Last week we crunched the numbers and looked at your cocktail menu, staffing, service efficiency and potential wastage, all in a bid to answer that tricky question...
How long should a guest wait for their drink?
In Part Two, we're going beyond the numbers and coming out from behind the bar to consider venue, competition and demographics in our quest to provide the best customer experience...
- What type of venue is it?
We know that making a cocktail can take anywhere from 10 seconds to several minutes, and a lot of that will be determined by the kind of venue you have. An ultra-busy nightclub venue is going to need to slam cocktails our much faster than a cocktail lounge to satisfy customer expectations.
- Does your bar have a clear drinks philosophy?
This tends to go hand-in-hand with the type of venue you have and it's just an important. Are you serving up the classics? Do you have a tiki vibe? Are you making signature cocktails with ritual serves that a customer may be happy to wait longer for?
- Is your bar set-up so staff can move quickly and efficiently?
Bar style means nothing if it doesn't have good design; a setup that helps bar staff work with speed and efficiency.
Joaquín Simó, general manager of NYC’s Pouring Ribbons believes pedal-operated taps can make all the difference: “It takes about a shift to get used to it, then you can never go back. Why anyone would ever want to touch a faucet with sticky hands is beyond me,” he told Tales of the Cocktail.
If you think your bar area may need a reno, you might want to check out our Bar Station in a Box.
- What are the demographics of your patrons?
It is unlikely you will succeed trying to be everything to everybody, so who is your target customer? It can be helpful to have a profile to hand with their age range, gender leaning, average income, likes and dislikes and times they are most likely to frequent your venue.
- Who is your competition in the area?
For many bars your competition will be close by. Around the corner, down the street or even next door, so if your customer is kept waiting too long, this is where they're likely to go. Knowing what you're up against, their strengths and weaknesses will help you to beat them.
- What are your guest’s expectations?
Which brings us back to the difficult question of 'how long will your customer wait for a drink?'
It all comes down to what they expect as a reasonable waiting time. Without considering the points above, you may as well stick your finger in the air and see which way the wind is blowing. But, with all of this knowledge to hand you should now know the answer to this question AND be able to meet your customer's expectations.
When it comes to winning in 2019, consistency in your customer experience holds the key!