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- Decide what type of bar you want to open. The first quintessential step before starting with all bits and drabs of creating your dream establishment is to decide on what type of bar you’d like to run.
- Identify your business structure. You have the concept, you have the money, you are ready to get straight to action. The next crucial point for opening up a bar is to decide on the best option for you: buy an existing bar, build your own, remodel or buy a franchise.
- Create a business plan. Though most commonly business plans are used by bar owners to attract additional financial aid, it could also serve you as an excellent guideline to stay focused on the most important tasks and help you grow your business.
- Find the ultimate location. You know who your customers are and know a few places where you can meet them. Now it’s time to settle on the perfect location for your bar to be.
- Do Your Market Research
- Come Up with A Bar Concept
- Write Your Business Plan
- Consider The Costs
- Spread The Word
Before launching a fully-fledged bar business, you need to know what you are getting yourself in for. The best way to start is to get experience working in or managing a bar so you can understand how the day to day business is conducted. Once you’ve experienced the ins and outs of running a bar you can start to conduct market research and identify ...
Once you’ve identified your demographic, location, and possible price point you can come up with your bar concept. Your concept needs to be original in order to differentiate your bar from your competitors. There are many interesting concepts that have come into play in the last few years such as craft beer and roof top bars. You could be even more...
Now to get your ideas and projections down on paper. Once you’ve got an idea about where you want your business to go you can start writing your business plan (take a look at our business plan template). This should bring together all of your ideas in a succinct way. As your theme is important and central to your bar you should describe this as wel...
To open a bar, your starting budget should be no less than £20,000with the expectation that this number will increase as you establish your business. Aside from stock, you should factor in the costs of rent which could be from £3,250 to £6,500 depending on where your bar is based. Do you plan on serving alcohol? By law, you must obtain a licence to...
While taking the time to set up your bar properly is crucial, the best way to ensure that your bar is a success is to make sure positive word spreads quickly. Word of mouth is a great way to get news about your business out, but social media is also a powerful – and free – way to get people interested. For example, if you’ve got any quirky cocktail...
- Write a solid business plan. It’s like our teachers always used to say: failure to plan is planning to fail. That’s why we make business plans. A bar is a business, just like any other.
- Define a business structure. Your bar’s legal structure determines what taxes it pays and how it’s seen in the eyes of the law. The legal form you choose depends on how your bar business is structured, what you want it to do, what investments you want to make and whether you want to collaborate with other enterprises.
- Obtain the right licenses. To operate legally, your bar needs to have the right licenses. Obtaining them is usually one of the easier and less expensive parts of opening a bar.
- Choose a location. Your bar’s location is paramount to its success. It could determine whether your new venue will succeed or fail—so don’t approach it lightly.
- Business Licence. To open a bar in the UK and be able to to legally sell alcohol, as well as providing regulated entertainment such as live music, you'll need to obtain a Premises Licence.
- Employer PAYE Reference. All businesses require an Employer PAYE Reference to legally operate in the UK. An Employer PAYE Reference is essentially a tax number that's issued by HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) to help identify your business.
- Change of Use Permission. Once you’ve secured your bar’s location, you’ll need to obtain a Change of Use Permission. This requires an inspection by your local council or planning authority to verify that the building is safe for customers.
- Alcohol Licence. Alcohol is the staple of your bar, so you’ll need an alcohol licence to legally sell these beverages. The specific types of licences and permits may vary slightly depending on the country within the UK (England and Wales, Scotland, or Northern Ireland) and local licensing policies.
- Create a business plan. Poor initial planning can make fixing a small business like a pub or nightclub expensive, if not impossible. For this reason, before launching a bar or nightclub, bar owners should have a full bar business plan and strategy in place.
- Consider the structure of your business. When opening a bar, one of the most important choices you'll have to make is how to set up your company. Which business structure do you intend to use: corporation, LLC, partnership, or sole proprietorship?
- Get your funding in order. The benefit of bars and nightclubs is that they can more easily make money than restaurants, especially compared to the latter.
- Understand DBA, EIN, and taxes. Taxes are a necessary expense for any organization, and managing this process from the start to the end will save you hassles.
Here is a checklist of the actions to take before you open your bar’s doors. Research which licenses and permits you need. Aside from registering your business, all bars need an alcohol license, which is usually awarded by the local council. You also need to think about food-handling licenses, music licenses, health and safety and building ...
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Oct 10, 2024 · Opening a bar is not just about mixing drinks; it's about creating a space where stories are told, laughter is shared, and community is built. This guide is your first step towards bar ownership, designed specifically for small business owners and aspiring bar owners who are ready to tap into the bar industry.
