The Bar Business Podcast: Bar & Pub Owner Profits, Marketing & Operations

Your bar's P-Mix is where every margin problem hides. Two bars with the same sales can earn completely different profit. Here's how to read yours and fix it. In this episode I break down what your P-Mix (product mix) really measures, how to pull it from your POS, and the 5 cuts that reveal the most about your margins: category mix, day parts, server performance, slow movers, and pour size. Each one points to a decision you can make this week. If you run your bar on reve...

Most bar training programs do not fail because the material is bad. They fail because there is no system. In this episode, Chris breaks down why handing someone a binder, recipe book, or checklist is not the same as training them. He walks through the three biggest gaps most bars have: knowledge, product, and accountability. Then he explains how to build a training structure around the first week, the first month, and ongoing development. If your staff has the material but still does not know...

When guests say your bar is too expensive, they may not be talking about price. They may be talking about value. In this episode, I talk about perceived value: the gap between what guests pay and what they feel they received. We break down where guests form that value judgment, from your Google profile and first 90 seconds to your menu, staff language, physical touch points, table checks, and send-off. Because price is just the number on the menu. Value is the story your whole bar tells befor...

This month, we are joined by special guest Willie Rosenthal of Gin & Luck. Discover the incredible journey of Willie Rosenthal as he transforms a single cocktail bar into a global hospitality empire with Gin & Luck. Learn how maintaining core values and embracing local cultures have been key to their success. Willie shares insights on leadership, innovation, and the strategic decisions that have driven their growth. Uncover the secrets behind their unique approach to b...

High labor cost does not always mean you have too many people. Sometimes your people are just scheduled at the wrong time. In this episode, I talk about why bar labor cost is often a scheduling problem, not a headcount problem. Your sales do not move evenly through a shift. But your labor usually does. That mismatch is where labor percentage starts getting ugly. We break down how to read your sales curve, spot the ramp, peak, and tail, and schedule your team based on when the money is actuall...

A lot of bar reels look great. But they do nothing. In this episode, Chris breaks down why the gap between “looks content” and “feels content” is killing your social media ROI. Pretty cocktails, neon signs, plated food, and clean bar shots can look good, but they do not always make people want to leave their house and come in. What actually works is content that captures the feeling of your bar: the crowd noise, the energy at 10 p.m., the regulars, the birthday moments, the staff having fun, ...

Most bars say they do private events. But most bars do not have a real system for booking them. In this episode, Chris breaks down why private events are one of the most underused revenue streams in independent bars, especially when slow nights are harder to fill. He covers what to put on a one-page event inquiry sheet, how to think about food and beverage minimums, when to take deposits, why you should not discount your minimums just to close, and how fast follow-up can make or break the boo...

Gen Z is not impossible to manage. A lot of bars are just managing them like it is still 2005. No clear growth path. Vague schedules. Random communication. Feedback only when something goes wrong. Then owners act shocked when younger staff leave. In this episode, I talk about what actually makes Gen Z leave bar jobs and what keeps them around. It is not always more money. It is clarity. Feedback. Growth. Ownership. And a reason to care. If you keep losing younger staff, maybe it is time to st...

Where is your bar’s money actually going? Probably not where you think. A heavy pour. A spill nobody logs. A comp that never gets rung in. A free drink for a friend. One small thing after another. In this episode, I talk about micro loss, the tiny leaks that quietly wreck your margins without looking like a big problem. If your sales look fine but the numbers still do not add up, this is where to look. Your bar may not have a theft problem. It may have a visibility problem. 📌Start Here 🔴If th...

Most bar owners think high-margin liquor is making them money. But if the bottle barely moves, it is not profit. It is trapped cash. In this episode, I break down why obsessing over pour cost can blind you to a bigger problem: slow inventory. A premium bottle might look great on paper, but if it sits on the back bar collecting dust, it is quietly choking your cash flow. I’ll show you how to spot dead stock, when a high-end bottle is actually worth keeping, and how to price slow-moving l...

Most bar owners think hiding financial numbers protects the business. In reality, it usually does the opposite. When your staff doesn’t understand what overpouring, waste, breakage, labor pressure, cash handling, and check averages are doing to the business, they can’t help protect profit. They just keep working blind. Instead, this episode shows you how to use the right numbers to build ownership, stronger accountability, and better decisions from the people who affect your margi...

Bar marketing gets expensive fast when every promotion is aimed at strangers. The smarter move is knowing which customers already visit often, spend more than average, and quietly keep the business alive. In this episode, we break down how to identify your most profitable bar customers using POS data, guest frequency, average check size, visit patterns, and order behavior. You’ll learn why generic promotions attract weak-fit customers, how to spot your best regulars, and how to build better m...

Why is your bar still stuck… even though you’re working nonstop? Here’s the truth most owners avoid: It’s not your staff. It’s not your marketing. It’s you. In this episode, franchise turnaround expert Mike DeJong breaks down the pattern he sees over and over again: Owners are becoming the bottleneck in their own business. You’ll hear why most bar owners stay trapped in operator mode, constantly busy but never actually moving forward, and how their own habits, decisions, and mindset are the r...