There are certain tricks to running a bar. It is certainly not as easy as it may seem. If the How I Met Your Mother episode “We Should Buy A Bar” taught you anything, it’s that expectation is often far from reality. Your expertise may lie in the restaurant or venue you own, and this will certainly come in handy. However, running a bar is an entirely different venture. If you want to enhance your business with a well run bar, you may need to “take a shot” at bar consultancy.

What is Bar Consultancy?

Bar consultancy includes any and all services related to running a successful bar. This includes the education of owners and staff alike on proper bar management. An expert bar consultancy service will act as your Yoda, or Mr. Miyagi – whichever you may prefer. They are there to make sure you don’t make “pour” choices.

In all seriousness, bar consultancy helps to create the perfect bar for your environment. When you hire a service like Thirst Bar Consulting, you’ll be able to consult on the following areas.

All Things Behind The Bar

Before your consultancy you will require a location assessment. A Thirsty Master Barman can learn everything you possibly need to know from at least one shift behind the bar. The assessment is vital to gaining the knowledge necessary to improve the bar. Once the assessment is complete a report is then issued. This will cover any problems or concerns that were discovered in the assessment. This way you can get expertise designed just for you, as close and personal as it can be. While you’re in bed together, the bar services in your package might include:

• Skill, speed, and efficiency of bartenders
• Bartender product and general beverage knowledge
• Interaction and personality of bartenders
• Customer service and sales techniques
• Mise en place (prep of elements and ingredients)
• Cleaning schedules
• Bar setup, layout, and organisation

Menu Design: Your Offering of OfferingsA menu gives ou the power to hand an entire brand experience over in one go. This is why your menu should speak to your brand essence and compliment it in every way. The following elements help to fulfil this:

• Menu design and recipe card implementation
• Costing of all beverage items to produce accurate GP
• Cocktail menu design with recipe cards
• Uniquely designed drinks
• Seasonal menu design to ensure you are using the correct fresh ingredients as per the season. The trick is to keep your menu offering small and niche.
• Ensure that bartenders are fully trained on classic cocktails
• Cocktails that taste great and are efficiently and consistently prepared
• Cost effective drinks that will increase profitability

Stock Administration: The Numbers

Without a close eye on your bar stock, things tend to get out of hand. Keeping track of the numbers can be easy with the use of the following:

• Systems implementation/Bar administration
• Stock management
• Stock sheet implementation
• Storeroom and bar stock system
• Par level implementation
• Stock taking techniques
• Stock requisition system
• Purchase order for purchases
• Management made aware of problem theft areas
• Implementation of scale system for hard tack

Quotation: Because Budgeting

Your bar consulting services will provide a plan of action. However, what works for multi-million dollar brands may not exactly work for you. All plans have to fit into a budget.  Your consultancy will be constructed to suit yours. This customisation can include deciding on the time period and duration of the consulting, or the services required.

Recruitment: Time for Some Talent

Your assessment may bring up the need for new talent. Unfortunately, finding the right people for the job will take time out of your busy schedule. Thankfully however, a bar consultancy service solves this issue quickly and painlessly. With expertise in the business, bar consultants should have unprecedented access to bartending talent in all its forms. It’s possible to leave staffing needs to those who know just the right people for the job.

Point of Sale: Service the Smart Way

Bartending is not just a case of mixing drinks well. While mixology is a bartenders pride and joy, they also have to know how to sell these prized possessions. Selling is not a skill that comes easy to many people. It takes training and practise, which can all be offered by bar consultancy. Training staff in the ways of up-selling will mean your customers will be happier to purchase more. This ultimately makes your customers happy, and improves your bottom line.

Audit and Evaluation: The End Result

The review of bar consultancy is just as important as the implementation. Doing this ensures that your bar is on the right track to success. Your progress can be reviewed multiple times after your consultancy, depending on your individual needs.

Using a bar consultant service is a beneficial exercise in learning what it really takes to run a successful bar –  helping you to create the bar space you have always envisioned, while still making a profit.