Beyond the Discount

When Half-Price Beer Won't Do

    Mom always told you that a good day begins with a good breakfast. Start the morning off right — right?
    Well, a well-done night in a bar begins with a good afternoon. Nothing is sweeter than the first swallow of cold brew or a Martini’s ability to yank the weight of the world right off the shoulders after a hard day.
    Patrons come into your establishment at night for a variety of reasons. The seesawing battle between promoting drinks versus music may at times seem never ending, but in the afternoon there is a sense of respite. There is a rest for you, the bar owner/operator, in the hours of happiness before darkness falls, just as there is for the patrons. Happy Hour is under the domain of the libation, and there is comfort in that — whether people find a seat on your barstool because it is their favorite pub, or because it is just the closest beer to their office. Don’t get too comfy, however, there are several means to upping profits beyond the old two for one.

May I Have Your Signature, Please
    Why go down the highway, when you can go down the street? The answer: A supreme drink list. If they can’t get it at the competition, your bar will stay filled.
    At the Grand Street Café in Kansas City, Mo., Happy Hour goes from 3 p.m. until 6 p.m. each day of business, but it is Martini Monday that is pulling in the repeat customers. Every Monday is special Martini night, with every single one priced at just $5. On average, Grand Street sells about 100 Martinis during Monday Happy Hour.
    But, Manager Jeff Thrall really keeps the weekday afternoons interesting by adding a seasonal Martini, which changes with the weather. This winter’s is the Claremont Manhattan ($6), which combines Knob Creek bourbon, sweet Vermouth, Angostura Bitters and brandied cherries. As warming and relaxing as the café’s amber influenced interior, the bar is selling upwards of 20 Claremont’s each Friday.
    “It has been set up like this for the past three years,” Thrall says of the Martini-heavy Happy Hour at Grand Street Café. “The whole idea was mostly to increase bar business.” Increased it has, with 40 people coming in during the colder season, and double that when the café patio is open in spring and summer. The bar earns 15 percent of its profits from those three short hours alone.

Members Only
    After a grueling day at the office, many of Orlando, Fla.’s, employees are kicking back VIP style at Club Whispers. For a few brief hours, the caste system of the office is left behind, and it is the revenues at Whispers that get a raise. Wine Down Wednesday’s is a members-only Happy Hour beginning at 6 p.m. and ending at 9 p.m. The club is reserved for cardholders and their personal guests.
    “It has that exclusive feel to it,” Manager Christina Clark says. Two-for-one drink specials, an entry to the raffle for a free office party and free admission keep patrons satisfied. Star 94.5 radio station has joined the party as a host, as well.
    Club Whispers keeps Friday even more intimate for its regular fan base by hosting VIP Happy Hour every Friday. While this day is open to the general public, there is a special VIP section available to all who want bottle service a little earlier. The Glass Chamber VIP room is one of the most seductive in the city with its own DJ booth, dance floor and private bathrooms. “We do between $3,000 on Wednesday Happy Hour and about $5,000 or a little more on Friday,” Clark says. The club has no sponsors besides the radio station at this point, but the owners are looking into beverage sponsorship from Hennessy and Remy Martin for the upcoming year.

Why Make Every Night The Same?
    Change can be risky, but without risk, the rewards often are sacrificed. Red Rocks Café and Tequila Bar, in Centreville, Va., has gone out on a limb to keep the Happy Hour happening and its staff has relied on change to bring in a steady and reliable source of profit.
    “The staff we have determines the clientele,” Owner Donna Evans says. “If we have a change in staff, we change the Happy Hour. We do things to draw the clients. We are not corporate, we are individually owned. It is more of a neighborhood sort of bar.”
    At 5 p.m. daily, the staff goes from one bartender to three bartenders and a server to handle the 70-plus crowd that floods in after clocking out elsewhere. They frequent Red Rocks because of the promotional diversity.
    Monday is Bombs Away, with Irish Car Bombs, Jäger Bombs and any other dropped shot going for $4.  Tuesday, bottled beers are $2, Wednesday is Grab A Heine with Heineken beer priced at $3, and Thursday comes with a bucket of Coronitas (the miniature Coronas) for $8. Saturday’s guests are offered a burger and cold beer for $6, and, finally, Sunday abounds with $2 Bloody Marys.
    “It is probably all of our business,” Evans admits of her supreme, week-long Happy Hour.
    Celebrating its sixth birthday this January, this bar is proof that sometimes change is good. NCB