How to get the most out of your pub or bar venue
How do you attract more customers to your hospitality venue and keep them coming back? The cost of living crisis is hitting the industry hard, and business owners are looking for more ways to branch out and get the most out of their venues.
It can be hard to make sure your venue gets noticed within your community to maximise the number of customers coming through your door, so here are a few ideas for ways to repurpose your venue and increase your profits.
Appeal to remote workers
As we all know, the pandemic has created an influx of remote and hybrid working positions, which means more and more people are at home and spending less money during the working day. One of the ways we’ve seen businesses adapt to this new dynamic is by offering workspaces for remote workers.
The opportunity for a change of environment and the buzz of a café or pub can certainly hold an appeal for this particular demographic, and it also has the advantage of helping to generate income from tea and coffee sales. Some businesses have even offered a set price for a number of drinks plus the use of the space for working. It’s certainly an innovative way to draw people in from your local community.
Social groups
Post-pandemic, people are looking for any opportunity to get out and about and connect with their community. Especially for some of the most affected groups, such as elderly people and parents with new babies, having a central space where they can meet and catch up with their community face to face.
Offering up your venue as a host for social group meetings can be a great way to both provide a service for your community and also get people back into hospitality settings. Why not partner with a local nursery, NCT branch or assisted living centre and provide a warm and inviting space for people to socialise and share their experiences?
For venues who have already accommodated these group meetings, the main benefit they have seen is the simplicity of it. There’s no extra cost associated since the groups don’t need anything specific, just drinks and chairs.
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Conferences and meetings
If you have a function room or the ability to section off an area of your venue, you could consider renting out the space to local businesses for their conferences and meetings.
As businesses downsize their offices, due to a change to working habits, venues with these spaces will increase in popularity whenever these businesses have big meetings, team building days or events that they’d like to host for their employees or external clients.
The key is to promote your space as far more than simply a meeting room. Focus on the amenities you provide, your location and the services you have available. Many businesses who have adopted this have set themselves apart by acquiring projection equipment or creating tailored catering menus for lunches or snacks for these meetings.
Transform your pub into the perfect wedding venue
Depending on the size, location and appeal of your venue you might want to consider whether it would be a good option for weddings. Wedding venues can generate good money and you can help to give many happy couples a memorable day.
Large spaces could have the potential to host the rehearsal dinner, the actual wedding itself, or the reception and if you already have good catering connections, tables and chairs and sound equipment then this could be a great option for you.
Plus, if your venue has a garden or an outdoor area with enough space for a marquee, these are often in high demand for weddings around the summer months.
Exercise classes
Due to the increased costs of gyms and dedicated premises, a lot of fitness instructors have been looking for other spaces where they can hold their classes.
If you have a space in your venue that you would be happy to rent out on a weekly basis, and which is suitable for exercise classes like yoga or Pilates, you could look into partnering with a local instructor. Plus, after the session, many of the attendees may want a coffee or a soft drink or two as they catch their breath.
You can either advertise your space with posters and advertisements in local publications or online news sites or reach out to a company like Yoga Campus to promote your space to instructors currently training.
Enjoy this article? Make sure to share it and let us know on social if any of these ideas have worked for your venue!
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