Advertise on podcast: The Bar Business Podcast: Bar & Pub Owner Profits, Marketing & Operations

What if selling smaller cocktails could actually make your bar more money? In this episode, I'm talking about the mini cocktail trend, why guests are drinking differently, and how smaller drinks could help increase your average check without pushing customers to order another full-size cocktail. I get into the pricing and profit margins behind mini cocktails, how to build cocktail flights, and how to test them on your menu without overcomplicating your bar operations. Because sometimes the opportunity isn't selling more drinks. It's giving guests a different way to order.  📌Start Here Own, run, or manage a bar? Join Bar Business Nation. An EXCLUSIVE private Facebook group for bar owners and operators who want better ways to run the business. Ask questions, hear what other owners are dealing with, and get ideas you can actually use. 🔴Join here:  → https://www.facebook.com/groups/barbusinessnation 📌Additional resources 🔴Grab the books “How to Make Top-Shelf Profits in the Bar Business!” and “Menus that Sell” here: → https://barbusinesscoach.com/book/

What do you do when an employee keeps falling short, but you’re not ready to fire them? In this episode, I’m talking about performance improvement plans, or PIPs, and how they give bar owners another option before letting someone go. I get into when to use a PIP, how to set clear expectations and timelines, and why following through matters. Because accountability isn’t just about writing someone up. It’s about setting a clear standard and enforcing it. 📌Start Here Own, run, or manage a bar? Join Bar Business Nation. An EXCLUSIVE private Facebook group for bar owners and operators who want better ways to run the business. Ask questions, hear what other owners are dealing with, and get ideas you can actually use. 🔴Join here:  → https://www.facebook.com/groups/barbusinessnation 📌Additional resources 🔴Grab the books “How to Make Top-Shelf Profits in the Bar Business!” and “Menus that Sell” here: → https://barbusinesscoach.com/book/

Is your live music night actually making you money, or does it just look successful because the bar is full? In this episode, I’m digging into the real ROI of live music and other bar programming.  We’ll look at what the event actually adds to your sales, what it really costs once you factor in the band, extra labor, comps, and other expenses, and whether there’s any real profit left. I’ll walk through the math using live music, but the same applies to DJs, trivia, and other programming.  And when the numbers don’t work, it might mean negotiating costs, changing the format, or deciding if the loyalty and repeat business are worth it.  Because a busy night and a profitable night aren’t always the same thing.  📌Start Here Own, run, or manage a bar? Join Bar Business Nation. An EXCLUSIVE private Facebook group for bar owners and operators who want better ways to run the business. Ask questions, hear what other owners are dealing with, and get ideas you can actually use. 🔴Join here:  → https://www.facebook.com/groups/barbusinessnation 📌Additional resources 🔴Grab the books “How to Make Top-Shelf Profits in the Bar Business!” and “Menus that Sell” here: → https://barbusinesscoach.com/book/

Improving bar profitability rarely comes from one big change. More often, it comes from fixing dozens of small problems across your costs, revenue, operations, staff, and guest experience. In this episode, I break down my 50-lever framework for improving your bar, why searching for one magic fix can keep you stuck, and how small operational improvements can compound into meaningful changes in profitability. I get into finding the small levers hiding inside your pour cost, labor scheduling, guest check average, service, training, and overall guest experience; how to audit your operation to determine which changes matter most; and why trying to fix everything at once usually fails. I also walk through how I’d prioritize those improvements, tackle one or two each week, measure the results, and build accountability so the changes actually stick.  Because you probably don’t need one breakthrough to turn your bar around. You need a list, a pace, and the discipline to make small improvements that compound.  📌Start Here Own, run, or manage a bar? Join Bar Business Nation. An EXCLUSIVE private Facebook group for bar owners and operators who want better ways to run the business. Ask questions, hear what other owners are dealing with, and get ideas you can actually use. 🔴Join here:  → https://www.facebook.com/groups/barbusinessnation 📌Additional resources 🔴Grab the books “How to Make Top-Shelf Profits in the Bar Business!” and “Menus that Sell” here: → https://barbusinesscoach.com/book/

Running a successful bar requires more than trusting your gut—and more than blindly following the numbers.  In this episode, I break down how bar owners can use gut instinct and data to make better business decisions, including what experienced intuition actually is, where your instincts can mislead you, and what your bar data can and cannot tell you.  I get into using data for pricing, menu engineering, labor scheduling, inventory, marketing ROI, and performance decisions while using experience and instinct for hiring, culture, guest experience, concept decisions, and major changes.  I also explain why your gut should be treated as a hypothesis rather than a conclusion, how data can confirm or challenge what you believe, and what to do when your instincts and your numbers disagree.  Because the best bar owners don’t blindly trust their instincts or their spreadsheets. They know when to use each one, and when a major decision requires both.  📌Start Here Own, run, or manage a bar? Join Bar Business Nation. An EXCLUSIVE private Facebook group for bar owners and operators who want better ways to run the business. Ask questions, hear what other owners are dealing with, and get ideas you can actually use. 🔴Join here:  → https://www.facebook.com/groups/barbusinessnation 📌Additional resources 🔴Grab the books “How to Make Top-Shelf Profits in the Bar Business!” and “Menus that Sell” here: → https://barbusinesscoach.com/book/

Classic cocktails are making a comeback as guests move away from overly complicated craft cocktails and toward familiar drinks like Espresso Martinis, Old Fashioneds, Martinis, and Negronis. In this episode, I break down the cocktail trends bar owners should be watching in 2026 and why simplifying your cocktail menu could improve guest confidence, consistency, speed, and profitability. I get into why classic cocktails are outperforming more complicated drinks, how decision fatigue and price sensitivity influence what guests order, and the operational advantages of simpler cocktails, from easier training and faster service to less waste and better margins.  I also explain my classic-anchor strategy for building a cocktail menu around well-executed classics while still leaving room for original drinks and creative riffs.  Because simplifying your cocktail program doesn’t mean lowering your standards. It means paying attention to what your guests are actually ordering and executing it better than anyone else. 📌Start Here Own, run, or manage a bar? Join Bar Business Nation. An EXCLUSIVE private Facebook group for bar owners and operators who want better ways to run the business. Ask questions, hear what other owners are dealing with, and get ideas you can actually use. 🔴Join here:  → https://www.facebook.com/groups/barbusinessnation 📌Additional resources 🔴Grab the books “How to Make Top-Shelf Profits in the Bar Business!” and “Menus that Sell” here: → https://barbusinesscoach.com/book/

Gen Z drinking trends are changing what customers expect from bars in 2026 but Millennials, Gen X, and Baby Boomers are drinking very differently. In this episode, I break down the latest generational drinking trends and what they mean for bar owners trying to build a beverage program that matches how their customers actually drink. I get into Gen Z’s growing interest in mini cocktails, moderation, mocktails, functional beverages, and earlier drinking occasions; why Millennials are spending on premium cocktails and spirits; and why Gen X and Baby Boomers remain critical for traditional beer, wine, gin, and Scotch.  I also look at what these alcohol and cocktail trends could tell us about where the bar industry is heading next.  Because the future of bars isn’t simply about whether people are drinking less or more. It’s about understanding how each generation drinks and making sure your bar evolves with them. 📌Start Here Own, run, or manage a bar? Join Bar Business Nation. An EXCLUSIVE private Facebook group for bar owners and operators who want better ways to run the business. Ask questions, hear what other owners are dealing with, and get ideas you can actually use. 🔴Join here:  → https://www.facebook.com/groups/barbusinessnation 📌Additional resources 🔴Grab the books “How to Make Top-Shelf Profits in the Bar Business!” and “Menus that Sell” here: → https://barbusinesscoach.com/book/

Last week, Brian Haan and I started telling the story of how we ended up running 86th Street Pub together. About 15 months into owning the bar, we hit the first major change that forced us to rethink what the business could become: the smoking ban. In this episode, I break down how Brian and I responded, not by fighting the change, but by using it as an opportunity to up our game. I get into how we cleaned up the bar, expanded the craft beer program, improved the food, built a faster lunch business, redesigned the kitchen for efficiency, tightened portion control, used steak night to drive traffic and drink sales, and eventually moved to seasonal menus when our regulars wanted something new. Because when the environment around your bar changes, holding onto the old version of the business isn’t always the safest move. Sometimes the smartest move is figuring out what the change makes possible—and building a better bar around it.  📌Start Here Own, run, or manage a bar? Join Bar Business Nation. An EXCLUSIVE private Facebook group for bar owners and operators who want better ways to run the business. Ask questions, hear what other owners are dealing with, and get ideas you can actually use. 🔴Join here:  → https://www.facebook.com/groups/barbusinessnation 📌Additional resources 🔴Grab the books “How to Make Top-Shelf Profits in the Bar Business!” and “Menus that Sell” here: → https://barbusinesscoach.com/book/

After more than 260 episodes talking about the bar business, there’s one story I probably should have told a long time ago: how I actually became a bar owner and learned to run one. In this episode, I sit down with Brian Haan, my longtime friend, former roommate, and the GM who was there throughout my journey in the bar business, to finally start telling that story from the beginning. We get into how Brian and I met at Purdue, why I bought an established neighborhood pub at 22, how Brian ended up becoming my GM, and what those early years taught us about regulars, employees, operations, weekly P&Ls, product decisions, and knowing when to change something, and when to leave what’s already working alone. Because most of what I know about the bar business didn’t come from having all the answers. It came from running the business, watching the numbers, making mistakes, adapting, and figuring it out together.  📌Start Here Own, run, or manage a bar? Join Bar Business Nation. An EXCLUSIVE private Facebook group for bar owners and operators who want better ways to run the business. Ask questions, hear what other owners are dealing with, and get ideas you can actually use. 🔴Join here:  → https://www.facebook.com/groups/barbusinessnation 📌Additional resources 🔴Grab the books “How to Make Top-Shelf Profits in the Bar Business!” and “Menus that Sell” here: → https://barbusinesscoach.com/book/

When revenue drops, I know the first instinct is usually to get more customers through the door.  But what if you’re trying to market your way out of the wrong problem? In this episode, I break down why increasing your guest check average can be one of the fastest ways to grow revenue without spending more money on traffic or marketing. I get into how to benchmark your check average, when your team should prompt the second round, how menu price anchoring can influence what guests spend, and where small changes in the guest journey can help you make more from the customers you already have.  Because before you spend more money trying to fill more seats, make sure you’re getting the most from the seats you’ve already filled. 📌Start Here Own, run, or manage a bar? Join Bar Business Nation. An EXCLUSIVE private Facebook group for bar owners and operators who want better ways to run the business. Ask questions, hear what other owners are dealing with, and get ideas you can actually use. 🔴Join here:  → https://www.facebook.com/groups/barbusinessnation 📌Additional resources 🔴Grab the books “How to Make Top-Shelf Profits in the Bar Business!” and “Menus that Sell” here: → https://barbusinesscoach.com/book/

Opening a great restaurant takes more than great food, hospitality, or a good business plan. Everything matters. In this episode, I sit down with Adam Weisblatt, co-founder of Last Word Hospitality and author of For the Love of Restaurants, to talk about what really happens between having a restaurant idea and opening the doors. We get into choosing the right size and space, finding partners, raising money, design and permitting, building a concept you can actually execute, and why the best restaurants bring art, operations, and business together. Because the goal isn’t just to open the restaurant you dreamed about. It’s to build one you can actually deliver. Connect with Adam & Last Word Hospitality Last Word Hospitality — Check out the restaurants, team, and concepts https://www.lw-h.com/ For the Love of Restaurants — Get Adam Weisblatt’s book https://www.amazon.com/Love-Restaurants-Insiders-Daydreams-Opening-ebook/dp/B0FXBBCZBR Books from the Last Word Hospitality family https://www.lw-h.com/books 📌Start Here Own, run, or manage a bar? Join Bar Business Nation. An EXCLUSIVE private Facebook group for bar owners and operators who want better ways to run the business. Ask questions, hear what other owners are dealing with, and get ideas you can actually use. 🔴Join here:  → https://www.facebook.com/groups/barbusinessnation 📌Additional resources 🔴Grab the books “How to Make Top-Shelf Profits in the Bar Business!” and “Menus that Sell” here: → https://barbusinesscoach.com/book/

Bad attitudes, inconsistent service, and employees ignoring standards may all have the same root cause: unclear expectations.  In this episode, I break down the 20-minute conversation every bar owner should have with a new hire during their first week.  We’ll cover what great performance looks like, how decisions get made, what you actually care about, what employees should expect from you, and why understanding their goals can improve buy-in and retention.  Because setting expectations early can save you from having the same frustrating performance conversations later.  📌Start Here Own, run, or manage a bar? Join Bar Business Nation. An EXCLUSIVE private Facebook group for bar owners and operators who want better ways to run the business. Ask questions, hear what other owners are dealing with, and get ideas you can actually use. 🔴Join here:  → https://www.facebook.com/groups/barbusinessnation 📌Additional resources 🔴Grab the books “How to Make Top-Shelf Profits in the Bar Business!” and “Menus that Sell” here: → https://barbusinesscoach.com/book/

On this episode of Party of Six, we have a wide-ranging panel conversation on hospitality, focusing on Beckaly Franks tracing her path from Idaho and Portland to Hong Kong, building community, and the pitfalls in international hospitality.  Sarah Dawn Mars talks about breaking down the finance side of bar ownership, and Menakshi Singh shares a fresh update on opening a new bar in southern India.  Key topics In this episode, Beckaly Franks shares how growing up around a family bar in Idaho shaped her view of hospitality as “an extension of home” rather than just a job. Beckaly walks through her early career path from Portland to high-volume nightlife spots like Thunder Ranch and Dixie Tavern, and how performance, service, and event-making became her foundation. Beckaly details how winning the 42 Below global competition became a major credibility moment that opened international doors, including her path to Singapore and then Hong Kong. Beckaly gives a candid breakdown of the Pontiac in Hong Kong, describing it as a shoebox-sized craft cocktail dive bar with 14 seats at the bar, a heavy back bar, a strong visual identity, and a clear culture-first philosophy. She shares how the Pontiac’s all-female core team and inclusive hiring philosophy were intentional, and how that helped create a space for women, queer guests, and a broad regular community. Beckaly also opens up about the difficult side of business, including toxic partnership dynamics, a failed Bali expansion, the impact of Hong Kong protests, and the strain of COVID on operations. Sarah Dawn Mars explains how Overproofff grew out of her own experience learning bar finance the hard way, then moving into hospitality tech and realizing how many operators avoid the numbers until it is too late. Sarah and Chris compare the gap between accounting data and actual hospitality decision-making, arguing that operators need more than a P and L and that generic financial advice often misses the realities of running a bar. Menakshi Singh shares that her newest bar opened in the south of India after a long process of relationship-building, traveling together, and evaluating a higher-capex opportunity over nearly three years. 📌Start Here Own, run, or manage a bar? Join Bar Business Nation. An EXCLUSIVE private Facebook group for bar owners and operators who want better ways to run the business. Ask questions, hear what other owners are dealing with, and get ideas you can actually use. 🔴Join here:  → https://www.facebook.com/groups/barbusinessnation 📌Additional resources 🔴Grab the books “How to Make Top-Shelf Profits in the Bar Business!” and “Menus that Sell” here: → https://barbusinesscoach.com/book/

Nelson Brooks started Cabana Boys with around $200 and eventually took the business to Shark Tank, where he landed an investment from Kendra Scott.  In this episode, I’m joined by Nelson to break down how he built and scaled an event bartending business without the overhead of opening a traditional bar. We get into hiring for personality, creating a consistent guest experience, building accountability across multiple markets, marketing the experience instead of just the service, and what it takes to stand out in a low-barrier business. Because building something scalable in hospitality isn’t just about having a good idea. It’s about execution, people, consistency, and creating an experience customers actually want to pay for. PartyHostBoys.com: Explore and book their party-hosting experiences  @PartyHostBoys: Follow them on social media  Cocktail-Crew.com: Book bartenders for weddings, corporate events, and other celebrations  Cocktail Crew Bartending: Follow their bartending brand on social media  📌Start Here Own, run, or manage a bar? Join Bar Business Nation. An EXCLUSIVE private Facebook group for bar owners and operators who want better ways to run the business. Ask questions, hear what other owners are dealing with, and get ideas you can actually use. 🔴Join here:  → https://www.facebook.com/groups/barbusinessnation 📌Additional resources 🔴Grab the books “How to Make Top-Shelf Profits in the Bar Business!” and “Menus that Sell” here: → https://barbusinesscoach.com/book/

Good drinks aren’t the only thing that can make or break a happy hour. A packed bar can still be losing money. In this episode, I’m breaking down how to tell if your happy hour is actually creating new business or just discounting drinks for people who would have come in anyway. We’ll talk about cover count, check average, discounted sales, guest behavior, and the numbers you need to look at before deciding whether your happy hour is really working. Because a busy bar looks good. But if the profit isn’t there, the promotion may not be doing its job. 📌Start Here Own, run, or manage a bar? Join Bar Business Nation. An EXCLUSIVE private Facebook group for bar owners and operators who want better ways to run the business. Ask questions, hear what other owners are dealing with, and get ideas you can actually use. 🔴Join here:  → https://www.facebook.com/groups/barbusinessnation 📌Additional resources 🔴Grab the books “How to Make Top-Shelf Profits in the Bar Business!” and “Menus that Sell” here: → https://barbusinesscoach.com/book/