The Top Restaurant, Bar & Brewery Business Guides

As a restaurant, bar, or small business owner, crafting a memorable and diverse beverage menu is essential to attracting and retaining customers. Bailey’s Irish Cream is one versatile ingredient that can elevate your drink offerings. Renowned for its rich, creamy texture and unique flavor profile, Bailey’s is a liqueur that can be used in various cocktail recipes. Whether you’re looking to impress your patrons over the holidays, create a seasonal beverage menu, or just add some dessert cocktails to your repertoire, Bailey’s cocktail recipes offer a versatile and delicious way to elevate your beverage menu.

This guide will explore the top Bailey’s cocktail recipes, providing you with the knowledge to enhance your menu and offer an array of delectable drinks that showcase the versatility of Bailey’s Irish Cream.

Creating a whiskey menu that balances quality and cost-effectiveness is crucial for any bar or restaurant. With the rising popularity of whiskey, it’s essential to offer a diverse selection while keeping expenses manageable. In this guide, we’ll explore strategies to curate a compelling whiskey menu without breaking the bank.

Crafting an exceptional wine list for your restaurant menu requires a delicate blend of sophistication, strategic thinking, and storytelling. Whether you’re a seasoned sommelier, a skillful bartender, or an accomplished restaurateur eager to elevate your establishment’s offerings, this guide will show you how to create a memorable and enticing wine list.

Not merely a logistical task, building a wine list creates an opportunity to curate an experience for your guests.

Each wine variety holds a story, and each sip should be a journey for the palate. In this exploration, we’ll jump into understanding wine list basics, categorizing wine, crafting evocative descriptions, implementing strategic pricing, suggesting harmonious food pairings, and setting the visual stage for a delightful dining experience.

Whether you’re aiming to refresh an existing wine list or starting from scratch, this guide will equip you with the knowledge and inspiration to create a wine list that complements your establishment’s identity and leaves a lasting impression on your patrons.

Proper wine storage is crucial for maintaining the quality and taste of every wine variety in your collection.

Whether you own a restaurant, run a taproom with a liquor license, or operate a bar, understanding the fundamentals of wine storage can enhance your customer experience and protect your investment.

In this guide, we’ll explore the key aspects of wine storage, from temperature and humidity to the right storage equipment.

Elevating your guests’ dining experience goes hand-in-hand with offering a thoughtful selection of wine varieties.

In this guide, we’ll delve into the world of wines, helping you understand how different wine varieties can enhance your menu and leave a lasting impression on your customers.

Think of wine varieties as the artistic brushstrokes that can paint a memorable dining experience for your guests. From robust reds to crisp whites, each bottle tells a unique story. Join us in exploring the best wine varieties.

Updated: 2/26/2024

The well drink menu is a standard feature of any bar or liquor-licensed restaurant with bartenders mixing these cocktails for customers night after night.

Although you won’t often find well cocktails on the menu, the simple ingredients in these drinks are unsung heroes because they’re always in high demand.

For that reason, it’s important to get a good grasp of the basics when it comes to well cocktails, learn the ingredients, and understand what makes them a profit maker for the house.

(Above photo by Nuff . on Unsplash)

UPDATED: 2/22/24

Bar games conjure a variety of mental images. Visions of darts and billiards evoke the dive bar aesthetic, reminding us of a time the beer-and-skeeball combo was exclusive to reluctant parents at Chuck E. Cheese. But as Bob Dylan once said, “these times, they are a’changing!” And in 2024, offering the right game at your bar and brewery can have a huge impact on cultivating clientele.

The concept of bar and brewery games dates back to the 6th and 5th centuries B.C. when Ancient Greeks could be found playing Kottabos, a game that involved flinging wine sediment at targets in exchange for prizes.

Today, more than ever, people are looking for that ‘x’ factor when it comes to visiting a brewery, bar, or taproom. It’s no longer enough to just make or serve great beer, unfortunately. Don’t get us wrong. That certainly helps. But when people go out to spend their hard-earned money, they’re looking for more from the hospitality industry.

“I think that taprooms are going to have to innovate more than ever as consumers migrate back from taprooms to traditional bars,” predicts West Sixth Brewing Co-Founder Brady Barlow. “Events are key. Increased community engagement is key. Food helps, for sure.”

Games continue to attract patrons and keep them coming back for more. And while the concept of pairing games and alcohol is ancient, bar and brewery owners are concocting new ideas for what the pairing can look like in modern taprooms.

Keeping games on hand gives guests a reason to stay longer (and thus spend more) while elevating the customer experience, making your taproom a destination. Having theme nights and group games as a recurring event increases engagement, and can be used to create a regular crowd on what would otherwise be a slower night.

Depending on your free space, clientele, and overall vibe, your choice of games may change. One thing is sure: introducing games adds something unique for patrons to enjoy and creates a deeper sense of community as guests interact in ways that get them talking, laughing, and connecting not just to one another but to your establishment and brand.

While most bars and breweries provide games free of charge, others choose a paid system with a per-game or day-pass fee. These fees are nominal (between $1.50-$5.00) but can add up and require minimal investment. Others, like Cleveland, Ohio’s Tabletop Board Game Cafe, off year-long memberships for around $25, giving patrons a reason to return on a regular basis.

If you’re looking to make your bar, brewery, or taproom a bit more fun and up your food and beverage sales, try bringing some of these games on board.

UPDATED: 2/14/24

Over 2023, challenges in the American economy with inflation directly affected the price of many goods, including beer.

Indeed, the data seems to support that prices for craft beer have increased across major styles and formats.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the Consumer Price Index for beer at home rose +2.4% year-over-year (YoY), higher than the +1.9% YoY increase reported in 2023. However, the report did show that the increase has slowed since January 2023, which recorded a +9% YoY increase.

Last year, Untappd reported that across all U.S. retailers from March 2022 to December 2022, the average price of American light lager (per 16oz draft) increased +3.3%, to $4.94, while this style in 12oz bottles, also increased +3.4%, to $3.91.

And if you thought this might just be unique to lagers, Untappd also analyzed price data for American IPAs. On draft, this style’s price increased +1.9%, to $6.88 in 16oz cans. And increased +3.7% in 12oz bottles to $3.97 over that ten-month period in 2022.

“Brewery taprooms have seen solid price increases across three styles we examined,” Smith wrote in the report. “Across all venue types, however, the lower priced American light lager saw the largest price increase on a percentage basis.”

He continues, “I’ve spoken with a number of independent brewers that were unsure about taking price increases in 2022 (some macro producers took two price increases). It appears, based on the pricing data we see from beers coming out of A-B InBev’s craft unit, that there is ample headroom for smaller producers to take more price in 2023.”

Alcohol Delivered gathered data on average case prices for a 24-pack of Bud Light and Miller Lite across the country in 2024. Their data showed the cheapest price at $16.43 in Illinois all the way to the highest at $33.62 in Alaska.

Overall, considering how to price your products this year is going to be one of the most important business decisions you make.

And it’s a tough thing to nail.

If you price too low, you leave money on the table. But if your product is too expensive, it won’t sell.

When it comes to pricing beer or cider, there are several things to consider. But first and foremost, you need to answer one important question: What type of business do you have?

Do you run a bar or restaurant offering on-site consumption? Are you a bottle shop that only offers to-go products? Do you provide on-site consumption and a selection of products to-go? Something else?

Before you can start to understand pricing, you need to think about what you sell. For instance, pouring beer on draft versus serving it in a can or bottle carries a different cost. With the average cost to serve a bottled beer at twenty-five percent and draft beer closer to twenty percent, draft beer might be your highest margin item, but might also come with added expenses for refrigeration and pouring equipment.

It can seem like a lot, but getting the price of your products right can mean more profitability for your establishment and a better bottom line.

And we’re here to help.

UPDATED: 2/9/24

Craft beer is a social community. Whether you’re grabbing pints with friends at a local taproom, traveling to a beer festival with your college pals, or even just making new acquaintances during a brewery tour, breweries (and beer!) facilitate social interaction. Drinking beer with a stranger is like breaking bread with them. We connect over the liquid.

For breweries looking to foster their own communities, starting a mug club program can be a great opportunity. Typically, fans can purchase access to a mug club for a yearly fee, unlocking a host of perks, discounts, exclusive tastings and events, and more. The mugs not only allow brewers to give a little something back to their most devoted fans, but also help create a loyal culture.

Additionally, the idea of an exclusive group like a mug club gives your most passionate consumers the chance to meet one another and geek out over beer while supporting your business.

Plenty of breweries across the country already offer mug club memberships. But, how do you go about starting one? And, what makes one worth it?