Every week, we at Total Stock Control visit a wide array of pubs, clubs, restaurants and hotels, both rural and urban, throughout the country. Below are five key patterns we’d like to share.
Every week we see that the most successful businesses deliver a first class service, consistently. In my many years working in this industry that is the one thing that has never changed. Consistent service is what matters. Consistent service makes the difference.
Wastage continues to be a problem, particularly among draft craft beers which are seemingly being pulled very high. Also, many cellar keepers and bar owners, don’t know how to store it properly and at what temperatures which affects the quality and can have negative knock-on effects to their business.
More and more of our clients are asking us to work with them in designing their cocktail menus so as to maximise the quality of the drink and control the margins. We’ll also help them understand the costs of the other ingredients including garnishes. Our general advice is to keep it to one standard measure of alcohol in every cocktail as this allows you to keep your price reasonable and still maintain a very good margin.
2015 and the early part of 2016 has seen a move away from draft products and more into long drinks. High quality specialised Irish whiskey is growing strongly along with similarly profiled gin and vodkas.
Actively managing your social media presence is now essential. Word of mouth is still the strongest marketing tool so make sure your reviews and testimonials are out there, in the right channel and that your audience is engaged with what you’re offering. I see Snapchat becoming increasingly influential as people are using it take a photo of their drink and posting it online. You can set up media alerts to let you know when someone has mentioned your pub and you can then re-post it on Facebook, Twitter etc. all of which adds to your online profile. Finally, every pub should have high-speed broadband. It’s inexpensive and absolutely essential.
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