The Bar Business Podcast: Smart Hospitality & Marketing Secrets For Bar & Pub Owners

Discover the evolving landscape of staffing and turnover in the bar and restaurant industry with insights from global experts.

Explore how COVID-19, Brexit, and generational shifts are reshaping employment dynamics. Learn why investing in employees and fostering a supportive culture are crucial for business success.

Gain valuable strategies for adapting to industry changes, enhancing employee engagement, and understanding the 'w...

Running a bar gets harder when everything becomes more complicated than it needs to be.

Extra menu items, excess inventory, and unnecessary systems quietly hurt margins and make daily operations harder to manage.

In this episode, we explain the lean bar business model and how simplifying operations can increase profitability without sacrificing the guest experience.

You’ll learn how to apply the 80/20 rule, reduce complexity across me...

Most bars don’t sell as many gift cards as they could.

They’re easy to miss, rarely mentioned by staff, and usually treated like an afterthought, even during the holidays.

In this episode, we break down how simple 10-day gift card push bars can launch fast to bring in extra cash before Christmas.

You’ll learn how to add a bonus card that motivates buyers, why gift cards often turn into bigger checks when redeemed, and how small change...

Most bars don’t have a marketing problem.
They have a reaction problem.

One slow night, one competitor promo, and one random idea, and suddenly the whole month spirals into discounting, rushed events, and staff burnout.

In this episode, we break down the simple marketing calendar system that replaces last-minute scrambling with a clear, data-backed plan for 2026.

You’ll learn how to pick the right anc...

December is supposed to save your year, but for a lot of bars it quietly becomes the month with the biggest waste bill.

You’re packed, bottles are flying, the kitchen is slammed, and somehow the money left over never matches how hard you worked.

In this episode, we walk through a simple 48-hour December bar waste audit that shows you exactly how much you’re losing to over-pouring, spoilage, shrinkage, and messy inventory.

You’ll hear ...

Planning next year for your bar usually happens in between shifts, on scraps of paper, and without real numbers.

You look at last year’s sales, talk about cutting labor or pushing promos, and still end up guessing why the profit is not where you want it.

In this episode, we walk through a complete 2026 planning session using five simple metrics from your bar so you can finally see what is really working and what is not.

You will hear ...

The first week of December is sneaky.

Weekends look fine, Saturdays feel solid, but Sunday through Wednesday? Crickets.

And every slow night you let slide is revenue you’re quietly leaving on the table.

In this episode, I break down a simple holiday party booking formula you can use to turn those dead December nights into guaranteed money, without pretending you’re a fine-dining restaurant or hiring an event planner.

No compl...

Owning a bar hits different when it’s all on you.

You’re not just pouring drinks anymore, you’re the plumber, the promoter, the peacekeeper, and the one who signs the checks when the fridge breaks.

Steve Lewis bought a local biker bar and quickly realized bartending didn’t prep him for licenses, reputation cleanup, or figuring out how to order just enough without running out.

In this episode, Steve talks about what actually changes wh...

The night before Thanksgiving? 

You already know it's gonna be chaos. 

Servers stressed, kitchen buried, and everyone's moving a little too slow for the volume about to hit. 

But if you’ve got 10 minutes before doors open, I’ll show you exactly what to say to keep the shift tight and the team moving like they actually trained for this. 

No rambling meetings, no last-minute guesswork, ju...

Getting people through the door is hard, but getting them to keep coming back?

That’s where most bar owners drop the ball.

Discounts might feel like the move, but they’re quietly killing your margins and not building real loyalty.

This episode breaks down a smarter, cheaper way to lock in regulars by actually making them feel seen, no gimmicks, no stamp cards.

We’re talking real talk on recog...

You can have a packed dining room and still be bleeding money, and most owners don’t realize it until it hurts.

The real problem isn’t that you’re not busy, it’s that you’re guessing which hours actually pay the bills instead of looking at what the numbers are quietly trying to tell you.

In this episode, I walk you through a simple 5-minute daily habit that shows you exactly which shifts are truly profitable and...

Think your bar’s doing okay just because you’re busy? 

Think again. 

A packed house means nothing if your menu is underpriced, your costs are off, and you're bleeding money in ways you don’t even see. 

In this episode, Bruce Nelson, a CFO who’s helped countless bars fix their financial chaos, breaks down the money traps most owners fall into. 

We’re talking real numbers, not fluff, and how t...

You’re probably undercharging your beers and overpricing your cocktails and not even realizing it.

If your pricing is based on “what everyone else is doing,” you're not being strategic, you’re just gambling with your margins.

This episode hands you a quick 4-step pricing audit you can run this week to spot hidden profit leaks and reposition your prices without scaring off regulars.

You’ll see exactly where your pricing doesn’t ma...

And now, it's time for something different....

The Bar Business Podcast has joined with industry experts to bring you a new panel podcast every month, Party of Six: The Pulse of Bars and Restaurants. 

I am joined by some amazing folks for a casual yet insightful conversation, sharing stories and discussing what works and what doesn't in the hospitality industry. Check it out every month as we dive deep into the topics that ...

You didn’t open a bar just to get stuck fixing toilets and covering last-minute call outs.

But if the business falls apart every time you’re not around, that’s not ownership, that’s just another job.

H Joseph Ehrmann spills how he built a bar in San Francisco that runs profitably while he lives states away in Boise.

We’re talking team retention for over 17 years, systems that don’t rely on hero shifts, and how to stop letting short-te...

Most manager meetings turn into story time, complaint hour, or a total waste of everyone’s energy.

You walk out with nothing but a mental list and a few “we should probably” statements that never happen.

This episode breaks down a dead-simple 30-minute meeting format that forces clarity, accountability, and actual progress.

You’ll get a step-by-step system to cut the noise, spot real issues before they become fires, and hold your team...

Too many bar owners don’t take documentation seriously until it’s too late.

They assume verbal instructions, digital trails, or “just remembering” is enough to protect them. It’s not.

In this episode, we break down the real reason why lack of documentation quietly leaves your business exposed to lawsuits, fines, and insurance nightmares.

You’ll get the 5 must-have document types that every bar should be storing from training logs to i...

Too many bar and restaurant owners rely on gut feel to judge staff performance and profit.

A packed house doesn’t mean you’re making money and a friendly server doesn’t always mean a top performer.

In this episode, Geoffrey Toffetti reveals how data, not guesswork, uncovers hidden revenue leaks, lazy service habits, and quiet performance killers.

You'll learn how top hospitality brands are using AI, ...

Too many bar owners rely on guesswork or outdated markup formulas when setting menu prices. 

They assume as long as it covers the liquor cost, it’s profitable. It’s not.

In this episode, we uncover why pricing based on instinct or competition is silently draining your profits. 

You’ll learn how to factor in waste, spillage, garnishes, and even straws to build real margin. 

Plus, we’ll walk through psychological pricing tactics and how ...