We're getting more and more requests for ideas on how to increase business in these difficult times. One thing is for certain: The game has changed and it's time to start thinking differently about how to grow your business. After all, doing the same thing over and over again without signs of growth is not going to keep you in business very long. These 10 Low Cost Ideas will help you get the ball rolling.
Become a Bartender Night
Make the most of the quiet nights by offering bartending classes. More suited to city centre locations and areas of higher populations, running a bartending class could include showing students how to pour a pint, how to make certain cocktails, learn a little about serving wine etc. You could charge a small fee to cover the costs of all the drinks and the chances are that your class will stay afterwards to enjoy a few more at full price! This is an ideal offering in a tourist area where you can show tourists how to pour a pint of Guinness.
Free Menu Tasting
Advertise a free menu tasting when introducing a new menu (or simply when you re-introduce your current menu). Have taster size portions of your menu available on trays around the bar for a few hours and mingle with the customers getting feedback about the food while your bartenders keep the drinks flowing. Your regular customers will love it and youll introduce some new customers to your menu and bar, all for the cost of a few trays of food thats already in your fridge.
Beer Tasting
Most of your beer drinking customers will be accustomed to their regular pint and wont chance a different variety very often. Make it easy for them to broaden their horizons by hosting a beer tasting event. Include regional and microbrew varieties, especially those served by the bottle which will normally have a higher margin than your draught products. You might find that some of your customers will switch their allegiances to other varieties after the event and you will also have had the chance to bring new customers into the bar with this promotion.
Television Nights
Make the most of midweek by identifying a popular television show and making an event around it. Bring in popcorn (salty foods make people thirsty), arrange the chairs like a living room around the tv, offer table service so the customers dont have to leave their chair and make sure everyone can hear and see the television. Your bar could quickly become the place to go to see favourite tv shows.
Charity Events
Offer your bar up for a fundraiser or any event your local charity would like to host and throw in a few free trays of food and tea and coffee. Ask that your bar details be included on all of the charities literature so that you can benefit from the cross promotion. Choose the charity carefully so that you dont end up hosting an underage childrens event in a bar at night. The bigger the charity, the more members likely to turn up and buy from the bar
Reeling in the Years Nights
Bar Owners in Cork have joined forces to create and run www.decadesfestivalcork.ie which means that on different nights during the festival, all pubs will have a theme for a past decade such as the 50s or 60s. On those nights all bar staff will dress in the attire of the era, music from that era will be played, the bars will be suitable decorated according to the decade. Bars outside of Cork could replicate this idea easily in their bar and encourage customers to get involved.
Running an off the wall sports tournament
Consider hiring a foozball table or air hockey table for a week and run a tournament for your customers. Ask your suppliers to donate a prize or two. Run the tournament midweek with the final at the weekend. The more unusual the better!
Beverage Familiarisation Week
Team up with suppliers to run events around their particular line of drinks. For a certain week, create cocktail specials, menu items using the beverage, tasting events and giveaways to get more people through the door. Most suppliers will be happy to provide the beverages to cover the promotion as long as you come up with a unique enough set of promotions and ideas to promote their drinks.
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Day 7 - Roadmap to Profits - Sealing the Deal & Achieving Business Excellencveby manageyourbar267 views
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