Bar owners, does your staff want to earn bigger tips? This is something you can help them with. We’re going to assume you’ve hired your bar staff for their customer service skills, and you’ve offered additional training in this area. With that as your foundation, Signal Connect shares these bar management tips that help increase tips. By doing this, you’re also helping improve your bar customers’ experience. This encourages patrons to come back and spend even more money. When you look at it that way, it’s a win-win for you, your customers, and your bar employees!
When Bar Patrons First Come In
The foundation for the tips your bar staff earns begins the moment they greet your customers. Tell your staff to remember the “golden rule of tipping,” which states that people tip people they like. It’s important that your bar employees are friendly, professional, and prompt the moment anyone walks through the door. Here are some of the basics:
- Always offer eye contact and a smile. This winning combination immediately puts bar customers at ease.
- Say “hello” to your bar patrons and let them know that it’s good to meet them. If they’re regulars, encourage your staff to say, “It’s great to see you again!”
- When your guests sit down, have your bar staff to tell them that it’s their job is to make sure they have a good time. Encourage them to say things such as, “If there is anything I can do, please let me know!”
- Call bar customers by their first name, or Mr./Ms./Mrs. This makes your guests feel important and special, which is something they look for when they go out.
When Bar Patrons Order Drinks
One of the best ways your bar staff can help your customers – and earn bigger tips – is during this time. Encourage your employees to interact with your bar patrons by asking them if they have any questions or need tips about a drink. Another great question your bar employees can ask is, “How can I get you the best value for your money?” Everyone enjoys saving money, so anytime you can appeal to this desire, your bar customers will be thankful. They often show that gratitude in their tips.
Having a command over your bar’s menu gives your wait staff an opportunity to shine. Encourage bar employees to pick a beer, wine, cocktail, and spirit as their personal favorite. This becomes the drink they suggest when bar patrons ask for a recommendation. In order to be convincing, your employees need to memorize the following things about their drink(s) of choice:
- Who makes the product.
- What are its unique ingredients.
- The flavor profile.
- What foods the drink goes well with.
- The product’s price.
- Any other special detail about the product, such as the manufacturer’s brewing or distilling techniques and how that affects the taste, etc.
Are the bar customers regulars? Then your staff should do all they can to remember their individual drink preferences. When they return, your bar employees can ask these patrons if they’d like the same drink they had the last time they were at the bar. “Would you like to try that lemon drop again, Mrs. Smith?” She’ll be glad that your staff remembered her and her drink preference. If “Mrs. Smith” wants something different, your bar staff should share what they know about the new drink.
After They Order
Many bar employees start out great with customers, but their follow-through is horrible. Think of a time when you were a customer and the staff ignored you after taking your order. Do you remember how that made you feel? That’s not how you want your patrons to feel when they’re at your bar. That’s why it’s paramount that your staff remember to check back on your customers to ask them if they are enjoying their drinks, and if there’s anything else they need.
Here are some things your staff can and must do to help make bar patrons feel appreciated:
- Try to be fun and friendly with your bar customers through casual conversation.
- Always look as professional as possible with your uniform, hair, hygiene, etc.
- Be polite and courteous! Say please, thank you, etc.
- Always carry an extra pen and paper with you in case a customer needs to write something down.
All of these customer service tricks and more will go a long way toward making guests feel appreciated. That usually translates into good tips for your bar staff.
Before Bar Customers Cash Out
When your bar staff is genuinely friendly and generous to your customers, those patrons will feel good about returning that generosity. In most cases, this means rather generous tips. Your employees have one last chance to add to their guest experience before these customers pay their bill. While it’s something small, it can make a big impact on your customers’ experience in your bar.
Encourage your staff to write a personalized message on the customer’s bill. It can be anything from “Thank you so much for stopping by” to something more personal like, “Glad you liked the lemon drop, Mrs. Smith!” With so many chain and franchise businesses, this kind of personal touch is often missing today. By taking advantage of this last chance to show you care will go a long way with them… and it usually shows up in the tip.
Bonus Tip: DIRECTV Can Earn You More Money
All of the advice we shared in this post can help your bar staff earn more tips while improving your customer service. Here’s another tip to help you, the bar owner, earn more money: get DIRECTV. That’s right. Think about it. When you have the big game on in your bar, your patrons stay longer. When they do, they also order more food and drinks, which drives up your revenue! Your employees will love having DIRECTV in the bar, too, because more people means more and bigger tips for them.
When it comes to providing DIRECTV for bars and restaurants, Signal Connect is king. We specialize in commercial DIRECTV accounts. We can match you with a DIRECTV account and professional sports viewing package that will appeal to your customers. We also can save you a lot of money with this special promotions we’re offering bar owners. These deals won’t last long, so you’ll definitely want to call to find out more about them.
To get started, call us at 888-233-7563. We’re here for you during East Coast business hours. If it’s after hours, fill out the form below. We’ll get right back to you!
