Editor's Note
Ideas for the Future

Opening doors — definitely a fitting term for the purpose of this issue’s Editor’s Note. Most of us in the nightclub and bar business equate that opening up time with the sensation of anticipation, of money about to be made and good times about to be had. But, there’s another meaning to the term that I’m thinking of at the moment, one that transcends the former.

In a quaint bar in downtown Seattle, businessmen gather around a cool marble bar top to unload their burdens from the day over a Belgian beer or two.  Thirsty ferryboat travelers pass the time until their next voyage with conversation and coffee while bartenders seduce curious customers with an extensive selection of single malt scotch. The sounds of Blues and Jazz weave throughout the worn wooden furniture and echo off the never-ending shelves of eclectic and quirky books — yes, books.
 

Products to Profit By
Take Note of Some Sales-Boosting Suppliers

Where there's a will, there's a way, as they say, and the following companies have dedicated their creative efforts and will to making sure you, as a bar or nightclub owner or operator, have a way to become more successful this fall. Check out this A-Z sampling of suppliers representing a variety of on-premise offerings and consider ways you might implement them into your venue to maximize profits and promotion potential.

The Dating Game
Marketing to Singles and Couples Can Bring Triple Success to a Night

Typically, Nightclub & Bar Buzztime Reports cover sports seasons and events, food and beverage trends — but not this time. This issue’s sampling seeks to answer a few revenue-oriented questions about something all bar operators can relate to: dating.

Strategic Sports Video Offerings Enhance an Environment While Entertaining Patrons

What do the baseball post-season, college football and the NFL have in common? They’re all undeniably great ways to get people excited about your bar or nightclub. You’ve gone through all the preliminary steps of having televisions installed, running all the right specials on game nights, and you have all the right posters of your local teams, but you’re still not satisfied with your fall profits? That’s OK, because you may be missing the one crucial element that will really put you ahead of the competition for the sports crowd.

Milk Money
White Russians and Variations are Purely Profitable

From popularity spurred by Jeff Bridges’ drinking habits in “The Big Lebowski” to Halle Berry’s request for one (hold the ice, the vodka and the Kahlúa) in “Catwoman,” the White Russian certainly has made its way onto the big screen over the years.

Phillips Distilling is Concquering the Shelves With History, Innovation and Undeniable Flavor

As the fifth generation of the Phillips family, Dean Phillips is leading Phillips Distilling Co. to new places while retaining the same family feel and the quality family product line.

Point-of-Profit
Know your POS Providers

The point-of-sale is where it all comes together. All that hard work, all that marketing and all that experience you’ve created for the patron comes to a head at the point-of-sale. To make sure your POS needs are met with efficiency and ease of use, get to know the companies who provide the technology when deciding what equipment to use. Here are a few worth checking into.

Breathing and the Bottom Line
Clearing the Air on Smoke Elimination Equipment

Traditionally, bars have been a safe haven for cigarette smokers. However, with issues such as second-hand smoke wafting through the headlines, every establishment now is being faced with decisions to protect profits, customers, employees and the overall quality of the environment.

Permission to Land in Atlantic City 

Last year, approximately 4,500 East Coast operators came to the Nightclub & Bar Beverage and Food Convention & Trade show (“The Show”) in Atlantic City to learn, network and find the latest products and services for the industry.  
   

Cellular Telecommunications & Internet Association (CTIA) reported that 9.8 billion text messages were sent in the month of December 2005, up 109 percent from December 2004. Five years ago, only 33.5 million text messages were sent per month. These numbers are up over 10 billion per month currently.

Seven Solid November Promotions
Profits Way Easier to Make Than Thanksgiving Dinner

Thanksgiving falls on the 23rd this year, and Nightclub & Bar thought it would give operators out there seven holiday tips for making November 2006 the best yet. These should bring in a collective week of profits — just one more thing to be thankful for!

Small Bites, Big Business
Single-Serving Appetizer Specials Can Bring Big Gain

Bite-sized appetizers, complex or simple, are a dependable way to attract customers to your bar or nightclub.
   

Moët Hennessy USA
Catching Up With One Well Rounded, Forward-Thinking Supplier

The Moet Hennessy USA portfolio of luxury products certainly can boast of well-roundedness — a dynamic trait the company believes has it primed for the 21st century and poised to make great strides in all sectors. New President and CEO Mark Cornell aims to make new in-roads and spearhead new projects to confirm Moët Hennessy USA’s position among spirits leaders.

Beverage Nip and Tuck                    
It's Time for an Extreme Bar Makeover

A great way to prepare for the holidays is by making over your bar. When you first think of making over your bar, you probably associate huge costs and major construction with it, but the procedure actually can be done with a limited budget without ever closing your doors.

Catcher of the Rye
Rye's Rebirth Tops Surprising Whiskey Trends

Before Prohibition, the most popular straight whiskey style in the United States was not bourbon and certainly not scotch (imports of all kinds were rare). Rather, it was straight rye whiskey.

Selling Wintertime Brews
Seasonal Beer Brands Put Pints in Glasses and Smiles on Faces

When the weather gets cold, as a rule of thumb among beer connoisseurs, it takes a darker ale to take off the winter chill. However, any bar manager with an ounce of beer knowledge can ensure solid profits until the first spring thaw with a targeted and thorough winter brew line-up.

Sitting Down with Sauza
With Today's Trends, Quality Tequila is Poised for New Revenue Roles

No longer relegated to being the shot of choice for college party-goers, pink-slip recipients or the broken hearted, tequila of late has been breaking barriers and enjoying a renaissance of its fabled heritage and tradition. On the contrary, it has risen above past stereotypes to become a bona fide bastion of bar business for those who have taken the initiative to educate themselves with it, share that education with guests and promote its quality and versatility.