5 Things Every Bartender Can Do to Attract More Regulars

You want your bar to become the place “where everybody knows your name” or perhaps you just want a reliable stream of tips. Whatever your motivation is to attract new people to your bar, you need regular customers.

 

Here are 5 things bartenders can do to attract more regulars to make the bar experience better for all involved.

1. An Awesome Happy Hour

When it comes to winning over new customers so that they come back to your bar over and over, a ‘killer’ happy hour is key. If your bar offers awesome deals on drinks and food, you can convince customers to stop by during those times. Once they stop by, it becomes a part of their regular routine. And you’ll have regulars that you can count on for consistent tips.

2. Create Photo-Friendly Opportunities

Be sure to create photo-friendly opportunities at your bar. This helps customers to remember that they had a great time while they were there. You can do this by hosting silly events to giving out free prizes. When customers come to your bar not knowing what exactly to expect, they’ll be more likely to come back for more if they had a good time.

3. Make Sure There Are Plenty of Singles

Why would customers come to your bar versus all the other options? The answer is simple: the people. That is one thing that they won’t be able to get anywhere else. Trivia games, speed dating, and other events that are likely to attract the single crowd.

If your bar is known as a place where singles are ready to mingle, guys and gals will hang out often. People will have more fun and will think of your bar as a great place to make new friends.

4. Reach Out to Your Neighbors

If you haven’t had a chance to check out other restaurants, bars, and businesses in your neighborhood, now is the time to start. All you have to do is introduce yourself and offer the them discounts, free drinks or invitations to a special event at your bar. Or just tell them about the happy hour specials.

In no time, they’ll start to feel like your old friends. Then on the days when your bar is slow, these are the people who will become the regulars that stop in for a few drinks just to support.

5. Learn Your Customers’ Preferences

One way to turn customers into regulars is by getting to know them better. Find out their names and their favorite drink orders. If Julia always orders a dirty martini, be ready to pour that drink as soon as you see her walk into the bar.

Every time that you interact with a customer, you should always seem happy to see them and ready to serve them. Having a friendly attitude towards your customers is the best way to develop relationships to create regular customers.

Original Article: https://botyapp.com/blog-bartender-attract-regulars/ 

Want to connect with people at your bar in a whole new way? Download the BOTY App on iTunes or Google Play for free!

Subscribe to our mailing list

How to Pull Off a Bar Crawl in a New City

Sometimes you can find yourself in a new city and when the sun goes down, you know it’s time to party. But how do you pull off a bar crawlin a city that you’ve never been to and make it successful?

Never fear, help is here! With our best tips and the BOTY app, you’ll be mingling with the locals in no time.

1. Study the Area Before You Go

Get to know what’s up and what’s down. Are there areas of the city that have a lot of restaurants and bars in a concentrated area? Scouting those areas first and how to get there is probably going to be your best bet in terms of finding a string of bars that you can spend all night in.

Are you looking for a laid back night at the dive bar or are craft cocktails more your speed? You should also decide on the type of bars that you prefer and check the crowd so that you don’t end up walking into the local biker gang’s hangout by accident.

2. Find Out What Time Things Close

In New York City, you’ll notice that bars stay open until the wee hours of the morning so you can get your drink on until 2 am or later in many places. However, in other cities bars may close at 1 am or earlier.

By checking to see what time everything closes, you can make sure that you don’t head out too late. That way you won’t have to worry about not having enough time to close the deal or enjoy a few more rounds at a second or third bar.

3. Don’t Forget to Include Food

A bar crawl that doesn’t include a pitstop for food is a rookie’s mistake. Don’t end up spending your night taking in only liquid calories so that you’re puking up vodka before the clock even strikes midnight.

Whether it’s a food truck strategically located along the way or a sports bar that serves wings, getting food is the only way that you’ll be able to keep going all night.

4. Don’t Mix

The general rule of thumb whenever you’re drinking, but is especially important if you’re going to do a bar crawl, is that you do not mix liquors. Unless you plan on waking up the next day with a splitting headache and stomach pains that will just waste the rest of the time that you have in your new city, don’t do it. Try to choose one type of alcohol and stick with it.

5. Be Prepared to Skip It

No matter how perfect you think your plan is, things can change along the way. A bar might not draw the crowd that you’re looking for. Don’t be afraid to skip that place on your list and go to the next one.

6. Mingle

Even if you don’t speak the language, it doesn’t hurt to try and say hello once you’re at the bar. You might be pleasantly surprised to find that there are locals there that can speak your language. Don’t forget, the whole point of a bar crawl is to have fun and you occasionally meet some really cool people. So make it happen!

Original Article: https://botyapp.com/blog-bar-crawl-new-city/

Want to connect with people at the bar in a whole new way? Download the BOTY App on iTunes or Google Play for free!

Subscribe to our mailing list

Does Gender Affect Your Tips?

When bartenders think about how to increase their tips, not much thought typically goes into whether or not their gender helps. So do women or men make more in tips due to their sex?

There is a stigma among men is that beautiful ladies make more money than men. And many female bartenders believe they are underpaid compared to their male counterparts. So what is really the truth behind this matter?

The Battle Of The Sexes

In Render Food Magazine, they stated, in their article about servers, “The idea that women make more in tips due to sex appeal is an enduring cultural myth.”

Rain Dove Blog did a study one night as the ‘Battle of The Sexes’ at a local bar in Brooklyn and at the end of the night, the male had around $100 more in tips than the female. 

In this article on waitbutwhy.com it stated one of the six proven ways to get better tips was,  “ideally, be a slender, attractive, big-breasted blond in your 30s.” They based this off a scientific study down by Michael Lynn Ph.D. To view the study go here.

We did some research and the jury is still out on whether or not gender really will increase your tips. Many articles show that men make higher tips while other articles say women make more.

The Real Truth About Gender And Tips

After our thorough investigation, we believe that gender is not the issue when it comes to tipping. There are several factors that will determine how much you make in tips whether you are female or male.

• The economic status of the person you are serving. It matters how many the customer makes and if they are in much debt. This has nothing to do with gender or how you are performing as a bartender. On average, the higher their social status, they more likely they will tip you well.
• How great you are as a bartender will affect your tips. If you pay attention to your customers and make very little mistakes, you can end up with better tips. And if you don’t have great people skills, your tips will reflect that.
• Lastly, when it comes to tips it also depends on your establishment. More prominent locations will have higher tipping customers. Of course you may find those stingy ones too, but location does matters.

This gender debate will go on for years and years. However, the bottom line is if you do your job well, take care of your customers and interact with them you will see that you are making great tips whether you are a male or female. If gender does play a role, which we don’t believe it does, it’s only a small role. So be yourself, work hard and forget all those gender tipping stigmas.

Original Article: https://botyapp.com/gender-affect-tips/

Want to connect with people at the bar in a whole new way? Download the BOTY App on iTunes or Google Play for free!

Subscribe to our mailing list