Though winter is usually one of the busier times for the bar and nightclub industry, at least until February rolls around; you won’t be drumming up the big crowds if you don’t embrace the holiday spirit. When patrons head out for libations at their favorite bar of nightclub, they want the look and feel of the establishment to reflect what time of year it happens to be. After Halloween comes and goes, the true jolly season will be upon you and preparing your bar for the holidays is very wise.
Most bar and nightclub owners know that the night before Thanksgiving marks the start of the holiday selling period. Not only is the night before Thanksgiving one of the busiest bar nights of the year, but is also your chance to win over customers to come in for their Christmas and New Year’s Eve celebrations. There are several key things to consider when preparing your bar for the holidays, so let’s take a look at some of the most important aspects so you can bring in as much revenue as possible during this season.
Holiday Decorations
One of the most important aspects of making your bar or nightclub look and feel like it is appropriately set up for the holidays are the decorations. When decorating your bar or nightclub, it is important to remember that you don’t want to be too subtle but you also don’t want to overdo it. For Thanksgiving, you’ll want to put up some fall colors and things representing the harvest such as leaves or pumpkins. What you don’t need to do is put little turkeys at ever spot along your bar rail because your guests just want a hint of autumn; not to be inundated with it.
For Christmas, consider lining the edges of your bar with some Christmas lights and some green garland. You should also consider hanging a few Christmas wreaths around the bar in places such as the bathroom doors and the main entrances. If you want to put up a Christmas tree, that’s okay too; just make sure you don’t put them all throughout your establishment. You can easily overdo it with too many lights and possible obstructions in your normal routines.
Lastly, you should think about changing it up a bit for your New Year’s Eve celebration. The easiest way to do this is to simply remove the Christmas trees and wreaths and swap the green garland for something a little more fun like silver tinsel. You want the holiday feel to still remain and embrace the concept that its winter, but you want to separate the decorations from Christmas as much as possible. You should also consider a free champagne toast at midnight and advertise it starting the week of Christmas because this can really pack your seats on New Year’s Eve.
Special Brews
Just like other times of the year, the holidays have all sorts of great craft beers that come out for a limited time. in fact, there are even some great craft sodas as well if you run a family establishment. Make sure that you have a good selection of seasonal beers because many of your customers will be searching for some. You don’t want to eliminate your most popular beers on tap, but adding a few special brews can really round out your customers’ experiences.
Holiday Cocktails
Like special brews, there are many holiday cocktails that are very popular. You will certainly see a rise in drinks like Kahlua and coffee. Additionally, brown liquors like brandy and Christmas-specific drinks like eggnog or Tom and Jerry batter will start moving. Make sure you stay on the forefront of demand and make special table tents to advertise these high margin drinks over the holidays.
By preparing your bar for the holiday season, you can reap the benefits without stress. Remember, careful planning is always important! But if you put in the work, it will all pay off in the end. Good luck, and take care!
