The Bar Business Podcast: Bar & Pub Owner Profits, Marketing & Operations

By Chris Schneider, The Bar Business CoachBusiness Arts Marketing Food Management

The Bar Business Podcast: Bar & Pub Owner Profits, Marketing & Operations episodes

May 27 How to Raise Bar Prices Without Guest Pushback
Raising prices is awkward.
But not raising them can wreck your margins.
In this episode, Chris talks about using a seasonal menu change as a natural pricing reset for your bar.
Instead of randomly bumping prices and hoping guests do not complain, use your summer menu to rethink what stays, what gets cut, and where your margins need help.
Chris breaks down sales data, P-Mix, high-volume items, seasonal cocktails, fresh ingredients, and fast builds that are easier to sell at volume.
The goal is simple:
Make guests excited about what is new, not annoyed about what costs more.
Your summer menu is not just a menu update.
It is your cleanest chance to raise prices without starting a fight.
📌Start Here
Own, run, or manage a bar? Join Bar Business Nation.
An EXCLUSIVE private Facebook group for bar owners and operators who want better ways to run the business.
Ask questions, hear what other owners are dealing with, and get ideas you can actually use.
🔴Join here:
→ https://www.facebook.com/groups/barbusinessnation

📌Additional resources
🔴Grab the books “How to Make Top-Shelf Profits in the Bar Business!” and “Menus that Sell” here:
→ https://barbusinesscoach.com/book/
13 min
May 25 Why Your Bar’s Instagram Reels Get Views but No Customers
A lot of bar reels look great.
But they do nothing.
In this episode, Chris breaks down why the gap between “looks content” and “feels content” is killing your social media ROI.
Pretty cocktails, neon signs, plated food, and clean bar shots can look good, but they do not always make people want to leave their house and come in.
What actually works is content that captures the feeling of your bar: the crowd noise, the energy at 10 p.m., the regulars, the birthday moments, the staff having fun, and the little real-life moments that make someone say, “We have to go there.”
If your bar is posting reels but not seeing those views turn into bodies in seats, this episode will show you what to start capturing instead
📌Start Here
Own, run, or manage a bar? Join Bar Business Nation.
An EXCLUSIVE private Facebook group for bar owners and operators who want better ways to run the business.
Ask questions, hear what other owners are dealing with, and get ideas you can actually use.
🔴Join here:
→ https://www.facebook.com/groups/barbusinessnation

📌Additional resources
🔴Grab the books “How to Make Top-Shelf Profits in the Bar Business!” and “Menus that Sell” here:
→ https://barbusinesscoach.com/book/
9 min
May 20 From Corporate VP to Bourbon Blender with Brandon McCraney
What happens when the business you planned is not the business you actually build?
In this episode, I talk with Brandon McCraney, owner of Old Raleigh Distillery, about leaving corporate life, chasing whiskey, and opening a distillery during COVID.
Brandon shares how Old Raleigh started as a blending vision, how a change in North Carolina law turned him into a bar owner, and what it was like opening before he could even sell his own whiskey.
We also get into whiskey blending, one-off batches, cask finishes, and why building a bourbon brand takes more than a good product.
If you’ve ever had to pivot because reality wrecked your original plan, this one is worth listening to.
Sometimes the business you survive is the business you were supposed to build.

📌Connect with Brandon McCraney and Olde Raleigh Distillery:📌
Visit: Olde Raleigh Distillery website
Shop: Buy Olde Raleigh whiskey online
Join: Olde Raleigh Whiskey Society
Visit in person: Tasting room in Zebulon, North Carolina
Book: Distillery tour or event space
Follow Brandon: @brandonmccraney on Instagram
Follow Olde Raleigh: @olderaleighdistillery on Instagram
📌Start Here
Own, run, or manage a bar? Join Bar Business Nation.
An EXCLUSIVE private Facebook group for bar owners and operators who want better ways to run the business.
Ask questions, hear what other owners are dealing with, and get ideas you can actually use.
🔴Join here:
→ https://www.facebook.com/groups/barbusinessnation

📌Additional resources
🔴Grab the books “How to Make Top-Shelf Profits in the Bar Business!” and “Menus that Sell” here:
→ https://barbusinesscoach.com/book/
30 min
May 18 How One Private Event a Week Can Add $78K to Your Bar
Most bars say they do private events.
But most bars do not have a real system for booking them.
In this episode, Chris breaks down why private events are one of the most underused revenue streams in independent bars, especially when slow nights are harder to fill.
He covers what to put on a one-page event inquiry sheet, how to think about food and beverage minimums, when to take deposits, why you should not discount your minimums just to close, and how fast follow-up can make or break the booking.
Because private events are not just “extra business.”
They are pre-sold guests, guaranteed minimums, and revenue you can lock in before the night even starts.
📌Start Here
Own, run, or manage a bar? Join Bar Business Nation.
An EXCLUSIVE private Facebook group for bar owners and operators who want better ways to run the business.
Ask questions, hear what other owners are dealing with, and get ideas you can actually use.
🔴Join here:
→ https://www.facebook.com/groups/barbusinessnation

📌Additional resources
🔴Grab the books “How to Make Top-Shelf Profits in the Bar Business!” and “Menus that Sell” here:
→ https://barbusinesscoach.com/book/
10 min
May 13 Why Experience Isn’t Enough When Hiring Bar Staff
Experience does not always mean someone is a good hire.
In this episode, I talk about why hiring bar staff based on experience alone can backfire.
A resume may tell you they know the job.
But it will not tell you if they are warm, coachable, curious, resilient, or right for your culture.
And that is the part that keeps guests coming back.
We break down what to screen for in interviews, why technical skills are easier to train than genuine hospitality, and how to stop hiring experience just to fire attitude later.
Your next great team member may not have the longest resume.
They may be the person guests actually want to come back for.
📌Start Here
Own, run, or manage a bar? Join Bar Business Nation.
An EXCLUSIVE private Facebook group for bar owners and operators who want better ways to run the business.
Ask questions, hear what other owners are dealing with, and get ideas you can actually use.
🔴Join here:
→ https://www.facebook.com/groups/barbusinessnation

📌Additional resources
🔴Grab the books “How to Make Top-Shelf Profits in the Bar Business!” and “Menus that Sell” here:
→ https://barbusinesscoach.com/book/
21 min
May 11 Is Gen Z Lazy… Or Is Your Bar Management Broken?
Gen Z is not impossible to manage.
A lot of bars are just managing them like it is still 2005.
No clear growth path.
Vague schedules.
Random communication.
Feedback only when something goes wrong.
Then owners act shocked when younger staff leave.
In this episode, I talk about what actually makes Gen Z leave bar jobs and what keeps them around.
It is not always more money.
It is clarity.
Feedback.
Growth.
Ownership.
And a reason to care.
If you keep losing younger staff, maybe it is time to stop blaming Gen Z and look at the management.
📌Start Here
Own, run, or manage a bar? Join Bar Business Nation.
An EXCLUSIVE private Facebook group for bar owners and operators who want better ways to run the business.
Ask questions, hear what other owners are dealing with, and get ideas you can actually use.
🔴Join here:
→ https://www.facebook.com/groups/barbusinessnation

📌Additional resources
🔴Grab the books “How to Make Top-Shelf Profits in the Bar Business!” and “Menus that Sell” here:
→ https://barbusinesscoach.com/book/
9 min
May 06 How Bad Bar Design Can Cost You $1M with Tobin Ellis
What if your bar was built to look good, but not to make money?
That might sound harsh.
But if your bartenders are walking laps, reaching too far, making a mess, or fighting the layout every shift, your design is costing you more than you think.
In this episode, I talk with Tobin Ellis about how bar design impacts speed, service, bartender fatigue, and profit.
We break down why every wasted step matters, why pretty bars can still be operational disasters, and why seconds behind the bar turn into real money.
If your bar looks great but your bartenders are fighting the layout every shift, you should listen to this.
Because a bar that looks great but slows your team down is not good design.
It is expensive decoration.

🔴Check out Tobin Ellis and his work on operational bar design.
📌Learn more here:
→ https://www.barmagic.com/
→ https://www.instagram.com/tobinellisdesign/

📌Grab Tobin’s book, “Bar Design Essentials”, here:
Amazon:
→ https://www.amazon.com/Bar-Design-Essentials-Bars-Everyone/dp/1732648255
📌Start Here
Own, run, or manage a bar? Join Bar Business Nation.
An EXCLUSIVE private Facebook group for bar owners and operators who want better ways to run the business.
Ask questions, hear what other owners are dealing with, and get ideas you can actually use.
🔴Join here:
→ https://www.facebook.com/groups/barbusinessnation

📌Additional resources
🔴Grab the books “How to Make Top-Shelf Profits in the Bar Business!” and “Menus that Sell” here:
→ https://barbusinesscoach.com/book/
35 min
May 04 The Invisible Bar Loss That’s Killing Your Margins
Where is your bar’s money actually going?
Probably not where you think.
A heavy pour.
A spill nobody logs.
A comp that never gets rung in.
A free drink for a friend.
One small thing after another.
In this episode, I talk about micro loss, the tiny leaks that quietly wreck your margins without looking like a big problem.
If your sales look fine but the numbers still do not add up, this is where to look.
Your bar may not have a theft problem.
It may have a visibility problem.
📌Start Here
Own, run, or manage a bar? Join Bar Business Nation.
An EXCLUSIVE private Facebook group for bar owners and operators who want better ways to run the business.
Ask questions, hear what other owners are dealing with, and get ideas you can actually use.
🔴Join here:
→ https://www.facebook.com/groups/barbusinessnation

📌Additional resources
🔴Grab the books “How to Make Top-Shelf Profits in the Bar Business!” and “Menus that Sell” here:
→ https://barbusinesscoach.com/book/
8 min
April 29 The Real Reason Guests Don’t Order a Second Round
Why do guests leave after one drink, even when the cocktail was good?
That is usually not a drink problem.
Your bar may be telling them to leave before anyone says a word.
In this episode, I break down the hidden signals that kill second-round orders: empty glasses, dead room energy, awkward server check-ins, messy tables, flat lighting, bad music shifts, and staff behaviour that makes the night feel over.
Because the decision to order another drink usually happens before the guest asks for one.
I’ll show you why the five minutes before and after an empty glass matter, how guests decide whether to stay or go, and what your team can do to keep the experience moving without being pushy.
If your guests keep leaving after one round, this episode will make you look at your bar differently.
Sometimes the problem is not the drink.
It is the signal your room is sending.
📌Start Here
Own, run, or manage a bar? Join Bar Business Nation.
An EXCLUSIVE private Facebook group for bar owners and operators who want better ways to run the business.
Ask questions, hear what other owners are dealing with, and get ideas you can actually use.
🔴Join here:
→ https://www.facebook.com/groups/barbusinessnation

📌Additional resources
🔴Grab the books “How to Make Top-Shelf Profits in the Bar Business!” and “Menus that Sell” here:
→ https://barbusinesscoach.com/book/
16 min
April 27 Your “High-Margin” Bottles Are Quietly Killing Your Bar’s Cash Flow
Most bar owners think high-margin liquor is making them money.
But if the bottle barely moves, it is not profit. It is trapped cash.
In this episode, I break down why obsessing over pour cost can blind you to a bigger problem: slow inventory.
A premium bottle might look great on paper, but if it sits on the back bar collecting dust, it is quietly choking your cash flow.
I’ll show you how to spot dead stock, when a high-end bottle is actually worth keeping, and how to price slow-moving liquor so you can move it out, get your cash back, and stop treating shelf decoration like profit.
If your bar has expensive liquor that barely sells, this episode will make you rethink what “profitable” inventory really means.
📌Start Here
Own, run, or manage a bar? Join Bar Business Nation.
An EXCLUSIVE private Facebook group for bar owners and operators who want better ways to run the business.
Ask questions, hear what other owners are dealing with, and get ideas you can actually use.
🔴Join here:
→ https://www.facebook.com/groups/barbusinessnation

📌Additional resources
🔴Grab the books “How to Make Top-Shelf Profits in the Bar Business!” and “Menus that Sell” here:
→ https://barbusinesscoach.com/book/
8 min

About The Bar Business Podcast: Bar & Pub Owner Profits, Marketing & Operations

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