REBRAND YOUR BAR
You hold 100 customers, but you can
pack in 900. the challenge is still the same, "REBRAND YOUR BAR".
You have to attract a new Crowd.
You have to remove all that wood,
all that dark, ugly wood from your bar's interior.
You have to refinish your bar top.
You have to put new felt on that
pool table.
You have to buy new glassware.
You have to remake the behind the
bar appearance.
You have to put down new carpet.
You have to roll out a no kitchen
"Bar Bites" Menu.
You have to take out the outdated
booths.
You have to stop being just a sports
bar.
You have to stop being just a
neighborhood bar.
You have to stop letting your rest
rooms look like war zones.
You have to stop giving the bar away
just to put butts in bar stools.
You have to take down all those
lame, lacking beer signs plastered all over.
You have to stop relying on people
to pay to hear music on your touch tunes.
You have to remove that ATM machine
now.
You have to think ahead and not
behind.
You have to either buy your partner
out or let them buy you out, it's not working.
You have to let your bar staff go,
too much liquor is missing.
You have to let your manager go,
he is not managing anything.
You have to bring in "THE FUN" and
"THE WOW FACTORS".
YOU HAVE TO RE-BRAND, RE-INVENT,
RE-CREATE
YOUR BAR.
THE NEED TO
ID
RECENTLY IN ONE FLORIDA COUNTY
ALONE, FIVE DIFFERENT BARS AND CLUBS WERE CITED FOR SERVING MINORS, WHEN
LAW ENFORCEMENT INTENTIONALLY SENT IN A MINOR IN AN ATTEMPT TO BE SERVED
A DRINK.
YOU CAN CITE ARROGANCE,
IGNORANCE, LAZINESS, OR PERHAPS GREED, BUT NO MATTER THE EXCUSE YOU
GIVE, THE PROBLEM IS PREVALENT AND REQUIRES A PRIORITY POLICY ON YOUR
PART.
EVERY CUSTOMER WHO OBVIOUSLY DOES
NOT HAVE GRAY HAIR AND APPEARS OF AGE, GETS CARDED.
YOU HEARD ME.
IF A CUSTOMER DOES NOT HAVE ID,
VERY SIMPLE
THEY LEAVE AT ONCE.
IF A CUSTOMER HAS AN ID THAT DOES
NOT MATCH UP WITH THE CUSTOMER, THEY LEAVE AT ONCE.
IF A CUSTOMER HAS AN ID THAT
APPEARS TO BE TAMPERED WITH OR ALTERED, THE CUSTOMER IS TOLD TO LEAVE
AT ONCE.
SERVING MINORS IS NOT ONLY A
PROBLEM BECAUSE OWNERS AND MANAGEMENT EITHER DO NOT HAVE A ZERO
TOLERANCE POLICY IN EFFECT OR THEY LOOK THE OTHER WAY, HOPING THEY NEVER
GET CAUGHT.
SERVING MINORS HAS BECOME A MAJOR
CRISIS IN THE INDUSTRY, WHICH REALLY SHOULD POLICE IT'S OWN.
BUT DUE TO ECONOMIC CONDITIONS,
DUE TO GREED, DUE TO ARROGANCE, DUE TO THINKING YOU WILL NEVER EVER GET
CAUGHT, MANY BARS, CLUBS, ROLL THE DICE AND SERVE MINORS.
DO THEY CARE IF THE FEMALE MINORS
ARE DRUGGED, OR RAPED, OR DRIVE DRUNK?
OF COURSE NOT.
DO THEY CARE IF THE MALE MINORS
ARE DRUNK, CAUSE FIGHTS, DRIVE DRUNK AND KILL SOMEONE, OF COURSE NOT.
POINT BLANK, IF YOU CAN'T ATTRACT
ENOUGH LEGAL AGE DRINKING PATRONS THEN YOU SHOULD NOT BE OPEN.
I HAVE BEEN IN THIS INDUSTRY FOR
40 YEARS, I HAVE PACKED BAR AFTER CLUB, LOUNGE AFTER SPORTS BAR,
SOPHISTICATED RESTAURANT BAR AT NIGHT TO BEACH BAR,AND NEVER EVER HAVE I
RELIED ON, DEPENDED ON, NEEDED MINORS TO MAKE MY OWNERS MUCHO MONEY.
NEVER EVER.
========================================================
WHY AREN'T YOU ACCEPTING THE
"AMERICAN EXPRESS CARD"?
IT IS A PROVEN FACT, THAT
"AMERICAN EXPRESS CARDHOLDERS" SPEND MORE, CHARGE MORE, STAY LONGER,
BRING MORE FRIENDS TO BARS, CLUBS AND RESTAURANTS THEN EITHER MASTER
CARD OR VISA OR DISCOVER CARDHOLDERS.
"AMERICAN EXPRESS" IS THE MOST
PRESTIGIOUS NAME IN THE CREDIT CARD WORLD, PUT THAT DECAL ON YOUR FRONT
DOOR AND WATCH YOUR "AMEX TRANSACTIONS" GROW.
HONOR "AMERICAN EXPRESS " CARDS
ACCEPTING THEM AT YOUR BAR, YOUR CLUB, YOUR RESTAURANT.
THIS IS NOT A PAID ENDORSEMENT,
THESE ARE THE FACTS.
@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@
WHAT'S WRONG WITH
THIS BRAND NEW CLUB'S FORMAT?
EVERYTHING!
THIS IS the format for a brand
new club just opening in Arizona and after putting six figure remodeling
into the building.
First it's using an old club name
to try to bring in new faces based on an old name:
NOW THE NIGHTLY FORMAT:
Wednesdays: $2 u call it, $2
premium cocktails, wines, and selected bottled beers, DJ spins Top 40
and Hot Dance Music.
___________________________________
Thursdays, Ladies Night, Ladies
Drink Free All Night, Ladies Enjoy Free Wells, Wines all Night Long, DJ
Spins Today's Hottest Music.
___________________________________
Fridays, DJ spins Top 40 Dance,
Party All Night.
___________________________________
Saturdays, DJ spins Fave Hits from
80s, 90s & Today.
___________________________________
That's the entire format for a
brand new Club, What's right with this Nightly Concept?
NOTHING.
THERE is no "FUN", there are no
"WOW FACTORS", Each entire Night consists of a DJ and basically the same
genre of music.
Two Nights are all about the Drink
Discounting and NOTHING ELSE.
Totally boring, Totally
unappealing, Totally outdated.
I wonder what goes through an
Owner's mind OPENING A BRAND NEW CLUB to simply offer this basic, no
bells, no whistles, just a total focus on a DJ and cheap bar ?
YAWN...............................................................................
Oh, and all of this was put on a
flyer A flyer.......................
Sadly, the market this Owner
is aiming for is the lowest dominator of clubbers,
with very little if any appeal in attracting quality patrons.
NO Spenders, NO Movers, NO Shakers....................
Then there is the New Owner
opening a Bar/Cafe/Club in Houston.
With no prior experience or
expertise, this New Owner puts up a web site, that shows the following:
The Logos of the Beers he is going
to serve, the same basic beers every establishment already serves,
The Logos of Jack Daniels, Absolut
and Wild Turkey.
He is opening this Month, has no
Major, Massive "Night Before Thanksgiving Promotion" planned at all.
He announces you can hear about
his Grand Opening on Radio.
He mentions that starting in
January of 2010 he will have live bands, Thursday thru Sundays.
In tiny letters he lists "pool
tables, darts, and other assorted games".
In alittle bigger letters, he
states the date of his Grand Opening but not a word about details.
ABSOLUTELY NO GAME PLAN, NONE,
DEFINITELY NO STRATEGY, NONE, AND AS FOR A PROMOTIONS PATH, not one
single Promotion on the site.
Ever watch the Tampa Bay Bucs play
their first 6 games of the current NFL Season, I did and I knew from the
start of every game they would lose.
Need I say more?
WHY BRING THESE TWO EXAMPLE UP, SO
THAT YOU DON'T MAKE THE SAME MISTAKES.
Call Rich Unger @ 941-921-7027
email;
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
HOW TO SERVE TOP SHELF IN A DOWN
TURN WORLD
Stop letting your patrons order from the
well, when they were Call Brand and Top Shelf Premium Customers.
The resurgence to the well was to be
expected, but what many Bar Owners did not do is respond with a Strategy
of mind off price, mind on Promotion.
It is far easier to have a Customer order
a Top Shelf and Call Brand when they are having "FUN", experiencing
"WOW" and are not concerned with the well, because they are having such
a great experience at your bar.
It's not just the same old crowd at the
bar, the bland music in the background, the fingerprints all over the
front door and the mirrors on the wall, the lame lacking friendly
bartenders, the lack of atmosphere and especially the total exemption of
Patron Participating Promotions.
The reason your ratio of well drinks is
dramatically increasing is because of you total missing the mark on
Soaring Events.
It's a trend that you control.
When all customers see are beer and liquor
cheap price signs everywhere inside and even in your restrooms, what do
you expect them to do?
ORDER CHEAP.
If your going to feel compelled to offer
cheap beer, cheaper drinks, your customers are going to respond in kind.
But, when you shift the well sale to the
impact of the Night you prevail every time.
Do just the opposite, shift your customers
to "FUN" to "WOW" and let them become engaged in what's going on.
<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
"MY OWNER WON'T LISTEN TO ME"
IN these PROMOTIONS ARE
EVERYTHING TIMES, when a MANAGER, DJ,A Bar Manager suggest to their
Owner that change is needed, and
the Owner refuses to even listen, to consider, to hear the input, it's
time to decide, if this is the place you want stay?
Is this where you want to
continue to work?
There is no law that states you
have to sink with the bar, close with the club.
Yes,jobs in the industry are
scarce, but quite often special talented Managers, DJs, Bar Managers
stand out and other Owners realize that, the unique talent you
have,results in hiring you.
Never ever think that your stuck
in you're bar/club job.
YOU'RE NOT.
THERE IS A MAJOR DISENGAGEMENT
BETWEEN OWNERS, MANAGEMENT, DJS, THESE DAYS, THAT HAS CAUSED A DIVIDE IN
COMMUNICATIONS THAT IN MANY CASES WOULD INCREASE BUSINESS, PROFIT AND
PATRONS.
THE OWNER PROFILE IS IRONICALLY
SIMILAR BETWEEN OLD OWNERS AND NEW OWNERS.
THE OLD OWNER THINKS THEY KNOW
IT ALL AND REFUSE TO LISTEN, THE NEW OWNER THINKS THEY KNOW IT ALL AND
REFUSE TO HEAR ANYONE ELSE WHO WORKS FOR THEM.
ONE IS TOTALLY OUT OF TOUCH FROM
BEING IN THE BIZ TOO LONG AND THE OTHER IS WET BEHIND THE EARS FROM JUST
ENTERING THE BAR/CLUB ARENA.
THE WORSE SCENARIO ARE
"PARTNERS" WHO ALL THINK THEY ARE STEVE WYNN, OR RANDY GERBER, WHEN 99%
OF MOST PARTNERS HAVE NO CLUE.
IF PARTNERS PUT 1/3 OF ALL THEIR
ENERGY,THAT THEY WASTE ON ARGUING INTO ACTUALLY BUILDING THEIR BAR OR
CLUB, THEY WOULD BE PROFITABLE, RATHER THAN STRUGGLING.
NO MORE BAD TO THE BONE
WITH CHICKEN WING PRICES
PLUCKING HIGHER AND HIGHER, THE BARS, WING PLACES, AND SPORTS BARS AS
WELL AS FAST FOOD UNITS ARE TURNING TO THE BEST AND ALMOST UNIVERSALLY
ACCEPTED ALTERNATIVE, "BONELESS CHICKEN WINGS", SIMPLY CUT FROM CHICKEN
BREASTS.
IN FACT "BUFFALO WILD WINGS"
REPORTS 19% OF IT'S SERVED WINGS ARE WINGLESS, WHILE JUST 20% ARE
WINGED.
EVEN "WENDY'S" HAS ADDED
BONELESS WINGS.
THE CHICKEN BREAST STRIPS AND
CHUNKS ARE STILL DEEP FRIED, SERVED WITH THE SAME MILD TO WILD HOT
SAUCES.
THE ADVANTAGE IS THE CUSTOMER
DOES NOT HAVE THE MESSY HANDS AND USE OF NAPKIN AFTER NAPKIN OR ROLL OF
PAPER TOWEL GALORE, SINCE THEY NO LONGER HAVE TO PICK AT THE BONE.
BONED WING PRICES HAVE RISEN
FROM A YEAR AGO AT 94CENTS A POUND TO A RECENT $1.15 PER POUND AND STILL
RISING.
BONELESS CHICKEN BREASTS WHEN
CUT INTO WING SIZE PORTIONS ALLOW FOR GREATER PROFIT PER WING AND LESS
MESS.
PIZZA HUT'S "WING STREET"
UNITS THAT NOW NUMBER 3000 ARE SO CONFIDENT IN THE ACCEPTANCE OF THE
BONELESS WINGS, THAT IT'S STILL IS ON COURSE, TO OPEN 2000 MORE "WING
STREET" LOCATIONS.
SO WHILE "BAD TO THE BONE"
MAY HAVE BEEN THE WAY TO SERVE WINGS, THE PROFITABLE, EFFICIENT AND
ALMOST EVERYONE ENJOYS THE NEW "NO BONE WINGS".THE TYPICAL PORTION IS 1"
CUT 1 1/4 X 1 1/3 SQUARES.
IN THESE WATCH
EVERY WING ECONOMIC TIMES, THE LOSS OF THE BONE SHOULD HAVE NEXT
TO NO EFFECT ON YOUR WING SALES.
IT'S ALL IN HOW YOU MEAT THE
CHALLENGE.
$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
YOU'VE BEEN OPEN JUST A MONTH,
TO SIX MONTHS, AND STILL NOT A PACKED NIGHT, TO BE HAD?
AFTER PUTTING IN TENS OF
THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS IN DECOR, SPARING NO EXPENSE TO CREATE THIS
SPECTACULAR SETTING, YET FROM THE BAR THAT HOLDS JUST 100 TO THE CLUB
THAT FILLS UP TO 1000, BOTH FIND THEMSELVES FACING FAR AND FEW NIGHTS OF
DECENT NUMBERS OF CUSTOMERS.
AGAIN, IT ALL COMES BACK
TO OWNERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT.
DISCIPLINE, CREATIVITY,
CONSISTENCY, AND OF COURSE, "THE FUN" AND "THE WOW FACTORS".
THESE ARE NOT "IDEAS", WHY SO
MANY OWNERS AND MANAGERS REFER TO THEM AS IDEAS DEFIES LOGIC.
YOU DON'T JUST SAY HEY LET'S TRY
THIS, OR LET'S DO THAT.
THERE TRULY IS A METHOD TO THE
MADNESS AND "IDEAS" DON'T PLAY A PART IN THE PROCESS AT ALL.
DO YOU KNOW WHY MANY BARS ARE
SUCCESSFUL, YET OTHER ARE BARS STILL DORMANT NIGHT AFTER NIGHT?
An Owner or Manager will come up with an
"IDEA" , it is not formulated, it has no depth, there is no thought
process, just some opposite of a "BRAIN
STORM", I call a "LAME STORM" and thinks with a week's worth
of announcing it over the microphone,
printing up some computer generated signs, they are going to draw
a huge crowd.
Take for example a "Pole Dancing Contest",
putting a Stripper Pole in your bar right now is about as relevant
as hanging another dart board.
Stripper Poles have been around for decades,
now all of a sudden every bar wants a stripper pole, which
does not raise the bar's image or add any
"FUN" or "WOW", all it does is attempts to seduce female customers
into acting like strippers.
Where's the "FUN"?
Where's the "WOW?
Is that really the biggest, brightest, and
boldest addition you can come up with?
Is the Stripper Pole for $300. going to
double, and triple your customer count and cash flow on any given night?
NO.
After a few weeks the Pole
becomes marginalized and simply stands there as if it was a beer neon
sign.
NOBODYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY CARES.
There is a METHOD TO THIS MADNESS TO ADDING
BAR FUN & WOW, DANCE FLOOR FUN & WOW,
Gas prices are again on the rise and climbing
fast.
That's why a $15,000. budget made movie
"Paranormal" is raking in millions, because even though a tank of
gas is outrageous, people are attracted to
what is so unusual, so unique, that they will spend their disposable
income or what little they have of it, on
seeing this movie.
The METHOD TO THE MADNESS is, STOP thinking
like a desperate Owner or bar Manager , but rather like
a potential customer who wants "FUN" and
"WOW".
That movie is "WOW".
That stripper pole is dull.
THAT'S THE DIFFERENT FROM CASTRO HE TO
COMPLACENCY TO COMPLETELY PACKED.
_______________________________________________________________________________/
IN OVER YOUR HEAD:
Hi
I’ve recently been asked to do the marketing for a
club in Johannesburg, South Africa. It’s the longest running club in
Johannesburg and has just been renovated. The club has pulled in a lot
of patrons thought the years, but the past 3 to 4 years has seen the
club lose favour due to it’s dodgy appeal.
The owner has always been strict with things like
cover charges (you don’t step through door unless you pay), male or
female. I need ideas and methods to market the Club and to bring back
the sophisticated “bottle popping” patrons back as well as lure new ones
in there. Please help.
Mbetsve
Bakeeba, Concierge
and Lifestyle Manager
WHY WOULD AN INEXPERIENCED, TOTALLY OUT OF
THEIR ELEMENT INDIVIDUAL TAKE ON SUCH A CHALLENGE, KNOWING THEY LACK THE
BASICS, THE PREMISE, THE PROCESS TO BE SUCCESSFUL IN THIS POSITION?
EVEN MORE FASCINATING TO ME IS, WHY WOULD
AN OWNER ASK SUCH A PERSON TO TAKE CHARGE OF SUCH A MAMMOTH CHALLENGE?
AH, FIRST WE HAVE THE OWNER WHO REFUSES
"TO LET ANYONE THROUGH THE DOORS, WITHOUT PAYING THE COVER CHARGE."
YUP, HE WANTS THAT BUCK AND HE DOES NOT
CARE WHO YOU ARE, HOW OFTEN YOU FREQUENT HIS CLUB, HOW MUCH YOU SPEND
AT HIS CLUB,
ALL HE IS INTERESTED IN IS INSURING YOU
PAY AT THE DOOR.
NEXT, WE HAVE THE AMBITIOUS
NEW, "CONCIERGE AND LIFESTYLE MANAGER" WHO WANTS TO BRING BACK " THE
SOPHISTICATED, BOTTLE POPPING PATRONS, AS WELL AS LURING IN NEW
PATRONS".
PLEASE HELP.
HELP WHAT?
FOR THE PAST THREE TO FOUR YEARS THE CLUB,
HAS LOST "FAVOUR DUE TO IT'S DODGY APPEAL", SO THE OWNER THREW SOME
$$$$$$$ AT
RENOVATING, BUT STILL NO FAVORABLE
RESPONSE.
UNFORTUNATELY, YOU DON'T HAVE ONE SET
STRATEGY, ONE FIRM GAME PLAN, NOR A SOLID PROMOTIONS PATH TO EVEN BEGIN
WITH.
YOUR JOB TITLES SOUND GREAT, BUT WHERE IS
THE KNOWLEDGE, EXPERTISE, LEADERSHIP, BACKGROUND, TO JUSTIFY YOUR
POSITION?
LET ALONE THE SOUTH AFRICAN NIGHT LIFE
MARKET IS A VERY CHALLENGING ENVIRONMENT, GOOD LUCK.
==================================================================================
FINALLY, IT'S THANKSGIVING TIME, GO WORK IN
A SOUP KITCHEN AND WASH DISHES, FEED THE HUNGRY, MAKE SURE YOU LET THEM
TAKE FOOD TO GO THAT THEY DON'T FINISH EATING, GO GIVE SOME TURKEYS AWAY
TO THOSE IN NEED, HOLD AN AFTERNOON THANKSGIVING MEAL DURING
THANKSGIVING WEEK FOR FAMILIES WHO ARE HOMELESS, THIS YEAR, FOR ONCE,
GIVE BACK FROM YOUR HEART AND FEEL GOOD ABOUT IT.
YOU'VE MADE PLENTY FROM YOUR COMMUNITY, IT'S
TIME TO BE THANKFUL AND SHOW IT.
CALL RICH UNGER @ 941-921-7027 OR EMAIL
RICHUNGER@PROMOTINGNIGHTCLUBS.COM
