Running a Bar: Tips to Start and End Each Day

Providing customers with a clean and organized bar should be high on the priority list for any bar if they wish to be successful.

What a customer sees when they walk in the door can either help or hurt their experience. Having a concrete routine in place to both open up the bar and close it down will ensure efficiency and guarantee a clean start to each day. These bar management tips offer suggestions on how to start and end the day.

Opening the bar each day is just as important as closing it down. Eliminating the time necessary to take care of out of place items or cleaning creates time that can be better spent. This thorough checklist of opening procedures will help you to run a successful bar.

Survey the exterior of the bar before entering each day.

Look at the doorways and windows to make sure that everything is in order and no debris is blocking the view. Customers see the exterior first, and you want them to enter happy and comfortable.
Once inside, immediately take note of anything that is out of place. A closing routine will eliminate the likelihood of this occurring, but it still is recommended.

Tables and countertops should be cleaned again. Floors, as well, should be vacuumed because you’ll never have a customer complain about a bar being too clean.
Check the tabletop items and replace/refill all the necessary condiments, etc. Something as small as running out of ketchup mid-meal can upset a customer.

Beer lines should be cleared out. Pour a few ounces from each tap to ensure that they are flushed out.
While on the topic of taps, inspect and clean them to remove built-up residue. The water used in cleaning the taps will also help to rinse clean all the drains. If left alone, the old beer smell will permeate the area and turn away customers.

A taste test of the beers helps to check the line for defects and infections. Washing out the lines will likely solve the issues if you come across any.
Inspect clean glasses for any remaining residue or lipstick stains.

Check over the menus and ensure no water stains or out of date prints.

Wine bottles should be inspected, and the dates should always be marked when they are opened. Doing this step will ensure that no sour wine will be served to customers.
Wash the workspaces for each bartender and set up clean towels in convenient locations.

At the end of the day, this next set of guidelines will help to further streamline your bar’s operations.

During the day, new bottles of wine are likely to be opened, and each should be marked with the current date.
Clean and set all glasses out to air dry overnight.
Taps should be rinsed, wiped down and inspected.
Ensure that each spout has the protective cover to ensure no flies get in.
While cleaning taps, rinse all drains to ensure no built up residue. Also, clean drain covers.
The area behind the bar, especially during a busy night, is likely to be dirty. Mop the entire area behind the bar.
Outdated and damaged menus should be recycled.
Remove all garbage and recycling accumulated during the day and reline all containers with new bags.

These simple steps should not be taken lightly. Building a habit of completing these helps to make a bar continue running optimally. For further assistance in the daily operations, contact bar consultants like Glimpse. While you may have a clean bar, the employee efficiency and other areas may be holding you back.