[john kane]

i've spent my last 4 years in a small student+local town with about 20 different pubs/bars. you see the ones which suceed and those which change. some were really popular one year but struggled the next year and ended out completely overhauling the interior.

my advice on most things on the finance forum is pretty worthless, but on bars i think it's pretty knowledgeable (from a consumer, obv not an owner, i have no idea).

- barstaff; employ the hottest bar staff you can find, female and male. i lived 2 years ago with a couple of girls who loved to party, they went where the hot guys were. employing good looking barstaff will help a lot. the reason i went to one bar way more than the rest was becuase a few of the female barstaff were stunning.

- if your going down a student/college route, get the college football team or whatever to always come once a week/sponsor them (typically on the least busiest night so it helps fill it up). this means the girls know where to find the 'hot' guys. thus you have both guys and girls going, both are happy.

- provide enough seating. people who want to go out for hours, those you want, do not want to stand for ages. provide enough seating and those people are happy.

- lots of bar staff. waiting for a drink is [censored] annoying. therefore have to build a long bar so the bar staff don't trip over each other.

- cocktails. people love to drink good strongish cocktails, plus you can charge a lot.

- drinks deals, nothing amazing, just 3 for $x. gets people more drunk so they spend more and have a better time (in general).

- ideally have all seating during day and say 4 nights a week, then on the other 3 nights, say thur-sun then clear 1/3 or so of the tables during a quiet time in the day for a dance floor with dj. this means those who want to dance stay at your place and don't leave.

- some booths. seating in booths can make people feel more comfortable so they will drink more.

just some thoughts