A GUIDE TO DELIVERING UNIQUE BAR EXPERIENCES

The past year has had a dramatic impact on the industry, transforming the way bar venues operate. Jake Erder from Dead& Dive Bar and Paul Lougrat from A Bar With Shapes for a Name offer insight into the immersive experiences they provide in their venues that you can replicate in yours.

EMBRACE CHANGING CULTURE - DEAD& DIVE BAR, HONG KONG

Today’s grab-and-go culture demands new ways of thinking, particularly in a city like Hong Kong that has a thriving bar culture and where drinking on the streets is permitted. In recent times, convenience stores have become a major competitor for all venues as guests increasingly opt to grab drinks at a store, only to then gather outside bars and clubs with friends, enjoying the vibe and music but not actually spending any money there.

TAP INTO OPPORTUNITIES

Jake Erder, Bar Manager at Dead & Dive Bar, tells how they quickly identified this emerging competitor known as ‘Club 7-11’ and responded.

We restructured the business to be a high-volume bar with the option for easy grab-and-go drinks. Being located right next to an amphitheater in one of city’s key entertainment districts, Lan Kwai Fong, we were able to capitalize on that and target an audience who would have previously purchased drinks from the nearest convenience store.

GIVE GUESTS SOMETHING TO TALK ABOUT

To keep up with demand and relieve the busy bar station, our venue installed two vending machines offering canned and bottled drinks from local bars including beers, cocktails, and hard seltzers. The vending machines draw a lot of interest among guests and are strategically positioned to be seen from the street helping to draw in passers-by too.

As well as easing the flow of service from the bar, the vending machines act as an extra fridge and help with easy restocking in the main bar – they also allow the bar to generate extra revenue after last call while staff clean up and lingering guests purchase their final drinks.

The machines are easy to operate with very clear instructions, you can see how the machines work in the video below.

WHAT’S RIGHT FOR YOUR VENUE?

A vending machine won’t be right for every bar, and in order to determine if it’s right for your venue, you need to ask yourself:

1. Does this fit in with the theme of my bar?
2. Do we operate in a culture where grab-and-go drinks are in demand?
3. Is there a growing appetite for canned and bottled drinks nearby?

If you decide to implement vending machines, there are a number of points to consider:

• Choose a vendor – do your research and decide if you would prefer to lease or buy the machine. Find out what support and training options are available, which models offer card or cash payment and offer ease of use - depending on your needs this will ultimately help you select the best option for your venue.

• Positioning - in bigger clubs, a vending machine located near the toilet could ease guests seamlessly back onto the dance floor to avoid the lines at the bar. In small venues, positioning in a prominent place, visible from the street can increase sales, take pressure off the bar team and make service more efficient.

• Stocking – the machines generally run themselves, but it’s still up to your team to keep on top of stock, so remember to prep these ahead of service and ensure there is sufficient stock to meet demand.

CREATING AN INTRIGUING CONCEPT – A BAR WITH SHAPES FOR A NAME, UK

Having worked in several bars where menus were central to the venue experience, it was after an evening spent at Café Tacobar in Mexico City that Paul Lougrat’s perceptions changed. He recalls the owner joking that he wanted to have a bar that was as simple as its name – a simplicity that carried through every element of the bar - in the service, drinks, and atmosphere. The venue itself wasn’t unique, but the owner was doing something he believed in, and it was that authenticity that made it stand out as an experience not to be forgotten.

When opening his latest venue, A Bar with Shapes for a Name, alongside his partner, Remy Savage, the duo drew on three key elements to create a new and exciting venue in the UK. Through the walls, the smell, furniture, and layout they sought to heighten guests’ senses and offer an all-encompassing experience based on an iconic art movement.

1. DESIGN – BE INSPIRED BY ART

Paul and Remy based the bars concept on the school of Bauhaus – a key influencer of industrial design in the early 20^th century.

They spent months working with an architectural designer to create the most functional and minimalist space they could. Every detail was carefully planned to complement the work of the Bauhaus students — Marcel Breuer-inspired chairs, Wagenfeld lamps - so that these artists could impact the guest's mind and senses.

Experience is central to everything in the venue with every element designed to evolve as the night progresses – for example, the tables can fold up and attach to the walls to create standing or dancing room, the bar extends to enable more exchange between the bar staff and customers. The venue is small, so making everything multi-functional gives greater control over the space and guests’ experience. The team even decided against a back bar so that guests are not distracted by-products and can fully immerse themselves in the venue’s atmosphere.

2. TECHNIQUE

A good technique removes any nuisance during service and is acquired through experience and training. In keeping with the Bauhaus mindset, the drinks offering here is minimal and functional, but every step of the drinks process is studied to understand what brings the best final product to the table from the way it’s created, to the style and the service. Having a precise system to receive guests, to present the menu, to serve them water, to take their order — allows the team to work flawlessly and allow guests to relax.

At the bar everything should feel and appear effortless so the teamwork on muscle memory, mechanisms and systems to ensure they are well versed on technical aspects and can free their mind to focus on bringing their natural personality and flow to service.

3. PERSONALITY

Paul is a firm believer that the personality of the staff is what creates the atmosphere in the venue, “Having emotional intelligence to be able to read the room, the customer's mood and needs is important. These elements are harder to learn, but not impossible, and are certainly worthwhile investing time and effort in”.

In order to offer guests the best experience possible, they include philosophical questions and emotional intelligence theory into staff training to help everyone open their minds to the impact they have on the guest’s experience.

Emotional intelligence training is a favorite of Lougrat’s – essentially it involved having an open and honest conversation with the team on the different aspects that define emotions. In these conversations, they discuss how to empathize, how to express yourself, how to evaluate yourself and how to become more self-aware which creates a great platform for exchange and development with the team. Other training at the venue is based around three main themes:

• ART – the team are trained on Art Nouveau and Bauhaus to ensure they understand where the concepts are coming from. If you’re introducing a concept in your venue invest in training the team in the meaning and thought behind it to really get their buy-in.

• FLAVORS AND CREATIVITY – through various exercise the team are challenged to use all of their senses to explore the difference between flavor and taste. You can do blind tasting with your team to challenge their flavor perception and remove any bias from their minds. This will encourage their creativity too.

• TECHNIQUE – as mentioned the team is trained on exactly how to greet and serve guests, serve drinks and manage the in-house systems for flawless, hassle-free delivery. Understand what perfect service is for your venue and set a standard that all the team must adhere to – investing time here and training the team to this level further delivers on your venues experience.

WHAT’S RIGHT FOR YOUR VENUE?

If you’re considering positioning your offering around a concept it’s important that you fully understand that concept and be prepared to run it through every aspect of your venue. Guest experience can be influenced through many elements; interior design, service, your offer, music, materials used for the coasters, staff uniform, so you must consider anything that will impact the senses of a guest as well as their intellect.

Design of your space is very important. It’s the most immediate way to present your message to your customer so take time to review this and draw on professional help if you need it.

Train your team for a flawless technique and ensure they are delivering a service and conducting themselves in line with the vibe you wish to achieve in your venue.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Be aware of changing guest behavior and the competitive landscape before implementing new ways of working in your bar.
• Identify your unique selling point and seek to capitalize on that.
• Draw inspiration from other bars and restaurant experiences.
• When implementing a concept in your venue ensure that you run it across all aspects of design, service and presentation.
• Invest in team training to ensure the team can deliver on the experience you aim to offer.