bar in need of help

R

RabHab

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Hi Folks,

i own a small bar in a decent size town but am finding it hard to compete with the bigger players. my biggest problem is getting customers up early to create an atmosphere. i get alot of people takin a look but leaving due to the lack of bodies. does anyone know of any incentives to attract people in early?
 
RabHab said:
Hi Folks,

i own a small bar in a decent size town but am finding it hard to compete with the bigger players. my biggest problem is getting customers up early to create an atmosphere. i get alot of people takin a look but leaving due to the lack of bodies. does anyone know of any incentives to attract people in early?
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Do you have enough space to host a table quiz night? Have you facilities for some live music/DJ? Do you provide any food or light snacks any night of the week or when you are hosting events? Is it possible for you to host/sponsor any kind of competitions on your premises? What promotions do you have, if any?
 
Hi there

what about a happy hour - pints 1/2 price from 8-9 (extreme i know). or live music on a saturday night. bingo nights every wed nights. try a pub quiz for charity. change your back ground music also... dim the lights and turn up the music a bit maybe??? CANDLES everywhere. I dont know what your village likes etc. just suggestions... what about OAP`s getting their pints at a reduced rate?

I know your probably thinking Jezz yer one is into cutting profits big time but in order to get your locals in it might be the trick and after a few weeks start hiking back up your prices to the norm again?
 
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thanks for all the suggestions guys. we do have a very successful music scene in the bar. but im afraid that we are almost at the point of needing live music to draw a crowd. on nights when we have no live music we try to create a nice atmosphere with dimmed lights candles good music, free bowls of peanuts etc. we also have the best cocktail list in town. people just dont seem to appreciate it and stay stuck in there usual weekend habbits!
 
im not a 100% on the law around happy hour. but i think if you are selling drink at a cheaper price it has to be for the full day and not for a certain lenght of time. i.e an hour
 
I don't frequent bars much myself but they are all facing your problems in what is a competetive market. A lot of bars are running different promotions etc to pull punters, amongst those that I've seen advertised are: "all pints and white spirits €3 after...", themed nights, to cater for the different nationalities here now, live music, pub quiz, charity fundraisers, poker (not sure how this works), snacks and nibbles, karaoke, fancy dress/ themed nights, catering for parties and functions. Even pubs that don't have catering facilities are now sub-contracting this out...food is where it's at. I'm working on a proposal for a publican at the moment requiring a new kitchen.
 
Sponsor a local soccer team (or some team) if they haven't got pub sponsorship already. It would make them more inclined to drink at your place.
 
If you don't have a kitchen or want to get in to the food game in a major way, what about giving bite-size food away for free? For example, you could have bowls of popcorn available... crisps... hand out cocktail sausages... sandwiches...??

You could give away food in proportion to the clients on the premises at the time, so it shouldn't too much. I was in a little pub for the rugby a couple of weeks ago and the free cocktail sausages kept me from leaving to go home for my dinner!!
 
I agree with BobTG. For the outlay I would have to say that giving away free snacks is about as a good a return on your time and money as you could get. Target the time you want people to come in and give the snaks free for then.
 
The people coming in 'to take a look' are more than likely the ones who don't have loyalty to a particular local so these are your potential customers. Look at the type of people coming in and market your bar accordingly ie if they're young then go with the music, older then go with the card nights etc.

I know you're potentially limiting your market by doing this but until you establish the business, its better to have a certain 'type' of customer than none at all.

Sectioning off parts of the bar if at all possible may get a more varied crowd in ie a snooker table in one area, live music in another, a lounge area where ppl who prefer a chat can sit etc

Is there a passing trade for lunches etc?

Is the temperature in the pub ok? If its too cold (particularly with few customers) this may cause people to leave. Are the bathrooms clean (if not this may put off customers).

The suggestion of sponsoring a local team is a great one and one that works well.

A good smoking area (with heaters/seats) may get the smokers in and a beer garden coming up to the summer may help.
 
Another pub I know has been quite innovative: they got a comedy club up and running and are used as a meeting point for a few clubs in the area, it's all about making your premises a focus for more than just the few pints, staring at the telly....
 
Have to say a local in the town where i live used to be dead every night as there are a lot of other pubs in the town (as with any other town in Ireland!!). But they sectioned off part of the pub about 3 months ago and added in 2 pool tables. Now you can't get into the place with all the 20 somethings having pool tournaments every weekend (and before the pool tables, the youngest person in the bar would have been probably mid-70's - no joke!!). They also have karoke night every once in a while and it drags the crowds in big time. It went from being one of the quietest pubs in the town to one of the busiest.
 
A pub I know in a small town ws going slow a while back. The owner now runs a night once a month where theme(?) bands are booked to play. YKWIM, Johnny Cash lookalikes, Billy Connolly take-offs, ABBA-type, U2-type. It goes very well and he has built up a customer base from it. To start food would be expensive outlay: H adn S have strict requirements re kitchens etc. Also, one pub in this region was charged for selling drink under cost price so be careful there. Personally, I think pool tables bring in a rougher/younger clientele so policing of place might be difficult.
 
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hi
try having a line dancing evening. its great fun for both men and woman and its guaranteed to bring the crowds trust me. i teach it
 
hi
try having a line dancing evening once a week, its great fun for both men and women and its guaranteed to bring the crowd. trust me i teach it
 
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