If you have happened to gamble once or twice in your life, then you know the real purpose of alcohol in a venue. Even having done it from the comfort of your couch (like all the whizz-kids do nowadays – using a smartphone or an iPad for playing pokies online) but having prepared the ambiance – put on a tuxedo, lit up a cigar and poured yourself a good old glass of whiskey, you might have felt it too.
As you probably know, most casinos serve alcoholic drinks for free. Just sit at one of the noisiest tables or by a slot machine and place a couple of high bets, and the cocktail server will magically materialize in front of you asking for your drink order. Free of charge.
‘Free of charge’ at a casino won’t mean paying nothing at all, though. It is a barter: the alcohol will make you more mellow and less thrifty, more willing to take risks and show everyone a good time and less cautious about tomorrow.
Champagne can turn anything into a celebration; a cocktail umbrella will light up any dull day. And that good old whiskey? Oh, just place the rocks glass into my palm, and watch me crash that Blackjack Dealer!
That’s what alcohol does: it makes your guests stay longer and have a better time which adds up to better sales and returning customers.
But enough about the emotional side of the story: let’s get down to the pragmatic business aspects.
Why you should serve alcohol at a restaurant:
- As we’ve said before, a bar menu attracts customers, increases sales, builds rapport with guests, and brings many of them back.
- Alcohol sales drive business. It can be a real boost for a restaurant that is just getting started and struggling to make a profit.
- Bars have inner aesthetics: from the way glasses and bottles are placed on shelves to professional bartenders able to turn each serving into a small show and conversing with guests. Throw a few more bright shots, unique recipes, untrivial names, and a slick social media account – and there you have it – one more promotional tool to attract photo lovers and those with an eye for an ambiance.
- Bars bring customers off-hours. Their specials and ‘happy hours’ can provide a restaurant owner with clientele during slow seasons and at night.
- Alcohol is not one of the most perishable foods; it is rather easy to stock and manage.
Alcohol at your restaurant – what to concern yourself with?
1. Dry and semi-dry laws
Every country, region, or even state might have something specifically unique to say about alcohol at their restaurants. Some prohibitions will establish time (hours, seasons, or days) and age limits; the others dare dictate where and how much to serve, what containers to use, and where to import from.
Not to mention completely ‘dry’ areas – in 2022, there are still places on our planet where selling alcohol is absolutely forbidden: 9 southern US states with their 1 – 34 dry counties, including Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kansas, Kentucky, Mississippi, South Dakota, Tennessee, and Texas; Australia has its dry places in the south with most of the states having various alcohol restrictions; and Saudi Arabia, UAE, Maldives, Sudan, Somalia, Afghanistan, Mauritania, Kuwait, Yemen, Libya, Iran, Bangladesh, Pakistan have the strictest set of alcoholic laws possible.
Even if you think you know the area better than the palm of your hand, we advise checking all the laws and requirements once again.
2. Does your brand need alcohol?
The formula here will include the venue type and overall style, target audience, and return on your investment. If you decide to have a bar at your venue, make sure it is well paired with the menu and doable for your staff. A customer will hardly have time or a craving for a decanted Barolo at a fast-food pizza place. Bar equipment and trained employees of age will be another article of expenses in your budget records.
Do your math and give it time to collect the data after adding alcoholic beverages to the menu. Is having a bar menu worth it, or does it give you more headache than profit?
3. Can you handle skunks?
In addition to the most crucial rule of all – no underage (those over 21 or 18 in some countries) customers can be served alcohol – there are many more things to consider. Restaurant guests expect your staff to ensure a safe and positive dining experience, and you have to know how to deal with anyone who is likely to stand in the way of it.
Handling drunk guests is not only a matter of pleasing your customers but also your potential liability and an insurance issue.
Think of training your employees on how to be patient but firm with those who are already tipsy and what to do when a scandal can’t be avoided. Build relationships with taxi drivers to offer the guest fast and affordable rides home, add some mocktails and non-alcoholic beverages to your menu for drivers so that they could drive safely after the party and still have a good time with their friends at your place.
4. Getting a Liquor License
The process is neither quick nor cheap. You will have to meet stringent criteria concerning bar hygiene, proper zoning and location (not in close proximity to a school or a college, for instance), etc. A venue can’t serve alcoholic drinks if the license is pending. Plus, the license is subject to renewals every once in 1 – 3 years, depending on the place.
Digital businesses like deliveries and online grocery services (just like online casinos and minimum deposit casino platforms in the gambling business that we started our article with) are sure to have those laws and regulations altered to suit the online world.
Summing it all up, we would like to say that, just like with Shakespear’s eternal questions, there is no single answer or piece of advice that every restaurant owner must follow to succeed. There are many factors to consider, and we have mentioned just the thickest brush strokes of the entire picture.