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

Join special guest Katalin Bene, and our normal panel:  Aoife Halliday, Dave Nitzel, Minakshi Singh, Cliff Crider, and Chris Schneider as they explore the transformative power of personal evolution in the hospitality industry. 

 Discover how Katalin overcame barriers and embraced continuous learning to create memorable guest experiences. Her story of resilience, innovation, and collaboration offers a rich tapestry of knowledge and inspiration.

Gain valuable insights into balancing passion with financial stability, the importance of mentorship, and the role of authenticity. Learn how these elements have shaped their careers and can fuel your own professional growth.

Tune in to this episode for practical tips on menu design, ingredient innovation, and building a supportive network. Whether you're new to the industry or a seasoned professional, this conversation offers inspiration and actionable advice.

📌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/ 

Most bar owners think hiding financial numbers protects the business. 

In reality, it usually does the opposite. 

When your staff doesn’t understand what overpouring, waste, breakage, labor pressure, cash handling, and check averages are doing to the business, they can’t help protect profit. They just keep working blind.

Instead, this episode shows you how to use the right numbers to build ownership, stronger accountability, and better decisions from the people who affect your margins every single shift.

From what numbers to share, to what to keep private, to how to frame KPIs in a way your staff actually understands, you’ll learn how to get your team to care about profit without handing over your entire financial life.

If you’re a bar owner tired of carrying the business on your back while your team has no clue what things cost, this episode will show you how to create real staff buy-in and turn everyday operations into stronger profit protection.

📌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/ 

How much money is your dirty bathroom costing you?

Most bar owners think guests only care about drinks, service, and prices.

They don’t.

Guests walk into one filthy bathroom, and suddenly your whole bar feels dirty, sloppy, and untrustworthy.

In this episode, we break down why bathroom conditions have a bigger impact on guest trust, repeat business, and sales than most operators want to admit.

You’ll learn a simple 5-point bathroom audit that helps you catch the problems that kill perception fast, from bad smells and missing supplies to dirty surfaces, full trash, and details that make guests question everything else behind the scenes.

If you run a bar, manage a team, or oversee hospitality operations, this episode will help you fix one of the dumbest ways to lose customers and build a cleaner, tighter, more trusted business.

📌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/ 

Bar marketing gets expensive fast when every promotion is aimed at strangers.

The smarter move is knowing which customers already visit often, spend more than average, and quietly keep the business alive.

In this episode, we break down how to identify your most profitable bar customers using POS data, guest frequency, average check size, visit patterns, and order behavior.

You’ll learn why generic promotions attract weak-fit customers, how to spot your best regulars, and how to build better marketing, menu, loyalty, and staffing decisions around the people who already choose your bar.

For bar owners, hospitality leaders, and restaurant operators, this episode gives you a cleaner way to stop guessing and start focusing on the customers who actually drive profit.

📌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/ 

Most bar owners track sales, labor, and inventory. 

But very few ask if they’re tracking bar prime cost the right way.

In this episode, we break down bar prime cost, how to calculate it, and why it matters more than sales alone when it comes to profitability. 

You’ll learn how labor cost plus cost of goods sold can reveal problems earlier, from overstaffing and overpouring to waste, bad inventory numbers, and rising vendor costs.

If you’re a bar owner, hospitality leader, or restaurant operator, this episode will help you better understand one of the biggest drivers of bar profitability and show you how to use prime cost as a real management tool.

📌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/ 

Why is your bar still stuck… even though you’re working nonstop?

Here’s the truth most owners avoid:

It’s not your staff.
It’s not your marketing.
It’s you.

In this episode, franchise turnaround expert Mike DeJong breaks down the pattern he sees over and over again:

Owners are becoming the bottleneck in their own business.

You’ll hear why most bar owners stay trapped in operator mode, constantly busy but never actually moving forward, and how their own habits, decisions, and mindset are the real thing holding everything back.

This isn’t a “tips and tricks” episode.

It’s a reality check.

If you’re tired of being stuck in the day-to-day, constantly putting out fires, and wondering why your bar isn’t growing…this one’s going to hit.

If you want to go deeper with Mike:

You can download his book Grow Smart for free or connect with him directly.

👉 mikedejong.com
👉 [email protected]

He also offers a free strategy session where he’ll walk you through what’s actually holding you back and give you a plan to fix it.

📌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/ 

What worked before…
doesn’t work anymore.

Same bar. Same drinks.
But something’s off.

The crowd is different.
And they’re not drinking the way they used to.

Most bar owners think it’s a traffic problem.

It’s not.

You’re running a bar built for the past while Gen Z is playing by new rules.

In this episode, we break down how each generation actually drinks, spends, and chooses where to go and why Gen Z is shifting everything from what people order to when they show up.

If your bar feels inconsistent and you don’t know why…this will change how you see your business.

📌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/ 

One night you’re busy.
Next night? Dead.

No pattern. No consistency. 
All you can do is hope that people will show up.

Most bar owners think it’s a marketing problem.

It’s not.

You just haven’t given people a reason to come in.

In this episode, I sit down with Bryan Carr from Geeks Who Drink to break down how programming, like trivia, bingo, and weekly events, actually drives consistent traffic and higher spend.

If your weeknights are unpredictable and you’re tired of guessing what works… This will change how you think about your bar.

Connect with Brian Carr:

👉 Geeks Who Drink – https://www.geekswhodrink.com/
👉 Jeopardy! Bar League – https://www.jeopardybarleague.com/

📌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/ 

Why do so many bar owners generate decent revenue… yet still feel like they’re constantly behind on money?

Most people assume the fix is pushing for more, more customers, more sales, more growth. But that approach usually just creates more pressure without solving what’s actually broken.

The real problem is how your money is being managed.

In this episode, we walk through how to build a forward-looking budget that gives you control, so your cash is allocated with intention and profit is planned, not left to chance.

You’ll learn how to structure your revenue into clear categories, separate owner pay from actual profit, and set flexible cost percentages that move with your sales, so you can stop guessing and start making smarter financial decisions.

If you’re putting in the hours, bringing in money, but still not seeing real results at the end of each month, this episode will help you take back control.

📌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/ 

Step into the vibrant world of hospitality with our latest episode, where we explore the dynamic India Bartender Show and the essence of joy in the industry. This episode promises to captivate anyone passionate about bars, culture, and community.

Discover how the India Bartender Show is reshaping perceptions with its focus on education, community, and cultural expression. Hear from industry leaders about the shared values of joy, love, and generosity that drive hospitality. We also discuss our favorite industry books. 

Imagine being part of a community that values passion and data equally, where emerging markets like India are setting new standards. This episode offers a unique perspective on how international bar scenes are evolving and the role of storytelling and cultural history in hospitality.

Don't miss out on this inspiring conversation. Subscribe to our podcast for more episodes that celebrate the creativity and humanity at the heart of hospitality. Share this episode with friends and colleagues who are as passionate about the industry as you are.

Our Favorite Business and Hospitality Books:

• Setting the Table by Danny Meyer
• Joy of Mixology by Gary "Gaz" Regan
• Cocktail Codex by Alex Day, Nick Fauchald, and David Kaplan
• Unreasonable Hospitality by Will Guidara
• The Cocktail Balance 2.0 by Stan Hucnick
• Dishoom by Shamil Thakrar, Kavi Thakrar, and Naved Nasir
• Leadership Secrets of Attila the Hun by Wess Roberts
• Good to Great by Jim Colins
• StrengthsFinder by Marcus Buckingham
• Restaurant Success by the Numbers by Roger Fields
• The Bar Shift, Hospitality DNA, A Tale of Two Taverns by Dave Nitzel and Dave Domzalski
• How to Make Top-Shelf Profits in the Bar Business, Menus that Sell by Chris Schneider

📌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/