How to Open a Bar: Some Tips

Open a bar: Do you want to feel at home while you work? Start your own business by opening a successful bar!
In this guide I will give you useful information to start this stimulating activity!

The first step to opening a bar is finding an investment property. Then you need liquor licenses and insurance for both the establishment and all employees (including bartenders). A great idea would be to provide discounts on drinks if customers dress in uniform or wear social club attire such as polo shirts with your logo!

Choice of location

Open a bar

A bar is an exciting place. It's the perfect place to meet new people and enjoy good old fun in a relaxed atmosphere! Here are five tips that can help you open your own cozy café.

A bar must have tables, chairs and alcohol. But that's not the only thing they need to be able to fulfill their purpose of being a place to socialize with friends or co-workers during happy hour! What other requirements must bars meet?

This will depend on the type of bar you want to open. Bars come in all shapes and sizes, but must meet certain criteria such as
-Capacity restrictions (elevator, liquor license)
-Food preparation area available to customers at least 30 minutes before closing time; this includes having tables set up with chairs so people can sit while waiting their turn or ordering something off the menu if it's not only offered during dinner hours.

It is essential that your customers can see and find your place, so you need to evaluate:

1. if your target passes in front of us, at what times and with what dynamics
2. what traffic of people is there in the place (e.g.: the station is a crowded place and attracts all types of customer)
3. how you see the place from the outside: the customer, unconsciously, tends to enter more willingly into a bar where he can see well inside

Requirements

Open a bar

Opening a bar means starting a business activity, therefore becoming entrepreneurs.
Opening a VAT number, identifying the most suitable company form and registering the company in the Company Register will be the first three steps, in which it is better to rely on an accountant.

Then you need a property which must be compliant, that is, in compliance with licenses and requirements which are often imposed by local legislation (municipal or regional).
The same applies if you choose to acquire an existing bar, because you cannot assume that it is compliant.

Bureaucratic steps

1. presentation to the Municipality of the form for the communication of the start of business including the required attachments (data of the owner, company, opening hours, usability, ASL compliance, etc.);
2. request to the municipality for authorization to display the sign;
3. request to the Revenue Agency for the authorization for the retail sale of spirits;
4. payment of SIAE rights for the diffusion of music and images;
5. request for fire certification from the Fire Brigade (only for premises measuring equal to or greater than 450 m2)

Personal requirements

Open a bar

• Having successfully attended the professional courses, established or recognized by the regions or autonomous provinces, concerning the food and beverage administration activity, obtaining the SAB ed HACCP certificate, the first required only for the entrepreneur or for one of the members, while the second is mandatory for all personnel responsible for preparation or service.
• Alternatively, it is sufficient to have a suitable qualification, such as a hotel diploma

Costs

Open a bar

Thinking about starting your own business without planning is suicide, an action that will most likely lead to failure or in any case losing money.

So don't neglect the business plan!
In this document you will have to write down all the expense items that you will have to face in view of opening your bar: not only what concerns the more concrete aspects, but also those linked to the fulfillment of Italian bureaucratic requests.

In the case of purchasing an already established bar, you will need to purchase the license, the value of which will depend on turnover.

You can also consider opening a franchise, which can be convenient in terms of visibility and guarantee towards customers.

Rent

Open a bar

The cost of a bar mainly depends on the size and location.
In fact, one of the heaviest costs is the rent, together with utilities and staff. Estimate it at around 50 thousand euros.

Similarly, if you decide to take over a pre-existing premises, the sum to be paid to the previous owner can be around 100-200 thousand euros, even if it can be paid in installments against an advance.
To this expense we must then add the notary's fee, as well as the compensation of any mediator (around 2% of the sum) for a total of a further 7-8 thousand euros.

Tools and Consumables

For consideration:

• a professional coffee machine, which can cost more than 2 thousand euros
• Oven: 500 euros
• Chopper: 18 euros and blender: 10 euro
• Fridge-freezers: 2 thousand euros
• Sink: €150.
• Cash register: 600 euro
• Dishwasher: 600 euro
• Slicer: 150 euro
• Ice crusher 50 euro

What else do you need to open a bar?

Let's now look at the dishes:

• 2 Shakers: €20.
• 100 Normal glasses: €250.
• 70 Cocktail glasses: 560 €.
• 50 Coffee cups: €75.
• 40 Plates: €60.
• 300 Packs of napkins: 300 €.

And as for the furniture:

• 40 chairs: 2,300 euros
• 10 stools: 160 euros
• 10 tables: 500 euros
• 1 counter: 25 thousand euros

Operating costs

The main ones are:

• Personnel
• Utilities
• Raw materials
• Insurance policies

Bar management

By "bar management" I mean everything that revolves around offering customer service.

It is essential to speed up and optimize this process.
But for this you can rest assured: with our management system Ristomanager you will be able to:

1. manage the tables
2. keep memory of the orders
3. manage warehouse stocks

What are you waiting for to provide an efficient service? Try Ristomanager for free.