You can call it a bar. It might also be called a pub, a watering hole, a tavern, a saloon, a lounge, or a plethora of other drinking establishments. It’s where people go for a variety of reasons. Some go to grab a quick beer. Some head there after a tough day at work. There are people that want to meet other people. Folks want to drown their sorrows. Individuals will go to these places to root for their favorite sports team or listen to music. Whatever the reason, they go there in droves. How can an owner of a bar capitalize on the joint’s brand even more? T-shirts. What? Yeah, t-shirts.
Pouring the Drinks:
You may have heard of an actor named Tom Cruise. Among the 50 movies he has been in, there’s one in which he plays a bartender. It’s called Cocktail. He is given a tutorial by his boss, who tells him this regarding customers, “We dazzle them with ice work. We baffle them with bottle work. There are many ways to fool a customer. The short pour. The long pour. The ice mountain. The spring thaw. The speed-rack shuffle. The hot shot. You will learn them all.” You own a bar, so I’m not throwing something at you that you’ve not seen. The point is that the customer can be duped by fancy drink pouring. But if that’s a one-time visit to your bar, it’s fairly pointless. Building trust, a relationship, and a rapport earn you long-term business and extended revenue.
A Bartender’s Outfit:
A bartender in a custom t-shirt with your place’s logo and a cool shirt design will have your customers feel like he or she is common, one of them. I won’t say this is going to work everywhere. Of course it won’t. No bartender on Park Avenue in Manhattan will be sporting a t-shirt. That’s understood. That’s where black slacks, a white dress shirt, vest, and bow tie come into play. I’m not writing to those businesses. I’m talking to you. The owner who welcomes in blue collar patrons, sports fans, the casual person who isn’t going to throw $8,000 down on any particular visit. If you own this type of establishment, custom apparel will bring about a communal feeling among customers and those who fill their glasses. A custom tee also evokes a warm, casual, and friendly feel. It will lend itself to conversation with clients. In turn, they will enjoy the amiability of your barkeep. It will have them wanting to come back often. That obviously means more revenue for you, consistently and over time. It’s not an idea followed only in the U.S. At St. Mary’s Inn in the United Kingdom, Robin Freer is the general manager. This hotel/pub GM says, “Comfortably dressed staff encourages a welcoming atmosphere for visitors.”
Busy Bar, Comfortable Clothes:
Working behind a bar, especially on the weekends, is crazy busy work. Customers line up, and nearly pile over one another to get their drinks as fast as possible. Wait staff is off to the side “patiently” waiting for their drink orders. Many times, the work space a bartender inhabits is a small, tightly-quartered area. It gets hot. Bartenders have to move around quickly. There is very little time to catch their breath. Aaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhh……………………..(picture bartender taking deep breath)
Finally, the owner who lets them dress for comfort. A custom shirt for functionality could very well see your mixologists crank up their level of work. What transpires? A more highly-operating tapster equates to a streamlined process, which then equates to increased customer satisfaction, which equates to more revenue.
They’ve been drinking in the UK long before we have in America. So, in closing, we reference another source from across the pond. According to Mitchell & Cooper, a catering equipment distributor, “Bars allowing their staff to wear what they want brings out the bartender’s personality, and with it, lifts the personality of the bar to a place not seen before.”
Cheers to that!
