In the post-covid era, it can be hard to find a leg up in the new age of hospitality. In such a volatile business landscape, navigating the waters of what works and what doesn’t can mean life or death of your bar or restaurant. So many of the high upside changes are also usually high price tags, and the cheap options usually won’t make much of a difference in customer attraction or interest. Except for one. Investing in your menu.
There are a few ways to use the menu to the advantage of an owner or operator. The first of which is in addition to a standard menu, offering an ever changing seasonal menu option. The opportunity that seasonal menus provide are a huge help for any business. Using the same menu forever can bore customers, and at a certain point will likely lead them to try other places, meaning a loss in the form of opportunity cost. Offering new drinks and food every few months can excite customers to come in and try something that won’t be around for long. And, if they like it, will create a desire to return again the next time it’s offered, creating a new regular or long term returning customer. And on top of that, it provides a cheap marketing ploy as well. Something that can be blasted across all social media a business may have, and create some buzz amongst the customers that already like coming in.
Something like a seasonal menu isn’t the only way a menu can be used to the advantage of a bar and/or restaurant though. The actual menu itself is a cheap way to make a difference among customers and potential customers. If the menu is visually appealing and well-made, it will make a world of difference to customers. Chances are, potential new customers won’t be very impressed by a plain black and white menu with nothing else on it. They’ve seen it a million times, everywhere else. But, if some color is added and a new design is used, it will catch the eye of passersby and get some feet in the doors of any business. How many times have you yourself walked past a restaurant on the street with an eye-catching menu, and stopped for at least a second to take a look? It’s an effective way to draw the attention of people that may otherwise have just walked by the door. Even if they don’t all come in, one additional customer going this route is a win. It doesn’t even necessarily require an artist to come in and provide the artwork for you for a piece of your budget. Management or ownership on a free online design application, or have a talented employee try their hand at the same thing.
Changing up the menu every once in a while, or using a unique and eye popping design to draw customers may seem like small changes, but it can make a huge difference in the aggregate. Any little leg up on the competition can be helpful to any business, no matter the industry. This is especially true though, in hospitality. The margins are everything in the bar/restaurant world, and maximizing them can be tough. Another way to achieve this is implementing the BarMinder digital liquor inventory system into your bar.
The BarMinder system is leading the way of the new era of digital liquor inventory management. In the 21st century, inventory should not be this hard. We have phones that can talk to space, why are you still walking around with pen and paper counting bottles? Liquor inventory should be easy, in real time, increase profits, and be able to be accessed anytime from anywhere. The BarMinder system does just that. By reducing shrinkage levels and eliminating the labor involved with inventory, staff can focus on the things that matter. Enhancing the guest experience is vital to success in the bar industry. BarMinder makes it happen. Centered on the revolutionary Pour Spouts, The BarMinder Inventory System tracks every bottle from when it enters the establishment until it goes into the trash. By combining data from the spouts about every drop being poured with real-time counts of every bottle in storage, BarMinder lets you never have to count another bottle of liquor. Ever. Just slap a sticker to the neck of the bottle and check it into the system, your inventory is complete and provided to you on the hub on location or anywhere in the world on your phone. No more incorrect counts, no more hours wasted on counting bottles, you and your staff can focus on caring for customers, and BarMinder will let you know when there’s something that can be done to improve your operations. Reduce shrinkage, reduce overhead, and make more money with BarMinder.
