There’s nothing cooler than owning your own bar – which is why so many people do it! And while from a customer perspective, it’s wonderful to have so much choice, it does mean that competition is rife… so if you are going to take the proverbial plunge, you need to make sure that you’ve done your research and prep work and have a very clear business plan of how you’re going to succeed.
To help you start your new career, here are five top tips from the team here at The Art of Shaking. And if you’d like any further help or advice, get in touch with us today!
Develop a strong brand identity
You’ve really got to define what you and your bar represent, what you stand for, what your values are and who you are as a brand if you want to stand out from the crowd. If you don’t know, then how can you expect your customers to?
Once you have an understanding of this, you can tailor the bar experience so that it reflects your brand values, ideals and ambitions – and this will certainly draw the customers in. For example, check out Atlas in Singapore, which has 1,000 different gins for people to try and is decked out head to toe in classic Art Deco style.
Instead of offering everything on the menu, they’ve really zeroed in on what they’re good at and have perfected the art of gin-tasting, which is no doubt a big part of the reason why they’re consistently ranked as one of the 50 best bars in the world.
Find the right location
Even if you have the best concept for a bar ever known to man, if you don’t put it in the right location, you will never see the kind of success you’re aiming for.
The style of your bar will help you determine the best spot in town, so narrow this down and then consider where best in your local area to visit. It’s also important, however, to make sure that your target market is likely to frequent this part of town on a night out
Other factors to consider include ease of access, parking options and proximity to public transport… anything that makes it easy for people to find you.
Devise a marketing strategy
How you plan to market your bar is something you should consider early on, as you can start getting the advertising campaign rolling before the venue even opens, creating a big buzz before you’ve even poured your first drink.
Creating a website and having an online presence is a must, of course, and making use of TikTok, Instagram, Twitter and other social media sites will all help spread the word.
Content is key here and what’s great about cocktails is that they’re perfect for videos… recipes, how-tos, mixology videos – there’s a lot you can try to draw the customers in.
Looking for a bartending course online? Get in touch with The Art of Shaking to find out more.
