Happy Hour is the 0-to-60 of a Bar’s Profits Race 

It's the golden window for operators when draft beer typically pours the same color and they seek the metaphorical gold of having pleased patrons pack the house. It’s a time when there is much money to be made — or lost. By not hosting a proper Happy Hour for guests or by not having one at all, there’s potential for damage to be done, too — in dollars or in clientele demographics.

Every Guest, Every Time
    “It is probably THE most important part of the night, because it sets a great base for the rest of the night’s entertainment,” says Chris Ortleib, sales manager at The Lodge Bar in Columbus, Ohio, and he couldn’t be more correct. Happy Hour is by default the segue period from day sales to night, and its energy and offerings set the pace and the potential profit a bar can earn once the sun sets.
    What does Ortleib suggest for making it more successful? He says the core formula that works best for The Lodge Bar is a simple one: Provide real specials and earnestly work to make guests feel special. Two-dollar longnecks are fine, but asking each guest how his or her day has been is especially effective at impressing your venue’s atmosphere in their minds, he says. This is also something that has to be consistent — every guest, every time.
    At The Amsterdam Bar in downtown Dallas, the Happy Hour environment is a bustling one, and much of that — beyond its being in close proximity to many young professionals ready to de-stress after their 9-5 — is due to the bar’s creative Happy Hour events.
    Leaning to the unconventional, The Amsterdam often plays host to cook-offs and “tenant gatherings,” General Manager Sheldon Hubbard says. He says on-site cook-offs bring in a high number of females, and the tenant gatherings are superb for drawing in local apartment dwellers without costing much to advertise. Flyers posted and passed out around the bar, as well as at local apartment/condo buildings, typically do the trick for raising Happy Hour traffic, he says.
    Another interest-piquing promo the bar’s operators have used is a science fair. “It was great for bringing people in early,” Hubbard says. “And it definitely was interesting and fun for the crowds ... One winner (of the fair) even operated a toaster oven via the Web.”
    Perhaps what is so unique about The Amsterdam’s offerings is that they are grassroots and are the focus of the fun. There are no television sets, coin-op games or DJ booths to be found at the bar. The real Happy Hour attraction there, beyond beverage and recently offered food specials, is conversation.
    As it says on the bar’s MySpace.com account, which Hubbard says is helpful in attracting local patrons, “Bars are a great place to get glassy-eyed talking to people. Getting glassy-eyed watching the fourth repeat of Sports Center is sad. Come to a bar and talk to people!”
    It’s not to say that bars don’t or won’t do well with television and other entertainment products, but it is to say that maintaining a very personal atmosphere works well for The Amsterdam, Hubbard says, and this applies absolutely to Happy Hour, with the exception of a digital jukebox. It’s the ideal time to welcome new guests and keep rapport with regulars before the music kicks up a few notches and the bar line gets deep with guests eager for half-priced pints and exotic beer offerings, although Amsterdam now offers domestic brew to satisfy guest demand.
    Regarding beer and spirits promotion, Hubbard says the push is up to the individual bartenders and their flavor of the day. “If our staff is in the mood to push Jameson, that’s what we’ll sell a lot of,” he says.
    The staff’s mentality that Happy Hour is crucial for the bar’s operations is the most important factor of all, Hubbard says. The beginning of a successful Happy Hour at Amsterdam is about mood above music, fun above food and brotherhood above beverages; the latter naturally fall into order once the vibe is set first.
    “Happy Hour is important to all of our business, because it IS our business,” says Hubbard, who has worked at 30 or so bars in as many years. “Our staff makes a living at it, and so we take it very seriously. Many bars don’t even open until 7, and I think they’re missing out on a huge opportunity to bring in better followings.”

Twice as Nice
    Bagus “Goose” Gede, general manager of Mai Tai Bar’s Long Beach, Calif., location, says his venue offers two Happy Hour segments for guests.
    “Happy Hour is the essence of our concept,” Gede says. He adds that the bar’s really successful nights depend on the start of the day, which is Happy Hour. Taking that a step further, the staff carries it into the night to drive more sales.