How To Run A Successful Bar
It's a year since my bar Corto closed down. Don't worry about it.
It’s one whole year since my bar Corto closed for good. It was such a pleasure to pursue our dreams for three years. Thank you to everyone who drank with us, ate our grilled cheeses, supported us, and came to share their beers and ciders with us. I miss our special place every day.
Set out your intentions clearly before you start. What type of bar do you want to open? What will it look like? What will its atmosphere be like? Make lots of mood boards and fill notebooks with ideas. You’ll need them in a few months when things get on top of you and you forget why you opened up in the first place.
Set aside some budget and time to create proper HR documentation, EDI provision, and plan out any and all staff training that might be needed. No bar has ever been authentically welcoming and accessible to all without putting in serious work in the background. There are industry professionals and consultants you can pay to help you do this—you don’t have to do it alone. Remember, you won’t just be serving pints, you’ll be a manager and business owner, and responsible for the welfare of your team and your customers. Take that seriously.
Flashy branding isn’t as important as you think it is. In fact, if it’s too polished, people might assume you’re a chain, and avoid you. Get some nice colour schemes together, create a logo (or pay someone talented to make one for you) and then use that for everything you make, from social media posts to merch. Marketing experts make it sound hard, but it’s not. It’s just really time consuming, which is why you probably want to pay a designer, but that’s up to you.
Decide who your customers are and pitch your business to them using social media. You can’t be everyone’s favourite bar, so figure out who you’re opening for, and talk to them directly.
Make sure you’re buying stock that other people want to buy.
Don’t be afraid of gimmicks, but make sure you’re doing the basics perfectly.
Keep your cellar and lines immaculate. Keep your glasswash immaculate too.
Put on events that bring people together. A truly successful bar is one that enables connection across different social groups.
Kick out any and all dickheads. Don’t pander to anyone who is disrespectful to your staff, to you, or to your other customers. You are in control of your environment. Remember, you might not be directly upset by someone’s aggression or language, but somebody else within earshot will assume this sort of behaviour is accepted in your bar. Do you want the dickhead to come back, or your other customers?
Give in to your silly urges. Put on a 90s pizza party for Hallowe’en. Have a skate club on a Sunday. Do a shandy tasting session. Show Eurovision and play Eurovision bingo for prizes. Get a smoke machine.
Spend time getting to know your customers. They will become your friends.
Remember that if some people hate your place, but the vast majority love it, you’re doing something right. You can’t please everyone, and nor should you.
Start off with loads of money. This is the one thing we didn’t do, and that’s why we’re not open anymore.
Come to my Oktoberfest beer tasting at The Royal Oak, Cartmel
I’m hosting a Fell Brewery Meet the Brewers event at The Royal Oak in Cartmel. What a great excuse to visit the Lake District, if you ask me.
On the panel will be Director of Sustainability Tim Bloomer, Head Brewer John Bernard Major, Lead Production Brewer Imogen Beedham and Lead Technical Brewer Scott Larrabee.
Tickets include 6 x half-pint measures of different beers as well as food parings to go with them. Think – nibble, sip, listen, nibble, sip, listen…
Tickets are available to purchase here
It will be service as usual in the pub, with guest festbiers and Fell Brewery classics.
Table bookings to dine are strongly advised and @sillypeachmusic and @bossykingband will be playing in the pub from 8.30—all welcome!
I’m running another workshop
If you’d like to join my self-editing and pitching workshop on Wednesday 25 September, 6.30pm UK time, please click here to reserve your spot.
Fuckin’ A to number 9.
Do you think it would have worked if you’d just had more cash to start with, or was there anything else?
All common sense, but so many bars don't pay attention. Thank you for sharing, and I'm sorry about the last point.