model records, and throughout that decade the company enjoyed a remains an American icon, with its shape, style, and its ubiquitous dominant place in jukebox production, including the introduction presence in the nation’s bars, restaurants, diners, and dance of the V-200, the first 200-select jukebox. Seeburg, however, did halls. Believed to be the most popular jukebox of all time, and not survive as a jukebox company, and today no longer exists, the one most often shown as a reference point, is the Wurlitzer despite its deep contributions to the industry. One can only
’ 60,000 W m 1015
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.
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Tuning Up wonder how it would have reacted to the next decade of change in the field. By the time we reach the middle of the 1970s, the popularity of the jukebox is declining with the introduction of cassette tapes and players. But that didn’t stop the innovators. The aesthetic approach began to change, as manufacturers varied on the notions of form versus function. Almind wrote: “Cabinet design was considered an important component of the complete product by now, as jukeboxes became fashion statements, much as they are today. At Wurlitzer, it was a matter of building a cabinet with or without plastic that enhanced the tone, protected the mechanism, and was durable and attractive. The cabinets made by Rock-Ola Manufacturing Corp., on the other hand, became discreet, designed to blend into the background rather than be the focus of attention.” And here we are today, with modern marvels like the TouchTunes Virtuo elegantly lighting up bar room walls across the country, offering patrons an on-premise entertainment d-TG-prt-BarBusiness-April2013-halfpgAd-v1.pdf 1 3/11/13 experience that is truly unique. Were he alive to see one, Louis
T. Glass would likely think he was working the touch screen of a time machine (only to be reassured of such when he selected a song and video by Nikki Minaj wearing a space suit). But the evolution continues, and the jukebox today remains a vital on-premise component some 125 years after its first appearance; only now patrons can sing along via Karaoke functions and digitally send photos of themselves to friends via the juke—a long way from the 10-selection “Debutante” of 1933. Having written his history of the jukebox back in 2009, Almind himself summed up the excitement of an industry that was still changing even in that period, when he concluded his paper with this: “The story continues, and it will be fun to study the developments in both the digital satellite down loading units and new DVD-units with space for 600 audio/video titles and 1,000 audio-only titles, and especially to study the design ideas for the cabinets in the years to come. The history is not written to the end; there will be new chapters in the history of jukeboxes.” 11:10 AM Rock on.
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It’s All on the Table
These days it takes a little more to impress the average bar patron—they’ve seen it all. But offering them an interactive experience within the typical two-dimensional nightlife environment is surely a good start, right? By Michael Mascioni
A
ccessing games and videos through arcade systems, kiosks, and jukeboxes and sending ordering instructions electronically in restaurants and bars isn’t anything new. But those experiences have become much more convenient and perhaps more satisfying with the emergence of multitouch interactive tables and countertops in those locations. These interactive tables and countertops typically allow customers to touch a screen on a table or countertop and access an array of content, such as games and pictures, or send ordering instructions and pay bills.
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According to David Aichele, Executive Vice President of Sales and Marketing at T1Visions (www.t1visions.com), the “market potential” of multitouch systems and interactive tables in bars and restaurants “is large,” probably in the “hundreds of millions,” especially considering the “market isn’t well established” yet. Echoing that point, Dax Patton, Director of Business Operations for Digital Touch Systems (www.digitaltouchsystems.com), estimates that only a “small percentage of bars and restaurants” currently have
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multitouch tabletop systems, though “the number has grown significantly in the past two years.” According to him, the first bar and restaurant adopters of multitouch systems and interactive tables were “sports bars,” followed by “casual dining restaurants.” Aichele observes that multitouch tables tend to be used most by “medium- to high-end restaurants and bars that have digital entertainment options such as TV or trivia games, including smaller restaurant franchise chains and some independently owned restaurants.” Patton acknowledges some entrenched resistance to new devices like multitouch systems in the bar and restaurant markets, though he feels those markets are now “more accepting of the systems.” According to Patton, multitouch interactive tables have a number of key benefits for restaurants, bars, and other hospitality facilities, including their ability to generate “longer customer visits, greater recurring visits, and increased sales,” and their ability to “improve operational efficiency, thus lowering operational costs.” Patton notes another benefit of multitouch interactive tables: By keeping customers in restaurants and bars occupied with games and other activities, those customers become less aware of and concerned with any delays in receiving their food and drinks. These systems provide a “better customer experience overall,” he sums up. The sales impact of multitouch systems and interactive tables in bars and restaurants is often significant. For example, Patton reports that Touch Café in Chisinau, Moldova in Eastern Europe, which uses his company’s T3 interactive tables, experienced “over 14% increase in sales” due to the use of such tables. Aichele claims that his company’s InTouch multi-user, multitouch interactive tables, which were first introduced in bars and restaurants three years ago, have been generating “more revenue per table” at restaurants and bars using the systems. He adds that the tables with the highest percentage of occupied seats at restaurants and bars are using T1Visions’ interactive
tables. To further highlight the impact of his company’s products, he cites a 2009 study conducted for the company at an undisclosed restaurant using the tables, which showed “50 percent higher revenues” at the interactive tables versus the regular tables. T1Visions’ restaurant and bar customers include: Tracks and Records in Jamaica, partly owned by the top Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt, Mellow Mushroom in Charlotte, North Carolina, the Cowfish Sushi Burger Bar in Charlotte and Raleigh, North Carolina, BaJa Soul Taqueria in Charlotte, and Sparians Sports Bar and Bowling Center in Raleigh. In order to be viable in bars and restaurants, installations of multitouch systems and interactive tables must be judiciously introduced. For example: Typically, restaurants using T1Visions’ inTouch system install it in 25 to 50 percent of their tables, reports Aichele. He notes that “restaurants and bars can maximize their ROI at this level of adoption.” Multitouch tables typically vary in cost from $4,000 to $20,000, depending on the “size of the screens and level of graphical content,” according to Aichele. The popularity of the features on multitouch systems and interactive tables in bars and restaurants seems closely related to the nature of those facilities and the capabilities of the systems. According to Aichele, the most popular applications on his company’s inTouch tables in restaurants and bars provide entertainment, including “interactive games and media viewing, such as pictures and video trailers.” The next most popular application is “order processing,” which allows restaurants and bars to “order directly at the table and track analytics” for their customers, he says, enabling them to collect data on the most popular food items on the menu and determine which ads and specials to feature on the system. This has proven very effective for those restaurants and bars, he claims. One of the key issues affecting the success of multitouch systems and interactive tables in bars and restaurants is the effectiveness of the system developers in integrating their programs in those bars and restaurants. In
"The market potential of interactive tables in bars and restaurants is large, probably in the hundreds of millions."
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How To:
Developers of interactive tables suggest their systems foster social interaction.
that regard, the developers of E-Table multitouch tables are at a key advantage, since they are owners themselves of Inamo restaurants in London, points out Neil Hunwick, CEO of E-Table and Inamo Restaurants (www.e-tableinteractive.com). As a result, they “know how to integrate the system” at their restaurants, and can “assure other restaurant operators that our system will work properly” at their locations, he maintains. In his view, one of the problems with many other multitouch table developers active in the restaurant market is that they “fail to understand the operational requirements of restaurants.”
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Bar Business Magazine April 2013
Patton also emphasizes the need for developers of multitouch sytems and interactive tables aimed at bars and restaurants to be guided by their clients in the integration of those systems, since “they know their customers better.” E-Table introduced their first multitouch table system at the Inamo restaurant on Wardour Street in London in 2008, and the second one at Inamo St. James on Regent Street in London in 2010, reports Hunwick. E-Table has licensed their technology to the restaurant Izakaya and the Holland Casino Group in Holland, and the restaurant Taste of Turkey in Turkey. Some of the most popular features of the E-Tables in Inamo’s restaurants are their “tasteful images of food items, essentially sneak previews of the dish you’re about to be served, and ordering capabilities,” Hunwick reports. According to him, games on those tables are another popular application, one of the hottest being Battleships, “meaning you can blow up your own date,” he quips. Concerns have been raised about possible negative affects of multitouch systems on social interaction at bars and restaurants, but developers of the systems contend that their systems help foster social interaction, not detract from it. In this regard, Hunwick feels that the E-Tables “engender conversation” and serve as “a talking point” at the Inamo restaurants. New opportunities are also opening up for multitouch tables in bars and restaurants due to their expanded capabilities. For example, the E-Tables enable customers to “change the look and feel of the restaurant,” based around “events and seasons,” explains Hunwick. Using the tables, they can “theme the mood of their meals by sending photos” relating to special occasions in advance to the Inamo website, which can then be downloaded for use during their meals at the tables. Hunwick notes the importance of the “look” of multitouch systems. He feels that the E-Tables maintain an appealing “decorative style,” with the tables positioned as “points of light within the restaurant space.” Unfortunately, he finds that many multitouch sytems and interactive tables in restaurants “lack charm.” But that doesn’t need to be the case in your bar.
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How To:
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with s t i f o r P t s o Bo Business Solutions
Tips for Creating the Best Odds for Success
What can you do right now to ensure a bright future for your bar business? Entrepreneur and author Bill McBean provides some expert advice.
B
y now, 2013 is well underway. Any business still looking back at 2012 will soon be left in the dust. Bill McBean offers advice on what you can do, starting now, to create the best odds for success this year. McBean’s new book, The Facts of Business Life, provides a great guide for any owner. The book has some critical facts for successful business owners to use to their advantage to boost profits and improve business overall. “Often, entrepreneurs don’t make the best planners,” says McBean. “We are action-oriented people. But by taking
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a hard look at a few critical pieces and putting a plan in place right now, you can increase your chances for success.”
Internal Resolutions
❶ Evaluate your leadership. Being a great leader begins
with a self-analysis of your leadership ability. Do you supply the business with what it needs to be successful—things like the right equipment, your focus and time, required capital, assigning responsibility and expectations, etc.? Are employees being paid based on what you want them to
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accomplish and expect from them? Do you let any bad habits slide that need to be addressed? “Look at the other leaders in your business,” says McBean. “Are they all on the same page with you? Are you sure? Are they well trained, and do they know what success looks like? Do they get the expected results? Without effective leadership, your employees have no idea what is important, what to manage, or what success and failure look like. To have effective employees, your business first has to have effective leadership, and this starts with the owner.”
❷ Do a top-to-bottom walk-through of your systems
and procedures. In essence, systems and procedures actually operate your business. Examine which processes are working, which need to be improved, and which only exist because “it’s the way it’s always been done.” For example: Inventory and pricing parameters change because what sold well a year ago may have little demand today, and your competitors’ pricing changes constantly and so must yours. Your procedures must be able to keep up with these changes. Or maybe your business has fallen into bad habits—for example, overlooking employees who don’t perform as expected. Look for inconsistencies in how employees handle tasks, especially those that directly impact customers and those that affect the data you use to make decisions about the business. “If you’re not controlling your procedures and processes, you don’t really ‘own’ your business,” notes McBean. “You’re just a spectator watching others play with your money. Great procedures and processes need controls, and these controls in turn create great results and skilled employees.”
❸ Kick off a cost-cutting, gross-profit-building
mission. This is a powerful weapon for an owner. Look for ways to increase gross profit and cut costs as they have a dramatic positive effect on profits and cash flow. “Don’t assume that you know how much things are costing you, or that your employees are reacting to new sales opportunities,” notes McBean. “Take a good look at your books. And know that sometimes you don’t have to make cuts; you simply need to renegotiate vendor contracts. For example, maybe you can get a discount in purchase for early payment. Ask yourself: What expensive mistakes have been made in the past? How can we avoid making them again? And what can we do to increase bottom line profits and increase cash flow?”
to take a paid afternoon off and give them movie passes. Eliminate the frustrations in their job, make sure they have the latest equipment, and train employees to know how to handle emergencies or workplace accidents. It’s these simple things that all add up to developing an engaged staff who want to work for you and are proud to do so.”
❺ Set realistic, specific goals. Then, dial up the
“aggression factor” a little bit. In other words, aim high ut be specific. If your goals aren’t measurable, you won’t be able to gauge your progress and eventually you’ll stop pursuing them. Setting realistic goals, putting a plan in place, and routinely checking in with employees to gauge their progress—because what gets measured gets done—is the best way to be successful. “And don’t be lulled into complacency or let the continued talk of doom and gloom handcuff you,” says McBean. “Successful owners know they have to fight not only to win market share but to retain it as well. If you take your focus off of improving your business, competitors will step in and take what you have worked so hard for.”
External Resolutions
❻ Boost your product/service offerings. The products
and services you offer are the core of your business. “Think about what you can do to squeeze out another service offering with what you already have in place,” suggests McBean. “Make it easy for your customers to get what they want. Always be looking to make new and better offerings to your customers. Doing so provides added value for your customer and for you. A true win-win.”
❼ Revamp your marketing campaign. Think about
who your customers are. Are you marketing to them in a way that makes sense? Would the money you’re pouring into ad placement be better spent on direct mail? Does a huge social media campaign really make sense for your company, or are you tweeting fruitlessly into cyberspace just because everyone else is doing it? “It takes marketing to bring customers in and it takes marketing to keep them,” points out McBean. “Many companies see marketing as an expense, but it’s actually an
❹ Re-engage employees. In this economy, you need
employees who care about your business as much as you do. “Engaged employees are energized,” says McBean. “They handle problems on their own and actively look for ways to improve the business. “So how do you get engaged employees? Show them you care. Sometimes it’s as simple as saying ‘thank you’ for a job well done either verbally, with a handwritten note, or with a handshake with $20 attached. Or you might allow them
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How To: investment and deserves your attention. You should be focused on what products are selling, where your customers go for information, who are the easiest customers to attract, and which products bring the most profit.”
❽ Find new ways to impress loyal
customers. In business, few things are as important as your customer base.
Find ways to protect yours by developing loyal customers. The first step is offering great products and services and delivering them via a helpful, engaged staff. “Consider what would keep customers continually coming to your business,” says McBean. “Remember, habits are hard to break. The more customers come to your business, the
stronger relationship they create with it and your employees, and the more comfortable they feel. Find the answers to this and you’ll find your sales and profits increasing regardless of the market. You can’t ignore the market and what your competitors are doing, but the prize goes to the owners who become more creative and don’t offer just the expected. It can even be as simple as posting a sign asking customers to go to your website to register for monthly or weekly prizes— everyone likes to win something! This is where the term ‘think outside the box’ really applies.”
❾ Get knowledgeable about
economic/tax changes and how they’ll affect you. The slow-torecover economy and the fiscal cliff debacle have taught us the importance of staying one step ahead when it comes to the economy and how it’s going to affect your business. “Be proactive and seek out a trusted financial advisor,” says McBean. “Ask him or her what upcoming tax changes will mean for your business. He or she will be able to point you in the right direction and uncover ways to save when it comes time to file your taxes. Or, ask your banker about your overall market, which industries are showing strength, and which are struggling. This can give you a look into the future on what products may have increased demand and which may lag.” “The future can absolutely hold great things for your business,” says McBean. “But in order for that to happen, you have to always be looking ahead. You have to think about where you need to improve and what challenges might pop up to slow your progress. By taking the time right now to plan ahead, you’re making big opportunities possible for your business.”
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Bill McBean is the author of The Facts of Business Life: What Every Successful Business Owner Knows That You Don’t. (www.FactsOfBusinessLife.com).
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How To:
imal t p O e h t d l i Bu Projector Environment
The Power of Projectors They puT The pRO in pROjecTOR: We talked to several projector experts who walked us through ways to optimize your on-premise performance and By CHris yTuarTE maximize the profitability of your projector.
H
ere’s my projection: Hundreds of excited customers clamoring to get into your bar to watch the big game, spending cash hand-over-fist on cocktails and beer while staring into the bright, crisp, clear and fantastically large images found on your projection (screen, that is). If televised entertainment is part of your bar’s business plan, the acceptable list of reasons for not going bigger and better is shrinking every day. Your customers can just as easily stay home and watch the game on their highresolution 42-inch LCD TVs, so if you want to get them through your doors, if you want them talking about the experience they had in your venue being bigger and better, the on-premise projector is the way to go.
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“I think bar owners really need to advertise and say, ‘We have a bigger TV than you!’ and go after that crowd,” says John Sullivan, Senior Expert at Projector People (www.projectorpeople.com). “If you think about it, the only difference between their home and your bar with a projector is the size of the screen, because the beer is cheaper at their house.” As a reseller and consultant, Projector People has more than 20 years of experience in the audiovisual industry, including 15 years for Sullivan. The company’s projector experts receive ongoing training and are among the most knowledgeable in the industry. Frequent collaboration directly with top manufacturers ensures that their projector experts, like Sullivan are familiar with new
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product releases and the latest technology. “I’ve seen them change from your standard, business-only projector to what you see today,” says Sullivan. “Projectors are now in home theaters, in bars, and all over the hospitality industry. They’re just as good now as any television.” When speaking specifically about the approach that bar and club owners should take when considering a projector (or multiple projectors) on-premise, Sullivan cites three crucial components to keep in mind with regard to your venue: the lighting (both natural and produced), the size of your space, and the overall environment, which includes potential contaminants (smoke) and dangers to the hardware. “When you look at a projector, you want to look at a couple of things inside your bar first,” says Sullivan. “First is the lighting, and more importantly, how sunlight is affecting the room, because you can’t compete with the sun, but you can compete with the standard lighting in a bar. “The next thing you’d look at is the space. You need a little bit of room for a screen and you need a little bit of room to go from the projector to the screen. If you ceilingmount it, usually you have all the room in the world and you’re good to go. But if it’s a really close space, like a stage, there may not be a lot of room from where the stage lighting is to the screen, and you might have to look at some different options. But if you get a bright enough projector, you’ll be able to see it. “From there, you have to choose your technology. In bars, you’re always going to have a little dust build-up on a projector, and on your TVs too. There’s a technology out there called DLP, which is Digital Light Processing, and you want to consider that because it has sealed optics, so when you get all this dust build-up in the projector it’s not going to affect the actual heart of the projector.” And of course, if you’re going big, you want to go clear. Choosing a projector with high-resolution capabilities is almost a no-brainer these days, as anything less is a step back from what most people have in their own home. “High-resolution is important—you want to get 1080p resolution,” says Sullivan. “On a bigger screen, you’ll see defects if you don’t use a high-resolution projector. You can have a 106inch projection screen that looks like a 42-inch LCD TV if you follow the guidelines on lighting, space, and resolution. And that’s the main reason you want to put a projector in, because
When it comes to attracting customers with projectors, the bigger the better.
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everyone has a good TV at their house now, and you have to give them a reason to come to your bar. Every 42-inch television out there is nice. And they’re cheap! But not every person has a 106-inch diagonal screen in their house.” William Krause is in charge of Business Development at Screen Solutions International (www.ssidisplays.com), which since since 2005 has been manufacturing and developing unique projection services. As the name suggests, his company focuses on the medium upon which projectors throw their images, and offers bar owners some truly eyecatching options including the Accent Rear Projection Film, interactive Thru Glass Touch Screen Film, and holographic projection screens. “Our products started with an acrylic material that is about 1/8-inch thick,” explains Krause. “You can see images on both sides when you use a projector, so it’s dual-sided. We also have films that apply to glass and turn your glass surfaces into a TV or digital display. And we’ve transitioned into doing interactive surfaces as well, so any of our products can now be made to be interactive. You can create a unique viewing experience out of any space in just a few minutes.” Mircosoft recently used a Screen Solutions Intl. product to promote the Windows 8 launch in New York City, and the company also turned a few vehicles for Chrysler into mobile touchscreen experiences by making tram windows into projection screens. But usually it’s people looking to create a digital display out of existing glass, explains Krause, who come to utilize his products, especially in bars. “In bars, our products are used for visual reinforcement, whether it’s for large-display sports and entertainment aspects, or additionally advertising or interactive experiences,” says Krause. “With the interactive environments growing rapidly around the globe, I think it’s really important that people understand that it’s not about just adding a small touchscreen somewhere. Sometimes the best uses are on large surfaces in creating unique applications. A bar, for instance, would use our products (or projection in general) to create a larger-than-standard-size TV for approximately the same price or less, to create a unique viewing experience. If you have glass in a bar you can add one of our products right to the glass and it looks like it’s floating there. So it just has a different ambience and a unique image.” And Krause agrees with Sullivan, in that the biggest consideration with projection is ambient lighting, especially
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How To: in a bar or club-type atmosphere, where the ambient lighting can sometimes be almost perfect for projection, because it’s typically not extremely bright. “It’s an optimal situation,” says Krause. “You don’t want direct ambient lighting shining on the back of the screen or the front of the screen. But in most bar applications that we’ve run up against, it’s never been an issue. Most of our products are specifically formulated to handle ambient lighting, so the same products would be used in storefronts here in Florida for direct sunlight projection. It makes the installation super quick and
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easy and you don’t have to factor in a lot of the drama than can be associated with, say, a tradeshow environment.” However, the glass film screen product from Screen Solutions Intl. does offer some unique benefits. “There will be zero maintenance difficulties,” says Krause. “All of our products are either rigid or are applied to a rigid surface, so nothing sags. A lot time when you see the fabric screens in a board room, the fabric sags over time and warps and ripples. That’s never going to happen with our products because it’s a rigid material. And discoloration doesn’t happen to the screen material itself because it’s not fabric. Even if there is smoking in your bar, you can just wipe our materials down with traditional solvent-based materials.” There is a lot to consider here, and Sullivan suggests that bar owners in particular look into the new wave of bulb-free projectors to add cost-savings to the scenario. “Casio came out with an LED laser hybrid projector, and the great thing there is they have a 20,000hour life, which is perfect for bar owners because the obvious expense on most projectors is in replacing the bulbs, which are usually $200 to $300,” says Sullivan. “Using one of the bulb-free units gets rid of that expense. When you do reach 20,000 hours, most likely you’re replacing the whole projector and not repairing it, but that’s okay because the equivalent is buying anywhere from seven to ten lamps. A lot times I’ll lead my sales talk with this technology for bar owners because it saves them money over the long-term.” At the end of the day, these two experts agree on one thing for sure: Size matters, and your patrons need to walk away wanting to tell their friends about the projector experience they just had in your bar. “If you do it right, people are going to talk about it,” says Krause. “And they’re going to come back because of the experience time and time again. “In a sports bar, screen size is definitely going to be the number-one thing,” says Sullivan.” So go big—or they’ll go home.
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SEASONAL COCKTAILS : SPRING
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Our quarterly query of the spirits world to find out what seasonal concoctions will be making the scene brings us to Spring, and since we didn’t want to exclude beer lovers from our cocktail conversations, we’ll look at some seasonal session beers as well as mixed drinks that have a little spring in their step. BY Adam Levy Contributing editor Beer, Wine & Spirits
Session Beers: Drinkable, Flavorful and Less Alcohol
I
n recent years, the craft beer industry has been booming, and with that comes very flavorful, but very high alcohol by volume (ABV) brews. While most beers range in ABV from 5-7%, there are a number that reach into the teens. This does not bode well for the average bar owner as these beers may taste great, but your customer has one at lunch or at dinner and their beer purchases end there. Those in our industry know history of the rise of craft beer, which was launched with the big hoppy IPA or strong lager and stout. But there’s a trend happening within the industry that aims to change that—session beers. A session is an English term indicating an event that occurs over a long length of time. The term “session beer” came about as a category for a beer you’d want to sip over a session without getting hammered or too full— i.e., a long business lunch, a sporting event, etc. According to Lew Bryson, noted beer writer and founder of The Session Beer Project, session beers are: ➧ 4.5% ABV or less ➧ flavorful enough to be interesting ➧ balanced enough for multiple pints ➧ conducive to conversation ➧ reasonably priced
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Other beer-focused cultures for many generations have produced their own versions of session beer that were created for the working man, which might be consumed with a meal or over long periods of time with friends, family, and at sporting events. Our own beer culture had many eras of low-alcohol beer levels, going back to the post-Prohibition period when beer was a major part of everyday consumption. There was no stigma associated with lower level alcohol beers. However, flavor and balance remain as important as the alcohol content. The brewers and the consumer believe there must be a balanced flavor of both hops and malt. It’s this balanced profile that makes the beer drinkable or “session-able” over an extended period of time. This may seem like a hard feat—making beer both flavorful and low ABV—but in fact, many breweries have been producing some great beers in this category. Samuel Adams Belgian Session – Samuel Adams, a consistent winner at the New York International Beer Competition, and Bronze award winner for 2013 Session Beer, offers drinkers this crisp Belgian style beer. With spicy notes balanced out by sweet toffee flavor, this 4.4% ABV beer is drinkable and refreshing.
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SPRiNG AheAD: Seasonal Cocktails for the Warming Months April showers bring May flowers, and do you know what the best kinds of flowers are? Edible ones found in the El Presidio cocktail at Arch Rock Fish in Santa Barbara, Calif. Mike Anderson, Mixologist and Beverage Manager for Arch Rock Fish knows that nothing welcomes springtime quite like his El Presidio cocktail. The El Presidio is the perfect amount of sweet and bitter with fresh grapefruit juice, Elderflower liqueur, Absolut pear vodka and lemon juice, topped off with grated nutmeg and an edible micro-orchid. “This is the perfect cocktail to order at sunset, on the patio in warm weather, when the air is just beginning to cool and the sky is fading from a light orange to a deep pink,” explains Anderson. “it’s a kiss of freshness and an aftertaste of spring. The el Presidio is one of my favorite cocktails to share with friends on a Sunday evening.”
Our own beer culture had many eras of low-alcohol levels, going back to the post-Prohibition period when beer was a major part of everyday consumption. 16 Mile Responders Ale – As a Silver ward winner for Session Beer at the 2013 New York International Beer Competition, this 4% ABV beer from Delaware brewery 16 Mile is also another great choice. The sweetness from the malt balances out the mild bitterness in this light-bodied Blonde ale. Nimbus Dirty Guera – From the Arizona-based Nimbus brewery, this Blonde ale is all about balance. At 3.5% ABV, with a subtle sweetness and mild taste, it’s an easy beer to drink again and again in one sitting. Blue Point Summer Ale – No one wants a heavy beer during the summer season. This Blue Point brew is another great session beer choice. Hints of sweetness balanced by a unique tart flavor make this 4.4% ABV beer quite thirst quenching during hot summer months. Not sure when to start enjoying these beers? While you probably don’t need an event to grab one, you could always join the session beer celebration on April 7th (Session Beer Day). Started by Bryson, Session Beer Day is a chance for beer enthusiasts, bar owners, and brewers to come together in support of these low ABV, flavorful beers. Bar owners are encouraged to offer discounts on session beers and consumers are encouraged to enjoy them, whether at your local pub or at home with friends and family. As this trend continues within the craft brewing industry, we’re sure to see more celebrations popping up across the nation. 32
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EL PRESIDIO Courtesy of Mike Anderson
1½ oz Absolut Pears ½ oz St. Germain Elderflower Liquer 1½ oz Fresh grapefruit juice ½ oz Fresh lemon juice Combine in a cocktail shaker with ice, shake vigorously and strain into martini glass. Garnish with fresh grated nutmeg and edible micro orchid. Anderson has worked with Arch Rock Fish, owned by restaurant advisory company HJL Group for years, creating unique and specialized cocktails for Santa Barbara’s favorite eatery. “The great thing about Mike’s cocktails is that he has the ability to make them unexpected yet approachable,” explains Jeremiah Higgins, HJL Group’s Operations Partner. “The El Presidio is one of the most well-known cocktails at Arch Rock Fish and has won Cocktail of the Week from the Santa Barbara News Press Magazine. We’re pretty proud of it.” With hurricanes and snowstorms finally starting to subside, it’s been a long cold season. As April and May approach, we will start to shed our winter coats, see flowers bloom, and spring trends emerge. Black and white, peekaboo pieces, statement sunglasses, bold stripes and luxe leather are the hot fashion trends of Spring 2013. As for cocktail trends? There’s one that has already begun to take over— sparkling liqueur. www.barbizmag.com
LeSUTRA Sparkling Liqueur gives hip sippers a fresh alternative to traditional spirits and is the only one of its kind that offers not one, but four appealing flavors— strawberry, peach, blueberry and grape. The refreshing and delectable flavors can be consumed straight or mixed into a lovely libation. LeSUTRA is springtime festive with its fleurde-lis print and vibrant colors. This show stopping cocktail is attractive, delicious and a great alternative to those who are working off their extra winter weight. LeSUTRA is about 36 calories per shot, half that of other premium vodkas. Inspired by the Kama Sutra, “sutra” meaning the thread or line that holds things together, it’s perfect for getting together with friends to celebrate spring’s arrival. And always, as Spring approaches, consider the great margarita. With more options than ever for ways to personalize and upgrade the classic, the marg is always a great seasonal option as the weather warms up.
PRICKLY PEAR MARGARITA Courtesy of the Orange Squirrel, Bloomfield, NJ
2 oz. Prickly Pear Puree 1 oz premium Silver Tequila ½ oz Triple Sec or Cointreau ½ oz of lime juice, handsqueezed (strain pulp) Mix all ingredients together, pour over ice, shake, strain and pour over ice if requested. Salt or unsalted rim. Garnish with lime wedge.
MARCHA MARGARITA By Mixologist Nelson Lemus
1¾ oz tequila 1 oz lime juice ¾ agave nectar ¼ oz D’Aristi Xtabentun Bitters 1 oz egg white 3 drops of Aztec chocolate bitters
LESuTRA STRAwbERRY-COCONuT CAIPIRISSIMA Created by The Fontainbleau Hotel
1 oz. LeSUTRA Strawberry 1 oz. Malibu Red ½ a lime squeeze ¼ oz. Rock Candy Syrup Dash Strawberry Puree Garnish with 2 Raspberries and 2 Lime wedges inside a rock glass
LESuTRA STRAwbERRY MARGARITA Strawberry LeSUTRA Sparkling Liqueur Blend with tequila Serve in a chilled margarita glass. If desired, salt the rim. Garnish with a lime wedge
LESuTRA STRAwbERRY ON THE ROCKS 5 oz. LeSUTRA Strawberry Glass of ice cubes Pour into a rock glass www.barbizmag.com
Glass: coupe glass Method: dry shake first, add ice cube shake again, strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish: Dash with baby drops of Aztec chocolate bitters.
AGuACHILE MARGARITA By Mixologist Luis Aguilar
1½ oz Tequila ¾ oz Cointreau ¾ oz fresh Orange Juice .375 oz fresh Lime Juice .375 oz fresh cucumber juice Add jalapeño to taste
POP’S MILK PuNCH By Eric Johnson (Sycamore Den)
2 oz. Cruzan Black Strap Rum ¾ cane syrup 3 oz milk 1 oz espresso 3 dashes vanilla extract Nutmeg Serve cold. Make accordingly to the size of your Dad’s thermos. Johnson trained under Sam Ross (Milk & Honey NYC and Atta Boy) and Phil Ward (Mayahuel).
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Everyone knows the Irish don’t like change, but a 153-year-old pub in Philadelphia has ushered in a new era by becoming one of the most environmentally conscious bars in America, proving that green is more than just a color for the Gaelic. By Chris Ytuarte
All photos by Curt Hudson
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or as long as I could remember, I could basket liners) with compostable and biodegradable set my watch to it: Eugene Curran, my options. But they won’t stop there. The bar’s latest efforts beloved Irish grandfather, would sit began last month with something called a “waste audit.” down everyday to watch the five o’clock Philadelphia-based Niche Recycling conducted the study, news with a sandwich and a whiskey. and will use the information to help McGillin’s develop a As he grew older and his health began plan to become a “Zero Waste” business. And as Mullins to fail him, doctors suggested he cut likes to point out: “If we can do it, anyone can do it.” McGillin’s Olde Ale House opened in 1860, the year that whiskey out of his daily regimen. Gramps promptly ignored those “know- Lincoln was elected. It is Philadelphia’s oldest it-alls,” and continued to enjoy his continuously operating tavern and one of the oldest in daily taste for many, many years. Such a recommended the country. The picturesque historic tavern is located on a tiny alley just behind Philadelphia City Hall, called change in behavior does not sit well with the Irish. Drury Street. But this little alley is the backyard for Yet here we find ourselves, in 2013, the eco-friendly many restaurants, bars and businesses that have grown business model progressing nationwide across various up around it. Over the years, more than 20 dumpsters industries, and an Irish monolith of a bar in the heart of have been placed in the alley. That means locals and Philadelphia providing the proof that even the most tourists have to walk through unsightly, unsanitary and, entrenched establishments can make a change in the frankly, smelly, conditions to get to the tavern. right direction to help better the environment. At “We’ve been working the last few years with our McGillan’s Olde Ale House, with 153 years in business, neighbors to try to going green is not just reduce the trash and for St. Paddy’s Day keep the area at least anymore, as the familyvisually as clean as can owned business and its be,” says Mullins “It’s a management have big project with a lot of enacted a monumental coordination between move towards reducing owners, but we developed the bar’s carbon a plan to build a footprint—on its block centralized trash station and in the big picture— with a compactor for by reinventing its waste trash, a recyclable unit, management approach. and something that “Change is not the would handle easy here,” admits Chris compostable items. It’s a Mullins, Jr., manager at very expensive, very big McGllian’s. “We’re 153 Mary Ellen and Chris Mullins project. We’re talking years old. It’s not easy to have run McGillan’s since 1993. over $300,000. And we’re make change in a place working towards that big like this. There is a lot of goal, but we thought it tradition here, there is a would be easier for us to envision this plan and then sell lot of history and values that we still hold true. And we’re it to the city and to our neighbors if we could first show pretty much erasing a lot of the concept of ‘just dumping’ what that ultimate function is: to reduce the amount of garbage. And if we can do that here, anyone can do it.” garbage that goes into landfills, and do it in a way that’s What, exactly, have they done at McGillan’s? According easy for your staff to manage.” to Mullins, the bar started looking for ways to go green Enter Niche Recycling, which spent three full days—a about six years ago, via various small steps. Today, he Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, from the time the bar says, they recycle approximately 30% of the waste from opened its doors until the time it locked up—weighing the bar, and of the remaining 70% of the trash and each of the three waste groupings (trash, recyclables, garbage they produce on-premise, only 11% of that will compostables) as the staff would bring them outside to be end up in a landfill. To get to that point, the bar’s initial disposed of. Niche will help McGillan’s prepare a plan plan involved recycling, composting kitchen waste, and customized to the bar’s operations, complete with scope of replacing non-biodegradable restaurant trash (straws,
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McGillin’s Olde Ale House opened in 1860, the year Lincoln was elected. It is Philadelphia’s oldest continuously operating tavern and one of the oldest in the country. work, budget, needed resources, equipment and training programs and anticipated benefits, to eventually become a Zero Waste business. For Mullins, the next big step lies in one particular aspect of greening the bar. “What the audit is going to tell us is mainly what our options are for composting,” says Mullins. “We have a food grinder now in the kitchen as required by city code, but it may be that we use it more. The second option is that we do some composting here ourselves. And the third component being the multitude of options for picking up our compost, from farmers to some of the local gardens here in the city. We’re going to be exploring all of these options. What has really motivated us to do this now is to see how much we can reduce what goes into these landfills.” While McGillan’s has reached an impressive point in its waste management efforts and reductions in landfill garbage, Mullins acknowledges it hasn’t always been easy, and it cannot be done overnight. “If we were to just wake up one day and say, ‘We’re going green, and everything we do is going to be sustainable and good for the environment,’ that is probably an
impossible feat for many bar owners to achieve overnight,” he says. “We started this six years ago by saying, ‘Ok, first, let’s start reducing the number of bottles of beer that we sell and start serving more draught beer.’ That reduces the amount of waste getting thrown into landfills and it’s an easy way to start. Then we looked at the oil we cook with, and instead of buying the five-gallon containers of oil and dumping it whatever way people do so, we now use the bulk oil with the pick-up so we know our provider takes that oil and recycles it. It’s really been step-by-step-by-step.” As with any type of learning process, there are always early missteps. When the bar first began replacing certain supplies (16-ounce beer cups, straws, etc.) with eco-friendly versions, they started using compostable soufflé cups that, unbeknownst to management, did not react well to heat. “We were pouring our au jus sauce into them and putting them out in the dining room and they started melting left and right,” laughs McMullins. “So there is a lot of trial and error. And we’re not saying we know all the answers, but we are enthusiastic about it.” The McGillan Family Mullins, whose family has owned
“We recycle approximately 30% of the waste from the bar, and of the remaining 70% of the trash and garbage we produce on-premise, only 11% of that will end up in a landfill.”
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COMPOST: Compost is organic matter that has been decomposed and recycled as a fertilizer and soil amendment. Compost is a key ingredient in organic farming. At the simplest level, the process of composting simply requires making a heap of wetted organic matter (leaves, “green” food waste, etc.) and waiting for the materials to break down into humus after a period of weeks or months.
A BiobiN® is a mobile, on-site organic/ wet material management solution that starts the composting process.
the bar since 1958 (he is the 3rd generation), is exceptionally proud of the efforts being made by the bar’s ownership, management, and staff. And it won’t stop there. He is in negotiations to get permission to turn a small parking lot in McGillan’s alley into a central trash collection, recycling, and composting area for the whole neighborhood, calling it Drury Street Green. The space will have two compactors (one for trash, one for recycling) and a large BiobiN® for composting kitchen waste. He has the support of neighborhood associations, neighbors and members of city council, but needs $175,000 for equipment and a person to staff the area and train neighboring businesses in how to sort their trash. That www.barbizmag.com
training, of course, will need to be repeated frequently as staff turns-over. “We’re an independent restaurant, family-owned, and we’ve been here 153 years, so we do feel like we’re somewhat of a leader in the industry,” says Mullins. “Going green is not a hard process. Anybody can catch on. Some of our employees have been here for 37 years and they jumped right on and could see the benefits and were excited by what we were doing. And I keep saying to everybody, ‘If we can do it, anybody can do it.’ And everybody should do it. It’s just tweaking little things that we normally take for granted.” After all, if the Irish can change, anyone can. April 2013 Bar Business Magazine
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Put it in Park
LoS ANGELES MIAMI NEW YoRk
By CHRIS YTUARTE
The ownership group behind both Commonwealth and the burgeoning locals scene in the Fremont District of Las Vegas has delivered its second vision of Sin City nightlife beyond The Strip with Park on Fremont, a quirky, laid-back bar to bounce around while visiting this home-away-from-home for service industry folk.
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enna Warner, a nightlife industry veteran and partner in the ownership group that created the newly opened Park on Fremont, can’t help but overtax the adjective “special” when describing the venue. From the décor to the food, to the beer selection and cocktails, it’s clear she feels quite proud of what she and her team have created here, and more so, the fact that they created it for the enjoyment of their own brethren—the throngs of industry employees who yearned for a hangout spot beyond the Las Vegas Boulevard Strip. She and the rest of the ownership collective feel strongly that a locals’ scene is something this city has long needed. “I could be off-base and totally crazy,” says Warner, “but we’re about to find out.” Indeed they are. Park on Fremont, in some ways an experiment in its kitschy, deeply personal design approach, opened to the public the first weekend in March. Located at
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500 E. Fremont Street (diagonally across from its ‘sister’ venue Commonwealth—more on that later), the 5,000-square-foot gastropub offers innovative bar fare and a truly eclectic art collection, with a laid-back area for dining indoors and antique tables in a lush garden outdoors. And of course, a teeter-totter. “We have a vintage jukebox upfront that guests can play music on,” says Warner. “But other than that, our only other distractions are the teeter-totter out back and hopscotch on the terrace.” Not that patrons need more distractions than those already embedded within the spirit and physical culmination of Park’s overall design. The aforementioned 1940s-era jukebox contains 45 rpm records that immediately set the mood, with guest musicians and aficionados continually curating the music selection. An aberrant art collection featuring works by Mark Ryden,
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Peter Gronquist and Mark Mothersbaughs adorn the walls as well and promote conversation in the rustic 2,500-square-foot interior. The booths and chairs are covered with an array of rich textured leathers, complemented by dark woods and a reclaimed herringbone floor. As Warner describes it, some of the select taxidermy pieces along the bar show animals mating, which she thought would certainly “get people talking.” “With Park, we took a little bit from a lot of things we all love,” says Warner. “It has a lot of everyone’s personality in it. If you get to know the people who are involved in the project, you start to realize that [co-owners] Ryan [Doherty] and Justin [Weniger] and myself are all very quirky people and we are all very laid-back and funny. So I think Park has a lot of comedy to it. It’s beautiful and has a lot of rich texture, but we don’t take ourselves very seriously all the time either, and we tried to carry that into the design. We wanted it to be a place where people feel A stylized painting of a very comfortable being woman wearing a meat dress very casual.” Out back, plants and hangs next to the kitchen.
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flowers overtake the “We wanted Park to be a place landscape of the patio, where people feel comfortable creating objects d’art from being very casual.” eroded items such as a footed bathtub overlooking the outdoor bar and a Cinderellastyle carriage situated on the rooftop, each blooming with brightly colored flowers. Framed by ornate fencing, the 2,500-square-foot exterior boasts wood salvaged from an old barn and offers antique wood bistro tables for dining and conversation, as well as the hopscotch space made with mosaic tiles. An 8-foot-tall archangel statue atop the fireplace provides a stunning centerpiece, while a small outdoor bar emulates an aging greenhouse. Tucked in back of the garden is a secret smoking area complete with games—including an oversized Jenga—and the seesaw, as well as custom art installations. The feel and look of Park on Fremont is completely unique, and quite strikingly different from that of the ownership group’s first endeavor at Commonwealth, located just across the street. [ED NOTE: To read our profile of Commonwealth, revisit the January 2013 issue of Bar Business Magazine here: http://issuu.com/barbusinessmagazine/docs/jan_2013_ bar_business_magazine/53]. However, Warner and her co-conspirators created Commonwealth knowing fully well that they hoped to bring Park to life as well; and while it was a challenge to develop two distinct venues stemming from the same collective mind, they also worked on both knowing that the two bars could play well off of each other to create a bar-hopping environment in a city that is sorely lacking such a scene. “In our minds, Commonwealth was never going to be a oneand-only project,” explains Warner, who along with Doherty and Weniger worked with local businessman Michael Parks and founder of Insomniac Events, Pasquale Rotella, to bring April 2013 Bar Business Magazine
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Park to life. “We had been thinking about a secondary space. Commonwealth has a little bit of luxury to it, and it has a good balance—it can be casual, but it also has a little bit of special occasion to it. Whereas with Park, we wanted it to be like Saturday afternoon brunch in your shorts where you can feel comfortable being casual. We also wanted to bring a lot of fun to Park, with the taxidermy and the picture of a woman in a meat dress outside of the kitchen and everything else. We wanted to make sure it was one of those places you could go five or six times and still be saying, ‘Oh my gosh, I never saw that.’ In Commonwealth people like to take pictures of the artwork; at Park you’re constantly chuckling to yourself and thinking, ‘These people have really lost their minds.’”
“We are really proud of the bar program at Park,” which includes 100 beers.
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The potential interplay between Park and Commonwealth is something that excites Warner, as she imagines the Vegas locals who frequent the Fremont area bouncing back and forth between the two venues. (“Myself, I don’t usually like to spend four or five hours at one venue for a whole evening,” she says.) The fact that Park offers a very inventive food menu (while Commonwealth does not serve food) would seem to make it a natural starting point for a casual bite to eat and a few drinks before perhaps visiting Commonwealth— and its craft cocktail speakeasy The Laundry Room—for some serious imbibing. Kitschy design details like a “It creates a really nice tiled hopscotch floor and old dynamic, to walk back and fashioned dinner plates on forth and not feel like you’re only going to one venue,” says the wall give Park a unique Warner. “Our hope is that feel and create buzz.
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people extend their night between the two. Now you have this cool bar-hopping atmosphere, and the bars are different enough that people would want to do that. That was important. We felt if they were too similar, you wouldn’t want to bother visiting both. Why would you go to two places that are basically alike?” Park on Fremont offers a flavorful menu that includes Hammered Chicken made with red onion, arugula, tomato, Parmigiano-Reggiano and balsamic vinegar; Grilled Cheese served on brioche with American cheese or Brie with Serrano ham; and Stuffed Burgers filled with smoked cheddar and bacon or Gorgonzola cheese and sautéed mushrooms. According to Warner, the two most popular items, however, are the Captain Crunch and Wild Turkey Chicken & Waffle Sandwich and the Philly Mac & Cheesesteak (both pictured to the right). “The menu also doesn’t take itself too seriously,” she says. “It’s not trying to be something it’s not. We’re a bar with food, not a restaurant.” The drink menu offers 100 different beer selections from around the world, including St. Cloud, Fosters and Moose Drool in cans, plus an array of bottled beers and Innis & Gunn, Delirium Tremens, and Well Banana Bread Beer on tap. Numerous craft beers are also available on tap with selections from Pyramid Breweries, Dogfish Head and Stone Brewing Company. Park also offers distinctive gin and vodka selections, as well as specialty Bloody Marys and Boiler Makers, all served “We’re a bar with food, not in mismatched glassware. a restaurant,” says Warner. At the end of the day, Park on Fremont, along “I tell everybody it’s really with neighboring great drunk bar food.”
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Commonwealth, offers something to the Vegas nightlife game that Warner and her partners felt had been missing for too long, and they are very enthused about delivering it. “We decided as friends to put together a couple of bars that we’d like to go to, and we think that’s been absent from the scene in Las Vegas—at least downtown—so that’s what we’ve come up with in Park and Commonwealth,” says Warner. “We’ve really tried to capture something unique in both venues that’s missing not just from the Strip but from Vegas in general. And our goal is to remain a local spot. I think it’s important for Vegas to have that. People here are tired of always going to the Strip to hang out. I tell people we built a place we would want to drink in, and I think people here are looking for that.” And now they’ve found it.
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Inventory Mount Gay Launches Black Barrel
Riazul Launches La Pitaya Tequila
Mount Gay Rum, known as the “Rum that invented Rum,” has announced the launch of Mount Gay Black Barrel in the U.S. market, a new marque proudly released in celebration of the brand’s 310th anniversary. With select availability nationwide beginning in April, Black Barrel reinforces the brand’s craft, refinement, and unparalleled excellence since 1703. Mount Gay Black Barrel boasts double pot distillation and maturing in bourbon oak barrels which are combined with the harmonious blending orchestrated by the Master Blender to create an outstanding rum. Black Barrel has a higher proportion of double distillates and, after hand selection by Master Blender Allen Smith, Black Barrel is the only marque finished in charred bourbon oak barrels. The result is a bold tasting rum with notes of pepper, spice and wood that provide remarkable body and fullness. On the nose, Black Barrel is a blend of fruit, oaky vanilla, and sweet caramel. For more information visit www. mountgay.com and www.facebook.com/mountgayrum.
“Silky, smooth, sweet” are not terms commonly used to describe tequila, but Riazul Premium Tequila has quickly gained a reputation for appealing to spirits snobs and novices alike by way of its distinctive fructose-forward flavor profile. The Riazul estate has created a new line extension, La Pitaya, which brings its tequila to an accessible price point without sacrificing quality of raw materials or production. Made from 100% mature blue agave, La Pitaya (“prickly pear”), is named for the tequila’s estate ranch in the highlands of Jalisco, Mexico. The region is defined by its high elevation, cool climate, and red volcanic soil, or “tierra roja,” rich in mineral content. During the winter season, the agave fields are exposed to warm days and icy nights. This drastic temperature variation results in proper plant maturation and synthesis of concentrated sugars that provide the foundation of quality and individuality that is unique to the estate. La Pitaya is bottled directly following distillation and represents the most traditional form of tequila. Because it is not aged or enhanced by barreling, it is the ideal choice of tequila purists who seek the unmasked agave character and the influences of the land of origin. For more info, visit www.tequilalapitaya.com.
Limited Edition Chivas 18-Year-Old Arrives
A Presidential Bourbon
Chivas Regal and Pininfarina, two of the world’s leading brands known for quality and craftsmanship, have come together for the first time to create Chivas 18 by Pininfarina. The aerodynamic, limited edition design, “The Drop,” is inspired by air and liquid, uniting both houses in their ongoing quest for beauty, harmony and, ultimately, pleasure. “The Drop” is available in three editions in the U.S. beginning April 2013, including a highly exclusive custom-made sculpture for $100,000. Both Chivas and Pininfarina share a rich heritage in crafting rewarding and stimulating experiences in luxury. Pininfarina has been a crusader in Italian design and engineering since 1930, while Chivas Regal is the original luxury whisky blend with a distinctive style and heritage stemming from more than two centuries of history. Chivas Regal 18 Year Old is a luxurious blend of whiskies, hand-picked for their exceptional richness, including more than 20 of Scotland’s rarest single malts, aged for a minimum of 18 years. To learn more, visit www.chivas.com
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Castle Brands is proud to introduce Jefferson’s Presidential Select 21 Year Old Straight Bourbon Whiskey, the latest addition to its line of “Ridiculously Small Batch” whiskies and the Presidential Suite (Jefferson’s Bourbon, Jefferson’s Reserve, Jefferson’s Presidential Select and Jefferson’s Rye). Jefferson’s Presidential Select 21-Year-Old Straight Bourbon Whiskey is aged in new oak barrels for 21 to 24 years and bottled at 94 proof (47% ABV). Inspired by its namesake Founding Father, this mature, complex and exceptionally full-bodiedaged Bourbon will be released nationally on April 1, 2013. Jefferson’s Presidential Select 21-Year-Old Straight Bourbon Whiskey consists of 15 lots of bourbon aged from 21 to 24 years. Bourbon of this age is extremely fragile; Zoeller discovered that these stocks had aged undisturbed for many years in a cooler area of the warehouse, which added further nuance to the spirit’s flavor profile and engendered a later peak. The resulting blend is a uniquely robust and extremely flavorful bourbon with deep, concentrated notes of vanilla, toffee and leather that finishes extraordinarily smoothly. To learn more about the Jefferson’s line of spirits, visit www.jeffersonsbourbon.com.
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Tequila Avión™ Launches Avión Espresso
SKYY Infusions Launches Wild Strawberry Infused Vodka
Tequila Avión® is excited to announce the launch of Avión Espresso Liqueur, which is rolling out in the USA nationwide this month. Avión Espresso combines Avión Silver Tequila, voted World’s Best Tasting Tequila at the 2012 San Francisco World Spirits Competition, with fine Italian espresso, creating an ultra-premium, ultra-smooth espresso liqueur unlike anything on the market. Catering to consumers’ rapidly growing love for espresso, Avión Espresso provides a lively way to elevate the entertaining, dining and nightlife experience. Currently, millions of Americans drink espresso-based specialty coffee beverages daily1, indicating that espresso is quickly becoming the sophisticated beverage of choice. Avión Espresso has a touch of sweetness and a clean dry finish. It is 70 proof and is available in 750ml bottles (SRP - $24.99) and, coming shortly, 375ml bottles (SRP - $13.99). For further information on Tequila Avión, please visit TequilaAvión.com or www.facebook.com/TequilaAvión or on Twitter @TequilaAvion.
Expanding its pioneering, award-winning line of infused vodkas made with natural ingredients, SKYY® Vodka introduces new SKYY Infusions® Wild Strawberry, a sophisticated, first-of-its-kind vodka experience made with real, sweet wild strawberries. Launching just in time for Valentine’s Day, Wild Strawberry joins the brand’s existing line of innovative, premium flavors, which includes Coconut, Dragon Fruit, Blood Orange, Pineapple, Ginger, Cherry, Grape, Citrus, Raspberry and Passion Fruit. Smaller and sweeter than their grocery-aisle cousin, wild strawberries are a favorite of farmer’s markets across the country, delivering a stronger flavor and a more aromatic bouquet than garden variety strawberries. Featuring a well-balanced celebration of ripe berries, hints of tropical vanilla, and finishing with the roundness of white chocolate, SKYY Infusions Wild Strawberry perfectly pairs with a box of sweets. For more information, visit www.facebook. com/SKYYVodka or Twitter: @SKYYVodka.
Get in the Ears Zone
Have You Stripped a Straw Today?
TV Ears Zone is a phone app that provides bar and club owners with new revenue opportunities and increased customer satisfaction, by enabling customers to hear TV audio through their mobile phones or tablets. A TV Zone server connects to TVs, STBs and DVD players allowing customers to select and listen to programming such as sports, news and music videos on a mobile device. With TV Ears Zone, patrons are more engaged and their customer experience is enhanced. TV Ears Zone helps bar and club owners build loyalty from customers who will keep coming back to watch--and hear-their favorite sporting events. It helps generate more revenue – the longer they stay, the more they will drink and eat. It provides promotional opportunities around big events, such as March Madness, the World Series and the Olympics, to attract new customers. And, it gives a bar an advantage over the competition in its community. For more information, visit www.tvearszone.com
Do you have long lines of customers waiting for drinks, and a service bar backlogged with cocktail orders—many of which require a freshly opened drinking straw before being served? The Straw Stripper, a safe, efficient and sanitary method of providing a drinking straw and maximizing customer service, quickly strips the bottom portion of paper away from a drinking straw, leaving the paper-tipped end ready to be placed into a beverage. Customizable, easy and efficient, the Straw Stripper will revolutionize your beverage service. To meet your specific needs, the Straw Stripper can be mounted in various ways and its polypropylene exterior can also be customized to match your venue colors and logo. After manually inserting the straw into the opening and quickly removing it, the Straw Stripper removes the bottom portion of the paper in seconds and you are ready to provide excellent service to your customers. The slender canister stores the paper waste and is easily cleaned and maintained, while the attachable caddy system holds up to 300 straws for instant access. For more information, visit www. strawstripper.com.
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April 2013 Bar Business Magazine
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index of advertisers
Company
web site address
page #
Barzz.net
www.barzz.net
17
Cabaret Design Group
www.cabaretdesigners.com
28
Lefty O'Douls World Famous Mixers
www.BestBloodyMarys.com
29
Manhattan Cocktail Classic
www.manhattancocktailclassic.com
21
McCormick Distilling Co Inc.
www.Vodka360.com
3
McCormick Distilling Co Inc.
www.TarantulaTequila.com
C4
Modern Line Furniture
www.modernlinefurniture.com
C2
Moving Targets
www.MovingTargets.com
25
Pernod Ricard-ABSOLUT
www.pernod-ricard-usa.com
9
Shiftgig.com
www.shiftgig.com
24
TouchTunes
www.touchtunes.com
5
Vacation Adventures
www.vacationadventures.biz
20
Western Spirits
www.20GrandVodka.com
16
inventory Companies Chivas regal
www.chivas.com
Jefferson presidential bourbon
www.jeffersonbourbon.com
La pitaya tequila
www.tequilalapitaya.com
mount gay rum
www.mountgay.com
sKyy Vodka
www.facebook.com/skyyvodka
straw stripper
www.strawstripper.com
tequila avi贸n
www.tequilaavion.com
tV ears Zone
www.tvearszone.com
To advertise in Bar Business Magazine contact, Art Sutley, Ph: 212-620-7247, e-mail: asutley@sbpub.com
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Bar Business Magazine April 2013
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Holiday Happenings
May 2013
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May 4: Star Wars Day. This day always falls on May 4th because nerds want to be able to say, “May the Fourth be with you.” True story. Let’s really rile up these Star Wars geeks by offering a free drink to anyone who comes to your bar tonight dressed in a Star Trek costume. Captain Kirk could take Luke Skywalker any day of the week.
May 11: International Migratory Bird Day. Let your customers know that they can honor this glorious bird-themed holiday if they buy a drink, take a sip—and swallow.
May 12: Fatigue Syndrome Day. Some people experience chronic fatigue from worrying, or due to problems in life. What’s the best way to forget those things? Booze. In other words, bars are the cure for fatigue syndrome. Run with it.
May 13: Leprechaun Day. Why isn’t this holiday on March 17th? I don’t get it.
18 May 18: Visit Your Relatives Day. If you customers are prepared to celebrate this holiday in earnest, make sure they are properly prepared by fortifying them with heavy amounts of alcohol. They’re gonna need it.
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20 May 20: Be a Millionaire Day. Encourage your patrons to honor this extravagant holiday by spending like a millionaire in the bar tonight to act the part. Just don’t stock up on Ace of Spades in anticipation of people actually participating.
23 May 23: Lucky Penny Day. Celebrate this holiday by scattering some pennies throughout the bar (while they’re still being made) and give a free drink to anyone who you spot picking them up. Now THAT’s lucky!
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25 May 25: International Jazz Day. Get your customers in a jazzy moody on this day by downloading Gregory Porter’s amazing CD, Be Good to your digital jukebox and giving it a spin. Also check out Robert Glasper’s experimental groove on his Black Radio album.
May 15: Police Officer’s Memorial Day. Anyone who produces a police badge today gets a free drink. They need it, and they deserve it.
31 May 31: Save Your Hearing Day. Remove all Justin Bieber music from your jukebox.
April 2013 Bar Business Magazine
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Owning Up
The anatomy of a sale The Pitz Stop is an independent sports bar located in Queens, New York that has seen 20 years come and go. But this year, the brothers who own this local’s haven are actively selling it, and co-owner Dean Pitz gave us an exclusive inside look into the topsy-turvy experience of parting ways with a bar business that has been a part of his life for more than two decades. By Chris Ytuarte
BB: After 20 years, what factors lead to the decision to sell The Pitz Stop? PITZ: For one, I’m getting old! Twenty years ago—even ten years ago—there was nothing better than having my own bar to hang out in every night and have some drinks with my friends. These days, I’m more likely to stop in for a quick beer on a Sunday afternoon than party til 4am on a Friday night. Besides, most of my friends and people my age wouldn’t be there at 4am anyway. And with lesser enjoyment of the social scene comes lesser patience for the work required to keep it going and to keep the place running. I’m not as driven to do it everyday as I was back then, even though I still need to be. So I talked to my brothers, they felt the same way, and we decided it was time to make a move.
BB: But 20 years—that’s longer than most marriages last, and this place has been a huge part of your life for that whole period. What do you think the adjustment will be like for you? PITZ: Yeah, it’s been like a marriage—ups and downs, loud fights, happy moments, big wins, hard losses—mostly the Jets and Mets—and yet we always ended up back here. Our “children,” most of whom had their 21st birthday parties here, are all grown up and in their late 30s and 40s, and have kids of their own. And maybe those kids, in another 20 years, will be back here drinking like their parents did and having a great time, and I really hope they are. But I don’t think I can hold down the fort for another two decades and wait for them. That’ll be up to the new owners. And that’s not to say I won’t miss the place and the people—I definitely will. It’s been a wild 20 years, and we’ve pretty much seen it all in here. So it’s not easy to leave it behind, but it’s just time, you know? And I’m just glad that everyone who was a part of it over all those years can still come around and see it through. 48
Bar Business Magazine April 2013
BB: Once you and your brothers made the decision to sell, what’s involved with the logistics of getting things prepared, marketing the sale, etc.? PITZ: Well, we keep good records, and our model and process is pretty simplified in terms of what we carry, how much we sell per month, and so on. It’s very clean. We don’t sell draught beer, only bottles, so even something like that makes for a very clear picture of sales volume when you see every bottle that comes in and goes out and gets rung up. So knowing we were in good shape to easily present the numbers to interested buyers, we jumped right on Craigslist and posted the sale, and we had interest almost immediately, and continue to see interest. BB: Things can obviously get complicated pretty quick when selling a bar. How is the process going? PITZ: Right off the bat, we’re in a good position because we own the building and we’re just selling the business, not the property, so we’ll be renting the space to them. Essentially we’re selling them the name and the built-in customer base and whatever’s left of our inventory, but most importantly we’re selling them the liquor license. We all know how hard those can be to come by these days, especially in New York City. The only roadblock there can be if a buyer doesn’t get cleared by the city to take over the license—felonies in their background, liens, etc. But there’s nothing we can do about that. It’s out of our control at that point. We can just hope to negotiate the best deal we can get and hope they make it through that part of the process. And if they don’t, we start over. But so far we’re seeing interest from people who seem on the level, who have experience in the industry—which also makes the sale process go much smoother. They understand the value of a reliable local bar, which is what we’ve been for 20 years, and the details and nuances don’t have to be overly explained and laid out. They get it. So we’re still in the midst of it, and nothing is finalized yet, but we’ll see what happens. BB: What are you going to miss the most about owning your own bar? PITZ: The free drinks! But probably more so, I’m going to miss all the drinks I bought for my buddies. It was a great ride.
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