Top 17 Ways On How to Start And Run a Successful Bar Business

Nigerian Men like to relax after work and most of the times, they do it at the Bar. Seating on a round table with friends and ‘gisting‘ over some bottles of soft drink or beer and pepper soup is ideal evening setting for most Nigerian men.

Imagine the disappointment when you wants to go out for a drink and there is no bar in your area..? That disappointment can be turned into a business starting from now. 

Everyone like the perfect place to unwind and enjoy great food and drink in a laid back environment, and if you provide that for them, you’re in for good business. Millions of bottles of drinks are consumed everyday by Nigerian men and women and Billions of Naira are made from these drinks too. Go into this business and you’ll grab your share of the cash!

THE FOLLOWING TIPS  CAN SERVE AS  GUIDES IN SETTING UP A BAR BUSINESS IN NIGERIA.

1. Decide what type of bar you want to open

The first quintessential step before starting with all bits and drabs of creating your dream establishment is to decide on what type of bar you’d like to run. Here’s a brief overview of different kinds of bars.

Neighborhood Bar 

You’ll spot this type of bars pretty much everywhere around the US. They are small, cozy establishments where the locals come for a round of drinks on a Friday night. It has this friendly “home away from home” atmosphere and most probably, you will eventually know all the regulars. Example: McLaren’s bar from How I met your mother.The startup costs majorly depend on your location and the type of license you decide to purchase (beer and wine only or liquor as well). How much would it cost to open such a bar? You can purchase an existing one for around $45.000 in a small town. Your revenue would highly depend on the location and the bar’s capacity. Yet a major advantage of starting a neighborhood bar is that you can duplicate it in any other location and double the profits.

Read Also: Earn At least N2,000 DailySports Bar 
Compared to neighborhood bars, sports bars usually offer a wider range of food on the menu– pizza, sandwiches and other appetizers to keep the crowd full during matches. If you want to open your own bar, you’ll have to invest in a couple of wide screen TVs, decent audio and most probably satellite TV as the percentage of your revenue highly depends on the technology you use. Your customers come with a purpose to have fun together watching a sport even on big screen. Additionally, to keep the public entertained, you can add video games and sports oriented games to keep your customers engaged while there’s no major event on air. Potential revenue depends on your bar’s location, capacity and concept.

Brewpub or Beer Bar 
Beer bars offer a wide selection of different beers with some appetizers and snacks on the menu. Brewpubs typically offer a few types of their own draft beer with some bottled beer selections too. With a brewpub you also have the ability to control what and how much products you produce.

The pros of starting a beer only bar or microbrew pub is that you’ll spend less money and efforts on obtaining the license. Another major advantage for those who want to open such a bar – men and young adults drink beer more often than any other alcoholic beverage, meaning you will always have customers. How much does it cost to open a bar? The costs of opening a brewpub can be quite high (estimated around $450.000-$800.000) as you’ll have to invest into equipment. Yet the investment can pay off fast if you start producing a popular beer and re-sell it later on. The costs of starting a beer bar are much lower ($50.000-$100.000) and depend on the size and location. Don’t forget to analyze the drinking trends in the community, as those would drastically influence your revenue. Say a beer bar in Texas would generate more profits, compared to the same sized bar in a trendy NYC neighborhood.

Specialty Bar 

Specialty bars focus around a certain theme (e.g. cigar bars) or certain types of drinks (wine, martini bars). Yet, in both cases a specialty bar should offer a vast variety of products. For instance, martini bars, except for serving different types of martinis also offer martini-based cocktails and mixes. How much does it take to open a specialty bar? Startup costs and potential revenue of a specialty bar on the type of product you offer and location. Remember, you need to run an extensive consumer research when opening a specialty bar in certain area to make sure you have enough customers interested in your theme.

Club 

Clubs can drastically vary in size – from a small lounge cocktail bar with a DJ set in the corner; a medium-sized venue with a stage to host bands in the evening or a full-scale large dance club with parties going till dawn. No matter which size you choose, prepare to spend a lot of time on marketing your establishments as club’s revenue mainly depend on the amount of “buzz” and “trendiness” around them.

2. FIND A SUITABLE LOCATION.

The first thing to consider before every other thing is the location. You’ll need to be smart in your thinking when it comes to making decision about where to set up your bar, some places you may think is not good for the business may just be the hot spot. Where do you think men in that area would likely to be comfortable hanging out?

The amount of people who live, or come around your location will determine the inflow of people. And the inflow of people will determine patronage. Increased patronage usually translates to more sales, which increases financial inflows.

So, get a place with this prospects in view. just be creative and think up a nice location. Look for a shop that has spacious frontage where you can construct a canopy, and make sure the environment is neat if you hope to attract decent people.


Read Also: Make Money Online Sharing Post On Your Facebook

3. GET ATTRACTIVE NAME FOR YOUR BAR BUSINESS.

It is important that every business has a name that distinguishes it from others. And bar isn’t an exception. Therefore, make a simple name that people will have no trouble calling. If anyone has to meet anyone in your bar; it’s an easy call.

When people are able to recall the name of your bar without difficulty, you will find that your bar will serve as a meeting point for all manner of occasions.

4. DECORATE YOUR BAR UNIQUELY.

In order to set-up a bar in Nigeria that will attract continuous patronage, it is important that you give your bar a certain ambiance and conviviality that will keep your customers contented. Crucial to the attainment of this objective, you should go for furniture and decorations that are relaxing and comfortable. Your seating arrangement is also very important and it should be carried out to cater to customers that might prefer to have privacy, whilst in the bar.

In addition, quality should be your watch-word; hence you should adorn your bar with items that will not give way as your customers make their orders and enjoy their meals.

5. PROVIDE ALTERNATE POWER SUPPLY.

Bars in Nigeria fulfill a number of needs/demands. Apart from providing a place for relaxation and socializing, Bars are also expected to provide customers with chilled drinks on demand.

Your bar should be able to meet such demands in a moment’s notice. The only way that this can be guaranteed is by having uninterrupted power supply, especially immediately before and during your business operating hours.

Bar activities always happen in the night, which means, you need a backup generator in case the usual thing happens, (power failure) and to keep other necessities that require electricity in their place.

6. BUY A STANDARD REFRIGERATOR FOR A START.

Another crucial part of it. They always ask: is it cold? A good refrigerator will answer that question. Some alcohol beverage are better served chilled, and that is one  purpose that a generator would serve. There should not be an excuse of power failure.

As time goes on in your business, you’ll be getting free branded refrigerators from the Beer or soft drinks companies as promotional item which they’d require you to use only for their products, you may get different refrigerators for different brands.

7. PROVIDE ENTERTAINING MUSIC.

An important component of relaxation for customers at any Bar in Nigeria, is the availability of nice musical tunes for your customers. Sometimes, there could be a need to shake it off, (dance) and music will serve the purpose.

As a bar owner in Nigeria, you must be conversant with the latest trends in the local music scene and provide a continuous rendition of these songs as your customer wine and dine. However the type of music to be served may depend on your location and the type of people who patronize you.

Home theater, cable TV, sound system should be those gadgets to add colour and life to your beer parlour business, they will attract customers, informing them that, it is happening here, as they pass along the road your beer palour is situated, and they will not pass without turning eyes to take note of what is happening there.

8. PROVIDE ENTERTAINMENT.{FOOTBALL}

One hubby that attract customers to bar is football. Many Nigerian men love football so much . You must use it as a tool to attract customers by showing live matches in all the leagues. If you do this regularly, your bar will never be empty as you will be overwhelmed by the influx of customers. If your bar does not have such a facility, your customers will look for another place they could have it.

In a nutshell, make your customers relax with full effect of varieties of entertainment.

9. SPACE PERMITTING, PROVIDE A GAMING ZONE.

Your bar in Nigeria can stand out from the competition if you can add value added services to your core competence. This service should include the provision of a gaming arcade where your customers can play games such as snooker, darts, music miming and so on.

You should aim to set up your bar as an all-in-one entertainment and relaxation centre where your customers have a variety of events and activities to keep them occupied.

10. DECIDE ON THE MENU TO BE SERVED.

In addition to the attraction of cold drinks, your bar must be able to provide sumptuous meals and small chops as complementary servings.

Drinks are better served with meats, fish, or pepper soup. You may not have to serve them all, but choose any that will satisfy your customers. Point and kill, and pepper soup are better options, because they contain pepper, and are always hot. Moreover, smoke fish, and barbecue are popular choice. If you cannot do it all by yourself, make a franchise, get people who specialize on any of those, and give him or her a stand.

Whatever menu you settle for, it must be well made to acceptable standards, in order to keep your existing customers as well as attract new ones.

11. EMPLOY WELL TRAINED STAFF.
 This is very important because your staff behavior to customers will determine if they will return or not. They must be well trained on how best to serve, importance of courtesy and all forms of body language. Also, they must be trained on tolerant as many inebriated individuals tend to misbehave, hence endurance is needed because they are your customers who will surely return again and again. The number of staff you need depends on how big your bar is otherwise, two staffs would just be OK.

This move will help you lower your daily operational costs as well give your customers the sense that your bar values their comfort and needs.

12. THE PRICE OF A DRINK. 

Another thing that could draw people close, or chase them away is how much they are paying for a bottle. If they find a little difference in price “nearby” that favors them. They may be tempted to go there. So, the best thing is to make the price as affordable as possible.

13. NO SMOKING

The common bar doesn’t have rules for smoking, in fact everything goes. But here, you need to establish a (to be or not be) rule. Some people may actually come to your bar because it’s a non smoking bar. Others may not come because they would not be allowed to smoke. Your decision is a standard you have chosen to be known by.

14. PURCHASE QUALITY EQUIPMENTS/FURNITURE.

Purchase quality equipment such as chairs and table.
Buy very strong plastic chairs and round tables, make sure you get the originals, don’t buy fake because that may embarrass your customers if they fall from it. Quality one are more costly and they look bigger and stronger. Buy as many as you think would be more than enough.

15. PURCHASE YOUR PRODUCTS.

Everything that has ever crosses your mind that your customers will ask for in your beer parlour, should be readily available, ranging from all types of assorted drinks, soft drinks. Get most of your selling items on bulk.

16. RESPECT YOUR CUSTOMERS.

What you need to know is that without these customers, your business will fall, because it is the customers that make your business thrive, so customers must be first in everything, you do have responsibility to serve them better, respect them and above all, attain to the issues they may have in your business place with compassion.

17. SECURITY

The common bar doesn’t have security men in fact everything goes. But here, you need to establish a (to be or not be) security men Some people may actually come to your bar because you have security men in your bar. Others may not come because you dont have. Your decision is a standard you have chosen to be known by.

HOW LUCRATIVE IS BAR BUSINESSES IN NIGERIA.

Bar business is on the list of top five lucrative businesses that you can start with low capital and grow big. But, there is a question of; how? There are many patterns of running a bar, some common, some expensive.
First of all, let’s analyze how much you may be making in a carton of beer, to see if it is encouraging enough.
There are 12 bottles per a carton.
You may buy a carton for N2,100 .
And sell them for N200 or N250.
Calculating from the latter, 250x 12=3,000.
That means you have made from a carton N700.
Now if you sell 4 cartons a night, you have made N2,800.
This analysis is for the common type of bar business.

For the expensive type, the analysis goes like this-
A carton- N2,300.
Price per a bottle-N400.
400×12 =N4,800.

If you sell 4 cartons a night, you will have N19,200.

CHALLENGES LIKELY TO FACE

There is no business without some sort of challenges, so bar business is not exempted from business challenges. The reason I have to mention this is to inform you that, should you have any interest to venture into bar business. 

This, of course, is very important. In a bar business context, some good customers are likely to patronize your bar frequently, soon, they will consider them as loyal customers, and before you know it, they will be coming for credit, and just before you know it their debt will be accumulating, and just before you know it your business is starting deteriorating, so to avoid this kind of challenge in your business you have to be strict at some point, introduce ‘no credit’ policy, and by so doing you are likely to scare away few of them who may help destroy you business.

CONCLUSION.

You should learn to think big and start small.
 This is a business that thrives on consistency so if you start out well you have to remain on top of your game and the customer will have a reason to patronize you.

Once you have all these in place, you’re ready for business. The benefits in this business are numerous, get started and you won’t regret it. Start making money in your bar business but remember my free drink and pepper soup whenever I come around!

Don’t forget to share this post using the social buttons below. See you in our next article!

The business world is like a game, play by the rules and you will get the desired result. It is not a complicated game.
If you’ve any more question about this business, feel free to use the comment box and I will reply as soon as possible.
Wish you all the best in your business career.

Thanks for Reading.
What Next…
Don’t forget to share this post.