[quote]bwbski wrote:
How old are you? Use facebook. [/quote]
25, I have my girlfriend revamping the facebook page and actually putting it to use.
[quote]MementoMori wrote:
Renovations are overrated. Make it look liveable but don’t blow your load on it. Depending on your crowd.
Speaking of which what is your crowd? You said you wanted to get rid of your old guys but who will be the new? Students? Is this a predrink bar? Do you want it to be busy at 8 pm or 1 am? You probably wont get both.
As far as your “celebrity tending”. It’s a good idea but doesn’t work to excess. What you could do is pick 1 night that is YOURS. Say no one in your area has a good Tuesday crowd, pick one drink, make it dirt cheap, (then make the rest of the rail cheapish as well) get the best bartenders in the area that want to pick up another shift and get them to work that night. (NO ONE will bring you more people than your bartenders. Advertising, postering, facebook etc= bull shit).[/quote]
This is one of our biggest problems. The current bartenders don’t bring anyone in at all. They’ve all been there for so long it almost feels like they just gave up on trying to make a crowd. We’re speaking with them and going over the new agenda with them so if they don’t at least start trying again we’ll have to get some new bartenders in there.
[quote]Then you could pick another night say Sundays and make them an Industry Night. Get a few bartenders from different bars to guest-tend and reward them with more shifts based on how many people they bring in.
Cover may seem like a bad idea when you’re dead but it is actually counter intuitive. If you charge a cover you can reward regulars, friends of the bartenders and people who show up early. You charge 3 dollars and make a guestlist before midnight. It lets you keep track of who your staff is bringing in and gets the crowd there early, rather than showing up for last call. Of course I only recommend that on high traffic nights, like the weekend.
Personally I’d say fuck smoking, Ontario bars survive without it.
And get a DJ for saturday night. IF you can afford it get a band and a DJ. Live band till midnight then DJ for the rest of the night. One very successful bar does that in Ottawa.
To save money on that idea you could make it an Open Mike Night, with unlimited guestlist for every band.
So Coles Notes
People will go to an ugly bar if its busy
Pick your clientele
Bartenders are your money maker
Pick a night and own it
Charge cover as a way to reward the loyal.
DJ
Open Mike
[/quote]
Thanks for the post.