Right Bar, Wrong Place
We are at part 3 of our 5 part series on our Top Five Tips For Running A Successful Bar. As a friendly reminder, this series is more geared towards restaurant owners and bar managers, and people in the industry. For more 'home-bar' content, check out some of our other posts. This week we are talking about knowing your audience/clientele/customers.
The Chris Pine Of Bars.
I'm a firm believer that if Chris Pine had come around 15 years earlier, he'd be one of the biggest movie stars in the world, right up there with Tom Cruise. However, Chris (we are on a first-name basis) had the misfortune of making it in Hollywood right at the moment in time when big box office movie stars became a dying breed. I mean for god's sake, the guy played James Kirk TWICE, he's Quentin Tarantino's favorite young actor, and he doesn't mind showing off his pee-pee. WHAT ELSE DO YOU PEOPLE WANT!?
"Ok, Sam, we get your point. What does this have to do with my bar?"
The larger point here is, don't be the Chris Pine of bars. Just because you are serving the most groundbreaking cocktails and have phenomenal barkeeps, doesn't mean you will have a successful establishment. You need to know the guests and what they are looking for in their neighborhood bar. I wouldn't start a molecular mixology bar in Henderson, Nevada.
Who's Coming To Your Bar?
One of the most important things you can do is figure out who's coming to your bar. Who is your clientele and what do they like to drink? To a certain extend, you need to cater to your guests. It's very easy to overwhelm people with all the different liquors, liqueurs, and techniques available these days. If your guests feel overwhelmed by the cocktail menu, they will most likely just resort to what they already know. Martinis, Margheritas, etc.
Slow and Steady.
Believe it or not, there's still a lot of people that will look at you funny when they see you cracking an eggwhite into a whiskey sour. (That's so 2013) You might be tempted to put the latest and greatest imbibe trends on your drink menu, but if you don't draw the savviest bar crowd, you need to learn how to pace yourself. Start by doing riffs on cocktails everyone knows, or put a few classic cocktails next to some new-age drinks.
Just the other day I had a customer wanting an alternative to the Margherita she always drinks. She had her mind blown when I introduced her to the 'Paloma'. For those of us that live and breathe cocktail culture, it can be easy to forget that the rest of the country isn't moving at the same pace.
Humble and Kind.
As a bartender, it can be frustrating when you can't show off all that you know. Especially when bars in certain areas can get away with doing clarified milk punches and spherified rum balls. It's important to remember that coming up with drink recipes is just one part of the job. Arguably, it's more important to (and difficult) to listen to each individual customer and figure out what they and how you can expand their specific palate when it comes to cocktails. As Tim McGraw once said, stay humble and kind.
Cheers,
-Sam
Twist & Bitters
PS. If you need help with your restaurant, we would love to help you. We are incredibly passionate about imbibe culture and can help you with anything from re-doing your menus, to training your bartenders. If we can help you, please email us - [email protected]