Rum Runners USA Brings the
Theme On-Location In Destin, Fla.

The beginning of growth for a great bar concept stems from finding a niche in a specific location and filling it. A bird’s-eye view of Lansing, Mich., exactly one decade ago last month, would have shown a central location, a group of focused entrepreneurs and a concept that would transport patrons during those long winter months.
    Today, the seventh location of Rum Runners is arriving in Greensboro, N.C., but it is the concept’s overall success in every market that may surprise many in this industry. With the hottest franchise situated in the middle of the Sandestin Golf & Beach Resort in Destin, Fla., Rum Runners has broken the mold in moving to the location the theme was attempting to imitate. In a market inundated with an excess of beach bars and blended creations, Rum Runners USA continues to float at the top — as nicely as Grand Marnier on a signature Margarita.

Inner City Island
    “My vision of the Rum Runners theme was a tropical destination allowing customers to feel as if they were on vacation and enjoying all of the fun and excitement that goes along with it,” says Michael Scozzafave, president of Rum Runners USA — the corporate franchisor of the Rum Runners concept. 
    The first location in Lansing, Mich., and each subsequent one after that, was designed to bring the lush, natural elements of the tropics indoors and inner-city. There are whimsical elements such as faux thatched roofs over the bars, bamboo accents and brightly painted chairs, which immediately pull guests away from the concrete jungle outside.
    “The first thing you see is overwhelming colors,” says James Auerbach, vice president of Rum Runners USA. “People come in, and they are really wowed by what they see. And, then, we take it to the next level.”

Playing to Three Generations
    The next level at Rum Runners is the entertainment. While the concept of an island oasis in the middle of urban sprawl is the foundation of the success, the growth and prosperity at such high levels can be attributed to the backbones of exceptional menu design and unsurpassed entertainment for an age demographic which ranges from 21 years of age to 70.
    While the words “dueling piano bar” apply, they merely are a scratch on the surface of the unique entertainment concept that proffers success for the chain. Each venue model, ranging from 4,000 square feet to 5,500 square feet in totality, is outfitted with a stage and pit area for nightly live acts.
    From a heavy promotional outpouring, both by the creativity of each individual franchise and more than 15 events annually supplied by the corporate parent, the stages always have been the domain of both staff and patrons alike.
    “One trend that I have seen, and I think is a real indicator of the future, is that bars and restaurants have to be more diverse,” Auerbach says. “You have to offer more than just one concept. We have tried to take that to a different level.”

The Entertainers
    This customer-involvement aspect of each show requires a staff with skills above and beyond being able to smile, carry a tray or blend the perfect frozen Painkiller. And, it means more than simply finding two piano players to battle it out a few times a day. The Rum Runners entertainers must entice the crowd to join in –– not occasionally –– but every single show.
    “People do not comprehend how hard that is,” Auerbach says. “A lot of people can sing, and a lot of people can play instruments, but very few can do it both well together, connect well with an audience and entertain. Our stages feature a variety of instruments and musicians, including piano players, drum players, guitar players and even horn players and fiddle players. These instruments add an element to the show that wasn’t there before, and keep the customers in our facilities longer –– because that is the real point.”
    While other establishments can claim to have worked within a successful niche of a destination theme or all-encompassing entertainment, few can claim to have branched out to the location they were attempting to imitate with not only success, but larger success than the original market where the concept was non-existent.
    Opened in June of 2003, the Rum Runners location inside the Sandestin Golf & Beach Resort met with the competition of every other beach-themed venue and still made the numbers sing. Multiple seating areas, including several outdoor decks and the ability to serve upwards of 600 on a busy night, are all situated within one of the nicest resorts in the country.
    Now, with the horizon bright in Destin, Fla., the stage set to watch the success of the youngest Greensboro, N.C., franchise, and a solid concept under the belt, Scozzafave is understandably optimistic. “We see Rum Runners growing into more cities across the country,” he says. “And, the name brand recognition of the concept growing, too.” NCB