One of the most engaging speakers, year after fantastic year, at the Nightclub & Bar Show is Kelley Jones of Trust3 Hospitality and Kelley Jones Hospitality. The theme that tied together all of Kelley’s tips for generating more bar or nightclub revenue was personal responsibility. As an owner, it’s your duty to take responsibility for your staff, mistakes, negative guest experiences, training your staff, effective promotions, tracking discounts and social media presence.
Kelley presented the Triple A’s of service recovery to a full room: Apologize, Acknowledge and Act. This is incredibly important these days, when every guest is connected to the Internet and are much quicker to complain online than to praise. “Social media is here to stay” he told the room, “Embrace it.” Implement a social media strategy and embrace feedback both positive and negative. Training your staff can, of course, be the key to garnering more positive feedback than negative.
Guests approaching the bar? The bartender should be dropping to things: a bevnap and a menu. A guest’s drink is down to one-third? The bartender should be trained to have the next one on the way. However, keep in mind that the more you expect of your staff, the more you’re going to have to invest in training them. If you’re hesitant to invest time and money into training because a person may leave, consider Kelley’s stance on the topic: “What if you don't [train them properly] and they stay?” Educate your staff, as product knowledge is key.
Finally, consider creating package deals rather than discounting your menu. Discounting tends to cheapen your brand and your image. However, if you do choose to discount, make certain that your discounts can be tracked.
Want more expert insight from industry experts? Make sure to sign up for our weekly newsletter BarIQ.