WHAT MAKES A FLAIRBAR WORK? (Part 2)

Good question… and last month we started to take a closer look at how some succesful Flairbars have accomplished this. A recipe for success that we are now sharing with you.

That brought us to our “5 steps towards a successful Flairbar”. Take this very seriously or it will come back and make things tremendously difficult for you later. First you have a great location and put the right people in the right places and then you can work on these…

5 STEPS TOWARDS A SUCCESFUL FLAIRBAR

Picking up where we left off last month on our Second Step… “Guest Service”. This is either hit or miss at most places. They either get it or they don’t. Understand that taking care of the guests (the people that pay your bills) and making them feel welcome and appreciated will guarantee repeat business which is repeat revenue for the bartender and establishment which also will make the establishment look busier with more people. The busier a place is the cooler it must be right? I mean everyone wants to hang out and been seen at the coolest places… don’t they? One way to keep your guests coming back is to give them better service then anywhere else. Don’t assume you can dictate the treatment of guests any way you like and neglect service or you will start to wonder why you eventually are earning less.

Names, handshakes, smiles and drinks… Sometimes we underestimate how important it is to take care of our guests. There are many areas and topics of guest service but the short and sweet version is “Make your guests feel special and appreciated and they will keep coming back to you rather then someone else”.

One way we can accomplish this is by giving the guests a better perceived value for their hard earned money. An effective way to communicate this is by our Third Step… “Proper Free Pouring”. Picture your bartender pouring your drink with an inverted bottle in their hand held above their head pouring a long stream of liquor into a tin held in another hand below their waist. Instantly you see the long stream of liquor and think “Wow… I’m getting hooked up!”. You might think you are getting more for your money. Now picture the same bartender pouring your drink with that same bottle and measuring the liquor into a small metal jigger before dumping it into your drink. No real reaction there besides…

1. I’m not getting hooked up .

or

2. I’m not getting cheated and getting exactly what I paid for .

When in all reality the bartender is pouring the same 1 1/4oz pour with Flair as the bartender using a 1 1/4oz jigger but with more effect and efficiency. Yes I said efficiency… think about when a bartender pours using a jigger, they can only pour one bottle at a time and use both hands to pour one bottle. With Proper Free Pouring the bartender can pour multiple bottles at once and have the freedom of using both hands during the drink making process. So now not only do the guests have a better perceived value for their money using Proper Free Pouring but they are also getting their drinks quicker which makes for better guest service… Again we will keep this short and not even get into all of the advantages of Proper Free Pouring over jigger pouring so we will leave it at that for now.

So to recap so far… Make your guests feel special and appreciated and they will keep coming back to you rather then someone else. Also give your bartenders the freedom to Proper Free Pour. It is kind of hard to entertain your guests with Flair and then be forced to use a jigger at the end to pour the liquor. I have seen it done before but nothing beats the advantages of Proper Free Pouring. Most Flair bartenders already know how to Proper Free Pour accurately but don’t assume that they all already know. Purchase an Exacto-Pour 7 Tube System (which can be purchased HERE) and constantly test them to keep them on their toes and for your piece of mind.

We will stop there and continue next month with “What Makes a Flairbar Work? Part 3″. Until then keep working on the first three steps…