You've worked hard to get guests through the door. But the work doesn't stop there. While bars sell alcoholic drinks, a high-margin menu item, crafting a profitable bar menu is paramount. Through menu engineering and reporting from your bar POS system, you can determine what's selling and what's not. Next, it's time for a menu refresh. Here are some tried-and-true moneymakers for your bar menu.
1. Batched cocktails
When it comes to drinks, cocktails are a great high-priced item to add to your menu. However, many craft cocktails require extensive labor and costly ingredients, so while the prices are high, so is the cost to your business. But that doesn't mean you can't explore beyond the well drink.
Adding cocktails that you can pre-batch to your menu, such as punches and sangrias, lets you sell that high-margin bar menu item without slowing down your bartender. This includes cocktails that are mostly pre-prepared and then topped with prosecco or soda water. Creating a seasonal menu for cocktails that riffs on your classics can help you generate excitement and sell more drinks.
2. Fried foods
The landscape of fried food offerings is vast. This is good news for your bottom line. The opportunities are endless, from french fries, onion rings, chicken tenders, and mozzarella sticks to tater tots, fried green tomatoes, and fried pickles. Highlight dipping sauces that pair well with your fried dishes. Fried foods are high-margin items to add to your bar menu, plus they pair excellently with cocktails and beer.
3. Pizza
Pizza is a crowd-pleaser. Plus, it's adaptable. Whether you're adding fresh seasonal ingredients or selling it by the slice on paper plates, it's a simple food offering that encourages guests to stick around and order more drinks. It's shareable, a win for both your customers and your restaurant. A pizza menu also allows for daily or weekly specials, which help your kitchen minimize food waste and test out new items for your bar menu.
4. Burgers and hot dogs
They're not just for the 4th of July. Offerings like burgers and hot dogs are super riffable, affordable, and delight even the pickiest of patrons. Offer specials that fit a theme, like Chicago-style hot dogs or burgers inspired by popular fast-food chains. If you're rotating your food menu frequently, offering QR codes so guests can browse your menu can be more cost-effective than print menus.
5. Breakfast foods (hear us out!)
Bacon, eggs, and... beer? It's not typical for a bar menu, but breakfast foods are some of the highest-margin items you can serve. Incorporating a mix of breakfast and brunch food items like avocado toast, cinnamon rolls, and french toast into your menu offers some variety and helps your bar menu appeal to an all-day crowd. Create fun dishes like chicken and waffles or corned beef hash that exist between breakfast menu and bar menu food. This is especially true if you open early on game days and expect a crowd at your establishment.
6. Mocktails
When you take stock of your bar menu, it's no surprise that cocktails are big money-makers. But as recent studies show Gen Z drinking less on average, non-alcoholic beverages are a valuable complement to your drink menu. From simple favorites like a Shirley Temple to non-alcoholic spirits, you can customize mocktails to suit your guests' tastes.
No need to create a long list of new, costly ingredients. Consider what's already in play on your drink menu and repurpose those ingredients to make new beverages. Be sure to highlight the non-alcoholic section on your drink menu and add personality to the descriptions, just as you would with a signature cocktail menu. It could be pivotal come the new year, as Dry January approaches.
7. Sodas
No drink menu is complete without soda. From a familiar brand to a local craft, sodas are an easy way to switch it up and bring variety to your drink menu. You likely already have fountain offerings behind the bar, but adding them to your menu helps customers know what's available. Premium beverages, like ginger beer and probiotic sodas, are popular among certain customers. Know your bar guests and customize your drink menu to suit their preferences.
8. Sandwiches
If you're building a food menu and don't know where to start, consider the humble sandwich. You don't have to be a gourmet deli to create a sandwich menu that's easy to customize, features fresh ingredients that you already have on hand, and pairs well with beverages (for partying and hydrating). Have a little fun with naming your sandwiches in a way that suits your brand. For example, name each sandwich after a staff member or street by your bar or restaurant.
9. Shots
Sometimes you want to get the party started. Shots are party success in a 1.5 oz container. Stock a range of spirits so all your customers can find a shot to match their price point and taste. Create a chalkboard behind the bar to display your offerings. Offer promotions that explore seasonal flavors and fun themes. Many shots require minimal effort behind the bar while still being high-margin.
You've updated your bar menu. Now what?
Once your bar menu is filled with new drinks and menu items, here's a checklist to make sure your new menu is ready for prime time.
Brief your staff
Before you start selling to your customers, sell the new bar menu to your staff. Share a sample or three of the new drinks, spirits, and menu items.
Update your bar or restaurant POS system
With a cloud-based POS system, you don't have to be at your physical location to update your restaurant or bar menu. Add your new items and prices to your POS menu so your staff can find them quickly and get orders in as soon as possible.
Update your website
Add your new menu items to your online menu and update your online ordering page if your customers order through QR codes. Include high-quality images and emphasize special ingredients to entice your guests.
Print menus or QR code signs
Once you've finalized your bar menu and triple-checked for typos, you can send your bar menu to print. Use a bar menu template and customize it with unique fonts and images that suit your bar menu's style. The same goes for QR code ordering. Print one QR code for each table and cover them in durable plastic or another spill-proof material.
Promote your bar menu on social
Share photos of your new bar menu items online and offer specials to encourage customers to come through and try them out.
Cheers to bigger profits
Running a bar business, you know nothing is guaranteed. Whether it's a new happy hour idea, a big drinking holiday like St. Patrick's Day, or hiring a killer bartender, you can't be afraid of trying something new. As you look to boost your profits, updating your bar menu to make it more profitable is a great place to start. Cin-cin!
