Two weeks before the official arrival of summer, are you ready to face it in your club? Between extra hours, increased clientele and more frenetic production, the hot season is getting even hotter for venue managers. It is important to have the situation under control, perfecting in advance some fundamental aspects for a summer bar. You still have time to give the final ok, which is why we offer you a complete check-up on how to manage a bar in the summer in the best way.
First step: is the menu up to date?
Updating the menu is one of the good habits that every manager should have, regardless of the arrival of summer. Renewing the offer helps keep the customer from boring, proposing new ideas that will amaze him.
If your café offers mainly drinks and coffees, adapt the menu to the summer heat. Cold coffee cannot be missing, but there are many variations of this preparation that you can offer a new one every day of the week. Or expand the offer with coffee and non-original and pop flavors , perfect for the sunny atmosphere. Even the flavors of the cocktails follow the seasons: green light then for refreshing drinks based on Bubble Tea , such as the Caipiroska with strawberry boba to replace the delicious fruit for the alcoholic version. And to truly amaze customers, an aperitif based on Ice N Roll ice cream.
Even the food menu is not exempt from the change of seasons . Insert fresh and light dishes, but always paying attention to taste and quality. Do lunch breaks work well in your restaurant? Pamper workers who have not yet gone on vacation with tempting recipes such as a tasty cold pasta with melon and crunchy ham or a delicate sandwich of octopus, salad and sesame seeds.
Second step: the place is ready to heat
It may seem like a trivial question, but it's necessary for a successful (and good revenue) summer season. The more your establishment is ready to face the heat, the more customers will want to stay and return. So how do you run a café in the summer while delivering a positive customer experience? Here are some key points:
- A summer menu, which you will surely have already studied if you have followed our previous advice.
- A cool, but not polar environment . Staying in a restaurant shouldn't be transformed into an excursion among the glaciers. Try to always keep 4 degrees of difference between outside and inside.
- A well-furnished, shaded and ventilated outdoor area . For this topic, we have prepared a small guide that could be right for you.
- A series of precautions if your restaurant is located in a tourist area. The management of foreign customers must be more flexible and adapt to tastes and habits different from ours. Also in this case, we slip the trump card and offer you a roundup of recommendations for tourist bars.
Third step: is seasonal staff suitable?
It is normal that in the summer the staff is temporarily added to the staff, both among the waiters and in the kitchen. Seasonal operators must have some fundamental characteristics in order not to slow down work and lighten the load on the entire premises.
Flexibility and the ability to work in stressful environments are two of the main qualities of the perfect seasonal staff, to which is added the ability to work in a team and the awareness of having busy evenings and weekends.
Are your staff suitable for the job they are about to do? For work in the kitchen, for example, it is better to hire a professional who already knows the environment, otherwise for the dining room and counter you can opt for less experienced people.
Fourth step: is the holiday calendar confirmed?
We come to the most difficult point on how to manage a bar, because looking for staff is nothing compared to organizing holidays. Drawing up a well-made calendar in advance is important to never have unattended or unstaffed days.To create it easily, you can take advantage of a shared Google Calendar calendar with all your collaborators. It will be easier to have a clear understanding of the situation not only for those who manage the bar, but also for those who work there.
Fifth step: is the ace up the sleeve?
The last tip on how to manage a bar in the summer is to have an ace up your sleeve, which is to amaze customers with something special. It could be a theme or karaoke evening, a review of small live concerts or DJ sets depending on the style of your venue. And if the volume might annoy the neighborhood, opt for one of the latest trends: the silent party.
You can also surprise your audience with some tasty novelties, such as Bubble Stick, the stick with bubbles to be served both sweet and savoury. The perfect idea to differentiate yourself from the competition and offer an original waffle in just a few moments.