Thread: Anyone run a bar....

Right.....has anyone run a bar? I mean a proper one. Not a pub. A nice wine/cocktail bar.

Advice needed for a possible venture of mine.

I need to know about business rates, the tax man, dance licences etc Possible courses if I'm gonna have beer on tap and such like.

PA

Originally Posted by PrinceAlbert

Right.....has anyone run a bar? I mean a proper one. Not a pub. A nice wine/cocktail bar.

Advice needed for a possible venture of mine.

I need to know about business rates, the tax man, dance licences etc Possible courses if I'm gonna have beer on tap and such like.

PA

Wahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

http://www.ukbusinessforums.co.uk/fo...t=48473&page=5

Originally Posted by PrinceAlbert

Right.....has anyone run a bar? I mean a proper one. Not a pub. A nice wine/cocktail bar.

Advice needed for a possible venture of mine.

I need to know about business rates, the tax man, dance licences etc Possible courses if I'm gonna have beer on tap and such like.

PA

Might I respectfully suggest that if you haven't got any experience in this field that somebody is about to take a lot of money off you in a very short space of time.

Good luck.

Originally Posted by EX_STAB

Originally Posted by PrinceAlbert

Right.....has anyone run a bar? I mean a proper one. Not a pub. A nice wine/cocktail bar.

Advice needed for a possible venture of mine.

I need to know about business rates, the tax man, dance licences etc Possible courses if I'm gonna have beer on tap and such like.

PA

Might I respectfully suggest that if you haven't got any experience in this field that somebody is about to take a lot of money off you in a very short space of time.

Good luck.

No wahhhhhhhh.

Fine.....money taken off me how, and by whom, and for what?

Ex Stab speaks wise words, the licensed trade is a minefield of red tape. I`d advise getting a part time job behind a bar to see if you like it and maybe pick some brains at the same time for starters. Here`s a few links that may help:
Federation of Licensed Victuallers
NCPLH course
Starting a business

Originally Posted by slick

Ex Stab speaks wise words, the licensed trade is a minefield of red tape. I`d advise getting a part time job behind a bar to see if you like it and maybe pick some brains at the same time for starters. Here`s a few links that may help:
Federation of Licensed Victuallers
NCPLH course
Starting a business

Thanks for the links. Will check tomorrow when sober. I've worked behind a few bars in my time, and I have no problems with the work/way of life.

Originally Posted by PrinceAlbert

Originally Posted by EX_STAB

Originally Posted by PrinceAlbert

Right.....has anyone run a bar? I mean a proper one. Not a pub. A nice wine/cocktail bar.

Advice needed for a possible venture of mine.

I need to know about business rates, the tax man, dance licences etc Possible courses if I'm gonna have beer on tap and such like.

PA

Might I respectfully suggest that if you haven't got any experience in this field that somebody is about to take a lot of money off you in a very short space of time.

Good luck.

No wahhhhhhhh.

Fine.....money taken off me how, and by whom, and for what?

Oh somebody's GIVEN you a bar and stocked it and hired the right staff for you already? Sorry, my mistake, crack on!

Seriously, fella, if you need to ask those questions I suspect that you're going to come a cropper. Try working as a bar manager for somebody else for a year or so first.

Originally Posted by PrinceAlbert

Right.....has anyone run a bar? I mean a proper one. Not a pub. A nice wine/cocktail bar.

Advice needed for a possible venture of mine.

I need to know about business rates, the tax man, dance licences etc Possible courses if I'm gonna have beer on tap and such like.

PA

There is far more to running a successful bar than can be related here. Might I respectfully suggest that you first get a job as a trainee manager with one of the breweries and spend at least six months running or assisting to run a pub or bar IRL. Then you will at least be aware of most of the pitfalls and many of the shortcuts. One piece of advice from one has has been running a business since leaving the army: Your staff will take advantage if you dont watch them with an eagle eye. This is not quite as robust as the advice I was given by an ex 14 int bloke I used to work for part time who told me: "everyone that works for you is a cunt. Dont treat them like cunts but never forget it".

Originally Posted by EX_STAB

Originally Posted by PrinceAlbert

Originally Posted by EX_STAB

Originally Posted by PrinceAlbert

Right.....has anyone run a bar? I mean a proper one. Not a pub. A nice wine/cocktail bar.

Advice needed for a possible venture of mine.

I need to know about business rates, the tax man, dance licences etc Possible courses if I'm gonna have beer on tap and such like.

PA

Might I respectfully suggest that if you haven't got any experience in this field that somebody is about to take a lot of money off you in a very short space of time.

Good luck.

No wahhhhhhhh.

Fine.....money taken off me how, and by whom, and for what?

Oh somebody's GIVEN you a bar and stocked it and hired the right staff for you already? Sorry, my mistake, crack on!

Seriously, fella, if you need to ask those questions I suspect that you're going to come a cropper. Try working as a bar manager for somebody else for a year or so first.

Ok. I see your point. I can work out how much a place would cost to rent, and I can work out how much a place would cost to stock. I can also work out rent/stock/wages would cost a month against predicted earnings. Obviously there's utilities, and council tax etc, and again I can add things up. I'm asking for advice on the things I may have overlooked?

Originally Posted by eodmatt

Originally Posted by PrinceAlbert

Right.....has anyone run a bar? I mean a proper one. Not a pub. A nice wine/cocktail bar.

Advice needed for a possible venture of mine.

I need to know about business rates, the tax man, dance licences etc Possible courses if I'm gonna have beer on tap and such like.

PA

There is far more to running a successful bar than can be related here. Might I respectfully suggest that you first get a job as a trainee manager with one of the breweries and spend at least six months running or assisting to run a pub or bar IRL. Then you will at least be aware of most of the pitfalls and many of the shortcuts. One piece of advice from one has has been running a business since leaving the army: Your staff will take advantage if you dont watch them with an eagle eye. This is not quite as robust as the advice I was given by an ex 14 int bloke I used to work for part time who told me: "everyone that works for you is a *. Dont treat them like * but never forget it".

I've been running my own company since I left the Army, and I have no issues in that respect. Just possible hurdles/pitfalls in the bar industry. I have a potential business partner that I trust implicitly.

Predicting earnings, do you have a good set of accounts? Or are you just starting off, look at capacity first of all and think to yourself that everyone who comes through the door will spend a minimum of £xxx on each night.

Can you get away with charging for access to the venue?

How many doormen will you need?

Pubwatch scheme?

CCTV?

I think you should start off your venture by choosing a suitable name for this cock tail bar.

Originally Posted by PrinceAlbert

Originally Posted by eodmatt

Originally Posted by PrinceAlbert

Right.....has anyone run a bar? I mean a proper one. Not a pub. A nice wine/cocktail bar.

Advice needed for a possible venture of mine.

I need to know about business rates, the tax man, dance licences etc Possible courses if I'm gonna have beer on tap and such like.

PA

There is far more to running a successful bar than can be related here. Might I respectfully suggest that you first get a job as a trainee manager with one of the breweries and spend at least six months running or assisting to run a pub or bar IRL. Then you will at least be aware of most of the pitfalls and many of the shortcuts. One piece of advice from one has has been running a business since leaving the army: Your staff will take advantage if you dont watch them with an eagle eye. This is not quite as robust as the advice I was given by an ex 14 int bloke I used to work for part time who told me: "everyone that works for you is a *. Dont treat them like * but never forget it".

I've been running my own company since I left the Army, and I have no issues in that respect. Just possible hurdles/pitfalls in the bar industry. I have a potential business partner that I trust implicitly.

Money and friendship; Oil and water

[quote="PrinceAlbert"][quote="eodmatt"][quote="PrinceAlbert"]Right.....has anyone run a bar? I mean a proper one. Not a pub. A nice wine/cocktail bar.

I've been running my own company since I left the Army, and I have no issues in that respect. Just possible hurdles/pitfalls in the bar industry. I have a potential business partner that I trust implicitly.[/quote]

My bold. Good luck! I had a business partner whom I trusted implicitly and he lost our company almost a million dollars in UN contracts by getting pissed during working hours and telling a UN CTA that he was a long streak of Pelikan shit.

Originally Posted by wildcard.rgbw

Predicting earnings, do you have a good set of accounts? Or are you just starting off, look at capacity first of all and think to yourself that everyone who comes through the door will spend a minimum of £xxx on each night.

Can you get away with charging for access to the venue?

How many doormen will you need?

Pubwatch scheme?

CCTV?

The place used to be a bar, and went stale (it used to be full of the Chelsea football team, and Chris Tarrant when he got caught out with that lady, as I was with him) I'd get the fire saftey guys to give me a max number of people, work on 2/3rds full and spending x per head.

Thankfully I live in a nice/expensive/lucrative area (Esher) so no doorstaff needed (also Esher Police station is 2 mins up the road), and a good mark-up on beers etc.

I wasn't planning on using pumped beers, just bottles/cocktails, so easier in the long run (but not ruled out at this stage)

It would be starting out, and I'd not charge entry. The pubs/late bars round Esher charge and extortionate price for beers, so undercutting them slightly, and still making a good margin would be easy