Over at ManageYourBar.com today I spoke about a recent experience I had in a bar where I calculated the bar was losing $200/hr through theft. This wasn’t a flash in the pan, most bars have a level of theft, but the difference between profit and loss can be how you manage loss and what your threshold is for allowing it to happen at all.

What’s your threshold? The most profitable bars follow three simple steps to maintain their profits

I recommend you head over and get the 3 steps here

A friend of mine Chris Lenahan is no strange to opening bars. He’s got quite a few under his belt at this stage. He’s also the man behind many of the big bars in Las Vegas.

What’s so great about Chris is that he shares what he does so openly and for his latest venture. a dueling piano bar, he has videod every step of the planning process, pre-opening and opening of the bar. This is really informative stiff and great for anyone thinking of getting into the bar business.

All of his updates and videos can be found on our Discussion Forum Here

Unfortunately, being in the bar business puts you at a greater risk of robbery than virtually any other profession and that means that you need to be prepared and ready (if that’s ever possible) should the unthinkable occur. Your first priority will obviously be to protect yourself and your staff and there a number of steps you can take to make sure that no one is harmed and the chances of the perpetrator being caught increase.

Here are the top ten things to do in the event of a robbery:

1. Try to Remain Calm – This could be the hardest thing to do, but bear in mind that the robber themselves will be equally nervous and jumpy, you want to avoid any sudden movements or gestures, especially if they are armed.

2. Follow Their Instructions – Do not try to resist what is being asked of you. The goal is to let the robber get away with what ever cash or stock they need without harming anyone, so follow their instructions. This is not the time to be heroic.

3. Be Cautious Activating the Alarm – if your bar is fitted with an alarm or panic button, only activate it if you can do so secretly. If you are doubtful that this can be done safely, don’t do it.

4. Communicate Your Movements – If you do have to make any movements or gestures during the robbery, tell the robber of your intentions. Don’t give them any reason to think you might be resisting or retaliating.

5. Observe Carefully – If you can, get a look at the robber’s face, make a mental note of their clothing, scars, tattoos, or anything else that might stand out and be of use to the police later on. Maybe you get a chance to see their vehicle. If so, write every detail down as soon as it is safe to do so.

6. Give Them Time To Leave – Give the robber time to leave before taking the next steps to alert the owner/police of the robbery.

7. Lock The Door and See All Staff Are Safe – Once you have done this, call 999 and give them all available information including the direction you believe the robbers went in. Alert the owner of the robbery.

8. Preserve the Crime Scene – Your bar is now part of a crime scene and nothing should be touched until the police have said it is okay to continue on with the day’s business. Vital clues may have been left behind and you don’t want to destroy these in your efforts to get back to normal.

9. Ask Witnesses To Remain – If the robbery occurred during business hours, there may be customers on the scene whose first instinct afterwards will be to get as far away as possible! It is important to keep all witnesses on the scene until the police have taken their statements and don’t discuss the robbery with anyone until these statements have been taken.

10. Close the Business – Close the business immediately afterwards until the police say it is okay to reopen. This is important so that the crime isn’t contaminated by additional people plus you and your staff are going to need a breather after all that stress.

Review the above points carefully and I recommend you print them out and run over them with your staff today.

Many bar owners steer away from offering more than a handful of quarter bottles of wine or the occasional wine by the glass due to lack of knowledge or experience with this drink of the Gods. However, ignoring the opportunities that wine offers your business means you could be turning away business without even knowing it.

One way to increase your customer numbers midweek or during the slow season is to host a wine tasting event. Now I know what most of you are saying: “We don’t know enough about wine to host a wine tasting”, or “I wouldn’t know where to begin…”!

But before you knock this idea on it’s head, consider the following:

1. A Wine Tasting Event allows you to create awareness in the community of your wine list and drinks menu. You may end up introducing new customers to menu items they never knew about before.

2. It allows you the opportunity to fill the bar with thirsty wine enthusiasts on nights where you would otherwise be quiet. Tuesdays or Wednesdays might suit to hold an event like this.

3. It positions you as an expert in the wine field and builds trust in you and your bar. If customers get a lot of value, the laws of reciprocity dictate that they will want to give something back, perhaps that means they’ll come back and spend more money or feel obliged to tell their friends about the bar. In any case, value never goes unnoticed.

4. It rewards existing customers with “something for nothing”. Don’t forget ablout the regulars who put money in your pocket every other night of the week. Get their “buy-in” too and they’ll appreciate feeling involved.

5. It can create a following of new customers keen to return again and again. What have you got to lose?

6. It can be sponsored by your wine suppliers and thus end up costing you nothing. New vendors trying to get your business will happily step up to the plate for this one. For the cost of a few bottles of wine, they might have your business for years!

With these benefits in mind, we have created the ultimate booklet to guide you through every step of the process from planning to execution and this is available in our Bar Owner’s Community and includes the following sections:

Introduction — Wine Tasting.
About Wine.
Different Types of Wine.
Production.
Uses of Wine.
Glassware.
About Wine Tasting and the Different Ways.
How to Taste Wine.
How to Host a Wine Tasting Event.
How to Serve Wine.
Conclusion.

By the end of this instantly downloadable ebooklet, you will be able to confidently host a successful wine tasting event and maybe even turn this opportunity into something that becomes a regular event for new and existing customers.

Click Here To Download

Cheers!

I was recently asked my advice by the owner of  a small town center pub in Yorkshire, England (at http://www.thebarblogger.com/askbarry) about what to do to increase footfall in the premises despite the presence of a large chain pub on the same street that had dropped their prices considerably.

Here are the strategies I gave him: