Quick Tips on How to Make Your Bar and Restaurant More Revenue in 2019 and Save Money on Entertainment

Anybody who has been in the bar industry long enough knows it takes some tricks to maximizing bar tabs which will in turn maximize tips and overall revenue. Those can be easy (upselling, promoting shifts). The real trick is to maximize revenue while minimizing costs. One thing I’ve noticed over the years is that bar owners are spending WAY too much money on live entertainment. I was managing a beach bar in Southern California for years and day after day we are forking out hundreds if not thousands of dollars to bring in local bands. Add in the bands comp tabs, discounted food, is it really worth it? Is it paying off? I understand that maybe that's your shtick but for the rest of us where live music is a novelty or perhaps there just isn’t enough space in the venue, we need affordable alternatives.

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There are lots of ways to cut costs around the bar but there’s no need to start seperating two ply into one ply just yet (for all you Dunder Mifflin fans out there). One of the quickest and cheapest ways of getting people in the door is trivia. It might sound simple but nowadays it's more popular than ever. Hosts are no longer that half-interested guy in the corner with a mic that sounds like an adult from Charlie Brown. People are teaming up all week long to find the best shows around, I have seen first hand the effects of a well put together trivia night and the volume of patrons it can attract. This, coupled with some drink specials and prize giveaways (you’d be surprised how many people will show up for free koozies) and you’re on your way to a full bar with an end of the night payout of less than 100 bucks.

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 4 Ways you can advertise and incentivise customers to come to your establishment, and be a part of your community.

1. Discounts for players, i.e. if you’re playing on a team, 15% off apps
2. $25 gift cards for next trivia night (keep them coming back)
3. Offer a shot round, for example hand out shots and if they can guess the ingredients, extra points.
   
4. Switch it up! Don’t keep everything the same, try something like "BODY PARTS"  - Music Bingo. It's not quite as racy as you think, its good for all ages. It's a different way to play trivia mixed with classic tunes/theme songs to engage the players while listening to fun music.

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(photo of Ryan Henderson, Fat City Host)

In every bar there is someone that is looking for a bit of fun & fast cash, start with offering $25 cash and a $25 bar tab for a few hours of work. That cook in the kitchen who is always singing and dancing or the barback that is overly friendly would be the perfect candidate to host. All you would have to do is buy some ready to go trivia games and a mic and start promoting. There are tons of trivia groups for you to join on FB and reddit. Look up trivia groups in the area and start pushing your “Tricky Tuesday Trivia”. Everybody loves a good band but let’s remind people of how fun it is to get drunk and play games with your friends!

Thanks, 
This is Aly! if you have any additional tips and tricks feel free to leave them in the comments! :) 

The Casual Pint, Rivergate, Charlotte NC