If you are a bar owner in America (or anywhere in the world for that matter!), I am sure you know that New Year’s Eve is one of the biggest bar nights of the year. Bars can see record high foot traffic (especially if they are in an urban city) and can see increased revenue. So how should you prepare for one of the world’s biggest bar nights? Here are a couple tips to help you!
One of the biggest rookie mistakes that a bar owner can make is to be unprepared when it comes to their staff. Make sure you are going to be fully staffed on the big night (in fact, if you are expecting big crowds you may want to be overstaffed just to be safe). Every staff member should have a list of designated duties and know their responsibilities before the big night. This way, staff can begin effectively and efficiently working as soon as they start their shift on New Year’s Eve.
If you want to really stand out from the crowd this New Year’s Eve, consider hosting a themed New Year’s Eve night. This can be a simple theme - like ‘Black & White Night’ or ‘Silver & Gold Night’. These are easy themes that you can reinforce in your decorating and advertising efforts. Keep simple, but classy, décor and your guest will be impressed and feel more excited to be spending the holiday in your establishment. If you want to do something more excessive, try going with a more complex theme. You can have a timely decade-based theme – like a 90’s or 80’s theme party. Have your staff dress up in period-appropriate clothing and decorate your bar with nostalgic décor. In your advertisements for the night, offer up a discount on food or drinks if a guest comes dressed appropriately for your theme. By sticking to a fun theme, patrons will be more excited to come to your bar (and not your competitors’) on New Year’s Eve.
If you are really looking to maximize your revenue on New Year’s Eve, be sure to draw more patrons into your video gaming section. There are a myriad of ways to do this ranging from simple, everyday tasks to things that should be implemented only on special occasions. On the simple side of things, make sure your video gaming area is clean and well lit (although avoid making the lights too bright, which can create glares on your gaming machines). Make sure the seating in your gaming area is comfortable, and any music coming from speakers is not too distracting to the players. You can also make sure there are phone chargers near the machines so that players can charge their phones for free while they play the slot machines. For more special occasions (like New Year’s Eve), consider offering food and drink specials just for gaming patrons. For instance, offer a free drink or appetizer to patrons as they play.
While it’s important to make your gamers feel valued and offer them their own specials, food and drink specials should not be exclusive to gaming patrons. On New Year’s Eve, it may help increase your foot traffic if you offer some kind of food or drink specials. Beyond just creating the food and drink specials, make sure to advertise the specials ahead of time so that patrons will be aware of the deals before they make the decision of where they want to spend their New Year’s Eve night. If you are having a themed night, consider making special cocktails or food specials that adhere to your celebratory theme. This will add some exciting fun to your daily menu.
The most important tip we can give you to prepare for New Year’s Eve in this blog, is to PLAN AHEAD. You do not want to be unprepared and end up scrambling the night before New Year’s Eve. If you plan on decorating, buy your decorations well before hand. If you are planning on providing live music or live entertainment, be sure to book your entertainment in advance as local bands may become scarce during the big holiday season. There’s no such thing as over-prepared when it comes to New Year’s Eve!
How are you planning on spending New Year’s Eve? Tell us below in the comments!
Sources
https://get.taphunter.com/blog/how-to-promote-a-killer-new-years-eve-event/
https://www.buzztime.com/business/blog/plan-amazing-years-party-bar-restaurant/