If you own and/or operate a bar, one of your top priorities should be making sure the people that live near and around your business are coming in and spending their money. People are fickle though, and it can be tricky to figure out the best ways to make that happen. Getting the local crowd makes you a staple in the community, and can quickly become a hangout hub in the city. Here are some of the best, and most fun ways to make sure you’re drawing that local bunch.
Getting the local crowd makes you a staple in the community.
One easy way to draw the locals is being active and present on social media. A consistent schedule for posts, showcasing the inside of your business, as well as any new drinks or menu items you have can go a long way. People are often hesitant to go somewhere without some sort of information about it first, and a good social media presence can ease that tension. Once they’re in, make sure there are social @s and QR codes in your business to make it easy for your patrons to stay in touch and in the loop.
Another cheap and easy way to draw in the locals is having a fun bar sign right outside your business, with some sort of fun message and artwork every day. What’s displayed on your sign will be discussed amongst the people that pass it by, and will get posted on social media if it’s funny enough. Pay an artistic employee a little to draw something, and throw a funny quote or joke on there, and it’ll catch the eye of many passersby.
A relatively low effort to lure in the people around your bar is hosting watch parties for the local sports teams. Cities will usually rally around their teams, and you can capitalize on that unity pretty easily. Serve a good food menu and a good selection of drinks and you can become a mainstay for local sports fans to come in whenever there’s a big game. Due to the nature of the pro sports schedule, sports fans are guaranteed to be repeat customers. Make sure you provide them with an enjoyable experience and they’ll never stop coming back for more.
Make sure you provide them with an enjoyable experience and they’ll never stop coming back for more.
Themed nights take a little effort and resources, but will almost certainly be a return on investment if you can make it happen. Things like 80s nights, karaoke, trivia, and speed dating are all proven examples of how to take an average night, and give it a fun twist. The possibilities here are endless, and you can create a theme out of basically anything. There’s plenty of fun (and money) to be had with this option, so think outside the box and give potential customers a reason to look forward to the next event.
One of the more grandiose ways to pull in the people near you is hosting or participating in a block party event. It takes effort from the other businesses around you as well, as well as some extensive planning (and even possibly getting permits to do so), but if you can swing it, it will be the most talked about event in your city for a good time before and after it. You get your name out to the locals, and provide them with a very unique and fun experience that they will likely remember for a long time.
