How To
How To: bar set up
Setting Up for Success Proper planning can reduce problems.
P
erhaps you’re interested in creating a unique craft beverage establishment that you can call your very own. Or maybe you would like to inject a new concept into the bar business in your community. Whatever the reason, learning about the best ways to establish a bar is paramount to establishing an entity’s brand, engaging customers, and improving the business’ bottom line.
Pro Tip Make sure you understand the placement of equipment and how that impacts the efficiency and experience of the establishment.
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Bar Business Magazine
Full Speed Ahead There are probably few things in life that are as exciting—or as nerveracking—as starting a business. According to Chris Adams, Principal of Ellis Adams Group, when establishing a new bar business it’s important for business owners to always know who their target customer is, as this will help determine the type of beverage program they will establish. “Knowing that information allows you to design and setup for exactly who you are going after,” says Adams. In fact, defining the bar’s concept and incorporating that concept into every detail is vital to its overall success as it helps establish the bar’s brand identity to potential guests. A brand is everything from how your phone is answered to the quality of your customer service to the distinctiveness of your menu boards. A strong brand is the result of good experiences, consistent messages, and positive, reinforcing images.
The easiest way to understand brand is to equate it to a company’s reputation. More specifically, a brand is all the thoughts, feelings, associations, and expectations that the customer experiences when exposed to a company’s name, products, buildings, signs, and employees. Therefore, a bar’s brand includes all visual and verbal elements that are combined to communicate the company’s niche, product offerings, and overall service. Unfortunately, too many bar owners have a limited view of branding. A simple, memorable, and professionally designed logo is step one in branding. Advertising inside the bar—via slapping the logo/theme on everything in sight— is just the beginning. Your customer greeting, the owner’s treatment of all customers and employees, and even the vehicle the owner drives is branding. Location, Location, Location The time it takes to set up a bar
September 2018 barbizmag.com
Photo: Shutterstock/ Aleksandrs Muiznieks.
By Maura Keller