Running a brewery or bar can pose more challenges than you imagine. The difficulties go far beyond simply keeping patrons’ glasses full. You have to ensure that you have sufficient supplies, are selling the right drinks, planning exciting events for potential customers, and protect yourself from any liabilities.

Although running a bar and brewery can be challenging, here are a few expert tips for doing it well while having fun.

Stock Your Bar

Stocking your bar goes beyond filling your refrigerator or rear bar cooler with beer, liquor, and wine. It would be best if you kept tabs on the alcoholic beverages your clients consume and those you use more frequently than others.

This allows you to modify your orders so that you spend less on unpopular drinks while keeping your bar stocked with items that are.

Items Every Bar Should Have

There is more to stocking a brewery than just the alcohol and beer.

The following is a list of supplies you ought to keep at hand at all times:

  • Napkins
  • Glassware
  • Cocktail mixes
  • Strainers and cocktail shakers
  • Garnishes
  • Liquor pourers

Using Social Media to Promote Your Brewery

For a local brewery, social media is possibly one of the unequivocally most important tools you can have in your marketing arsenal. It is simply a must have.

This is because for a brewery, the majority of your foot-traffic will be from local beer drinkers. Thus, drumming up a following on your social media platforms will allow you to broadcast your brand, attract customers, and gain recognition within the local community.

One great idea to create a thriving Instagram account for breweries is to host regular events and post about them on your feed. This will get people in the door and give you content to post later. For example, you could host a “meet the brewer” night where people can come and learn about the brewing process and try some new beers.

Another idea is to post about any awards your brewery has won, or if you’ve been featured in any articles. This will help to build up your reputation and make people more interested in trying out your products.

Come Up With Signature Cocktails

Your customers probably love the drinks you have. However, they will have more fun with signature cocktails. You’ll also have a good time experimenting with different drinks.
Even though many patrons will choose popular drinks, coming up with drinks that are exclusive to your bar gives you an edge.

Additionally, if you make your specialty cocktails, you may charge more for them to boost your profit margin. Consider your target market and their preferences when coming up with new recipes and custom beverages.

For instance, if your business is next to a college campus and your clientele is mostly young adults, you would be wise to create potent cocktails with rum, vodka, or tequila as the main ingredients. On the other hand, bars and breweries with an older clientele may prefer premium bourbon or good whiskey as the main ingredients.

Hire the Right Employees

The high turnover rate in the bar business causes owners to spend a lot of money on training new hires. You can avoid this by establishing stringent hiring criteria. Invest in a robust training program that filters out any bad matches early on in the process.

Offer incentives like bonuses, favorable shifts, or wage increases. This is one of the best ways to keep your good staff members on board and promote their loyalty. However, not every incentive needs to be monetary. Some workers are motivated instead by opportunities to advance their careers or acquire new skills.

If you have a dishwasher, for example, you may find out that they are eager to obtain bartending skills. Consider rewarding them by offering opportunities to improve their skills.

A pleasant environment where your workforce feels welcome to share their ideas and concerns is another crucial component of maintaining happy employees. Your best people will quit if they don’t believe that you are listening to their issues. In addition, open communication will make your work environment more pleasant.

Consider the Interior Design

When running a bar or brewery, interior design is one of the most important factors to keep in mind. You might have to enlist the help of a marketing team or an interior designer.

You may also benefit from browsing beer bar pictures online. Use them for inspiration and ideas if you don’t know how to decorate your bar. The interior decor in your space must be welcoming to patrons. It should appropriately highlight your offerings.

In conclusion, the bar industry can be very competitive. The profit margins are paper thin, and the competition could push you out of business if you aren’t careful. However, you can help your bar make more profits by becoming more involved in its operations.