Yes, I just shared 10 bar management tips. I’m back with more. Once again, we’re offering proven techniques to help you keep your bar staff motivated and on task. (We continue to bring a variety of useful business tips to bar owners and managers.) These eight tips, as well as the 10 tips we shared in part I, will help you in your day-to-day interactions with your staff. Remember, we got these bar management tips from successful bar owners just like you.
- Vary Your Management Approach: There are a couple of approaches you can take to resolve issues with staff. The first thing you need to do is take them aside to address the problem individually. (The rest of your team should not hear you redirect other employees.) First find out why they’re behaving the way that they are. Then let them know that their actions are negatively affecting the rest of the team. Usually, this is enough to get them to redirect. If they’re unresponsive to the team approach, address them as an individual. Remind them of the job duties and guidelines that they agreed to when you hired them.
- Always Be Professional (ABP): As the bar owner, you set the tone for how everyone else behaves at your business. Because of this, remember the acronym ABP, which stands for always be professional. Gossiping about employees or customers is something you should never do. It’s the same with complaining about your business. Your team won’t respect you if they see you indulge in these behaviors. Worse yet, they’re likely to emulate them because the boss is doing it. Having staff copying your worst behavioral traits is the last thing you want!
- How to Handle Problems: Let’s say a staff member causes a problem or situation at your bar. What do you do? Many bar owners suggest addressing the problem first. When that’s done, you can focus on the who-did-what-and-why with your employee. Remember, most problems can affect your team, your customers, and/or your business. That’s why these issues are addressed first. Once that’s out of the way and it’s business as usual, it’s time to talk with your employee.
- New Drink Challenge: Do you encourage your staff to find new drink recipes? This is something many successful cocktail bar owners do. The ones we spoke with suggest paying bartenders and staff a few hours’ wages to do this. Your staff will enjoy the fun and creative aspects of this and getting paid for their efforts. Your customers will love having new mixed drinks to choose. Just remember to taste-test every new drink before you put it on your bar’s menu.
- Mystery Shopper: There’s a lot you can learn from a mystery shopper campaign. These great feedback on what you do well. It also gives you eye-opening remarks on where your business falls short. If you want to host a mystery shopper event, offer prizes that motivate your staff. It’s also good to and set reasonable goals for them to achieve. If you can’t afford a mystery shopper campaign, conduct one using a trusted friend or family member. Ask your shopper to carefully observe your staff and reward them accordingly.
- Hang a “Glow Board”: No one likes to feel like they’re doing a “thankless job.” That’s why every bar owner should hang a “glow board” somewhere behind the bar, in an employee common area. You can also hang a glow board out where everyone, including customers, can see. What’s a glow board? It can be something as simple as a corkboard where you can print and hang compliments, good Yelp! reviews, etc. These reviews should motivate your team and remind them that people appreciate their efforts. If you hang it somewhere in the bar, this might encourage other customers to post good reviews.
- Help Them Do Their Jobs: Is there anything your team could use to help them do their jobs better? You won’t know until you ask, and we recommend that you ask. You might be surprised by the answers you get. You might also be impressed by how much better they do their jobs once you get them the tools they need!
Bonus Tip – Cell Phone Signal Boosters for Bars:
The advice we shared above are bar management tips. This next tip is more like customer service advice, and it will help you boost your bar’s revenue. We recommend all bar owners have a cell phone booster in their business. These devices reduce dropped calls, missed texts, and slow or interrupted data. Everyone lives on their cellphones these days, after all. That’s why it’s so important for every business to provide a device-friendly environment. Why not your bar?
The Best Cell Boosters from Signal Connect
Are you ready to put a cellular signal booster in your bar? Signal Connect can help! A division of our company carries cell boosters from weBoost and WilsonPro. The one you need depends upon a variety of factors, all of which our reps can determine. They’ll even offer plenty of installation advice if you need it. Signal Connect can even match you with a local installation professional. We know you probably have some questions that you want answered. Signal Connect can give you all the information you need about cell phone boosters. Just give us a call at 888-233-7563. If it’s after hours, fill out the form below.
