Happy hour is a great way to drive traffic to your bar, but sometimes menu offerings could use a little refresh. Shake up your bar program to get in the spirit and see sales pop with these tips.
Perform a Bar Audit
Improve the flow behind your bar by removing tools and spirits that don’t get used and by updating equipment and recipes to maximize efficiency. Talk with each member of your bar staff, from the beverage director to the bar back to identify problem areas and challenges during service and work together to find solutions.
Look at the numbers so you know what cocktails sell well and which ones need to take a break, and streamline your menu based on sales so you’re focusing on the drinks that are the most popular with the biggest profit.
Train for Exceptional Service
A bartender has a big responsibility. Bartenders can create an awesome atmosphere and an unforgettable experience for guests at the bar. They’re really part server, part entertainer. Hire bartenders with great personalities and a sense of urgency to keep the bar cranking all night long. Set goals with your bar staff and offer incentives for higher sales to motivate them.
Once you’ve got the right people in place, train them to greet guests with a drink offer as soon as they’re seated and to keep those glasses full. An unattended guest will get bored and frustrated before too long, and that might lead them to head elsewhere.
Go Seasonal
You know your dining menu should feature the best seasonal ingredients available, but sometimes that doesn’t carry over to the bar, and that’s a lost opportunity. Think of your cocktail menu as another chance to showcase these peak-season ingredients. In the summer, use fresh berries, stone fruit, and even vegetables like cucumbers and tomatoes to craft exciting seasonal drinks. These seasonal cocktails will have a built-in LTO — they’ll only be around as long as the ingredients are available, and that can encourage guests to come in and give them a try while they can.
You may also want to consider investing in a frozen drink machine and offering a rotating, seasonal frozen drink. These are very on-trend right now and having a frozen drink available can cut down on the time it takes your bartenders to make a cocktail — all they have to do is pull the lever until the glass is full, and then add a festive garnish. These Instagram-worthy drinks will have guests flocking in.
Tailor Your Food to Beverage Offerings
Your bar is a fun place to be, and the food should reflect that. Create a bar food menu with fun shareable snacks — chili lime cashews and hot honey tostones — spicy, salty, snacky foods that pair well with (and make people order more) alcohol. Think about the kinds of foods you crave when you’re drinking, like cheese fries, tacos, and smash burgers. Riff on popular classics like shrimp cocktail or chips and guac to make them your own.
Reuse, Creatively
You can find new homes for leftover ingredients by looking to your cocktail menu. “Scrap cocktails” make use of the bits and pieces that prep cooks end up with. Think beet juice from beet peels, pineapple scraps to infuse rum, and tomato pulp for an extra-fresh take on a Bloody Mary. Use citrus peels and herb stems to make flavorful simple syrups.
Follow the Trends
The bar can be a great place to indulge in some trendiness. Customers will flock to the bar for special LTO cocktails and other offerings, so follow beverage influencers on Instagram for inspiration. The Espresso Martini and Dirty Shirley are two cocktails that are getting a ton of buzz right now. Mango, hibiscus, smoked drinks, and cocktails with low-ABV are also extremely popular. Make sure to let guests know that these offerings won’t be around for long to drive demand.
Take It on the Road
Takeout and delivery surged in popularity over the pandemic, and with demand for off-site food there was an interest in cocktails to-go. Tap into your existing takeout crowd and offer a selection of ready-to-go cocktails from your existing menu, packaged up in single or double servings. You can also offer cocktail kits, based on popular cocktails from your menu. Include the necessary ingredients and gift cards and pay attention to the packaging — if the packaging is engaging and high quality, these can also make great gifts for folks to buy or send to friends.
Spread the Word
None of these promos will work if folks don’t know about them. You should absolutely be sharing the news with local press (a simple, friendly email will do the trick. You don’t need a full press release.) Encourage local influencers to try your latest offerings and spread the word to their followers. And use your email newsletter and social media to get the word out. Use engaging photos and videos to paint a picture of what it’s like to saddle up to your bar, and then watch the guests start filing in!
