The Bar Business Podcast: Smart Hospitality & Marketing Secrets For Bar & Pub Owners
Are you spending more time stuck behind the bar than building a business that runs smoothly without you?
If you're a bar owner who feels overwhelmed by the day-to-day grind of hospitality and is struggling to balance operations, marketing, and profits this show is for you. Chris Schneider, with over 20 years in the industry, created this podcast to help you overcome burnout, increase profits, and create a business you can enjoy—not just endure.
Join us every Monday and Wednesday to:
- Get expert strategies to boost profits while attracting loyal customers.
- Learn bar marketing tactics, menu design hacks, and leadership tools that simplify operations.
- Build the bar or pub that you have always dreamt of owning.
Ready to take control of your bar’s success? Start by tuning into the fan-favorite episode: 5 Strategies to Boost Bar Profits This Week: Quick Wins for Bar Owners.
Episodes
167 episodes
When Your Market Disagrees with Your Vision: The 3-Step Reality Check System
Your bar looks the way you pictured it, but the room stays thin, and the regulars aren’t biting.It’s not your work ethic, it’s a gap between your vision and what your market actually buys.In this episode, learn how to read your ...
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Season 3
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Episode 167
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27:51
5 Minute Bar Staffing Math That Exposes Hidden Labor Waste
Slow hour, full crew, and the till is barely moving.Most of us guess at schedules and pay for people to stand around, then we are short the minute it gets busy.This episode walks through a five-minute check that sets a sales-per...
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10:18
How Can Technology and Team Empowerment Transform Your Restaurant Operations with Amir Harpaz
Running a bar or restaurant isn’t just about great food and service, it’s also about having the right technology. In our latest episode with Amir Harpaz, we talked about his journey from a tech-challenged startup to a well-oiled mac...
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Season 3
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Episode 165
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35:44
The Future of Tipping for Bar Owners and the Hidden Risks of Playing It Safe
Still using the same tipping setup from 2019? Digital payments took over. Customers are over it. Staff want stability. But most bars are stuck in limbo, afraid to switch, too drained to rethink. Here’s the hard truth:
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Season 3
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Episode 164
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11:36
How Independent Bar Owners Use AI Tools to Save Hours and Increase Profits
Running a bar without AI is like competing with chains using paper and pencil. Big brands spend millions on tech to shave a few points off costs. Independents can’t do that, but AI now delivers the same advantages at a fraction of t...
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Season 3
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Episode 163
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25:16
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Gen Z Bar and Nightlife Habits Redefining the Future of Bar Economics
To run a bar without the vision for Gen Z would be to develop a menu blindly. They spend less than Millennials did, yet spend when they do buy. They consult their phone on TikTok rather than Google. And when their discretionary spen...
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Season 3
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Episode 162
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10:57
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Building Bar Culture Beyond Training and the Identity System That Drives Everything
Having a bar with no sense of identity is running darts with eyes closed.You might hit the drinks, menu, even the venue itself, but it is only a building with booze within without culture.That’s why successful bars design everythi...
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Season 3
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Episode 161
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28:07
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Seasonal Customer Flow Calendar to Predict and Prepare for Revenue Shifts
Slow nights followed by slammed weekends can make running a bar feel unpredictable. But those swings aren’t random. They’re seasonal patterns hiding in your sales data.Miss them and you’ll end up overstaffed on quiet ni...
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Season 3
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Episode 160
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12:45
Bar Business Equipment Maintenance System That Prevents Emergency Repairs
Picture this: it’s Friday night, the bar’s packed, and your walk-in cooler decides to quit.Beer’s getting warm, food’s going bad, and you’re suddenly on the phone begging for emergency service, knowing you’ll pay through the nose if any...
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Season 3
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Episode 159
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24:55
5 No-Cost Marketing Tactics That Fill Slow Nights Fast
Some nights, the problem isn’t staffing or service, it’s that the seats simply aren’t filled. Early-week shifts can drain profits fast, and relying on deep discounts often does more harm than good. In this episode, we’ll...
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Season 3
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Episode 158
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11:00
Psychology of Bar Atmosphere and How Bar Design Influences Customer Behavior
Most bar owners spend hours tweaking their menu or pricing strategy and barely think twice about the lighting, music, or layout. But what if the way your bar feels is quietly bleeding money... or driving up your revenue? <...
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Season 3
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Episode 157
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25:55
Improve Service Quality in Bars and Restaurants with Daily Micro Training
You’ve got a team that shows up, but somehow the service is hit or miss and it’s driving you (and your guests) nuts. The truth is, most bar training is rushed, inconsistent, or just flat-out missing the mark.This episode brea...
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Season 3
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Episode 156
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10:34
The Customer Experience Blueprint: How Service Excellence Drives Revenue Growth
Most bar owners focus so hard on pricing and promotions, they miss the real reason customers come back or don’t. It’s not always about the money. It’s how people feel when they walk in, order a drink, and interact with y...
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Season 3
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Episode 155
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21:39
Track Customer Acquisition Cost Like a CFO and Grow Your Bar Business Smarter
Most bars have no idea what it really costs to bring in a new customer. And if they are tracking it, they’re usually missing half the expenses. This episode breaks down a simple way to calculate your true customer acquis...
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Season 3
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Episode 154
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11:25
The Bar Tech Trap: How to Pick the Best Bar Technology for Real ROI
Feel like every tech company is trying to sell you the next “must-have” tool for your bar? You’re not crazy, and half of them don’t even understand how bars actually work. In this episode, we’re talking about why most b...
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Season 3
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Episode 153
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19:06
3-Step Daily Cash Flow Tracker to Prevent $5K+ Monthly Losses in Your Bar Business
Your bar’s bringing in money, but somehow you’re still stressing about next week’s payroll. Sound familiar?It’s one of the most frustrating things: sales look solid, your P&L shows a profit, but the cash just isn’t there when you ne...
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Season 3
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Episode 152
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9:42
Inside Tales of the Cocktail with Neal Bodenheimer
Dive into the world of cocktails with Neal Bodenheimer, one of the top bar owners globally and co-chair of Tales of the Cocktail. Discover the magic behind this iconic event and how it shapes the cocktail industry.Neal shares his journey...
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Season 3
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Episode 151
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37:16
The Labor Cost Paradox - Why Paying Your Staff More Could Double Your Profits
Think cutting labor costs is the only way to keep your bar profitable? I used to believe that too, but I’ve learned that obsessively cutting labor often hurts your profits instead of helping them.In this episode, I’ll show ...
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Season 3
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Episode 150
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24:10
Increase Bar Sales Using the 80/20 Rule and Pricing Psychology
Think your pricing strategy is solid because your drink cost is sitting at 20%? I used to think that too until I realized the standard markup model was leaving serious money on the table. In this episode, I’ll walk you t...
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Season 3
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Episode 149
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10:22
How to Adapt and Thrive in the Bar Business | Kelvin Abrams’ Journey into the Bar Industry
Are you feeling stuck in your business or contemplating a major career change?Many entrepreneurs find themselves at a crossroads, unsure of how to pivot or reinvent themselves in a constantly evolving market. In this episod...
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Season 3
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Episode 148
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32:51
How Bars Can Profit from the Sober Curious Trend & Zero-Proof Menus
Looked at your menu and thought, “No one’s really gonna order that $12 juice, right?” I thought the same. But here’s the truth mocktails and zero-proof drinks are on the rise. And if your bar isn’t leaning in, you’re probably leavi...
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Season 3
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Episode 147
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10:33
How to Use Advanced Menu Engineering to Improve Bar Profitability ?
Menu engineering isn’t just about what’s selling it’s about understanding why it’s selling, and how each item on your menu affects your bottom line. In this episode, I break down into the advanced side of menu engineering: the...
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Season 3
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Episode 146
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19:51
How Can Integrating Your POS System with QuickBooks Transform Your Bar's Financial Management?
Managing a bar takes more than great service and solid sales you also need accurate financial systems behind the scenes. In this episode, I walk through how to properly move sales data from your POS system into QuickBooks, and why d...
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Season 3
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Episode 145
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11:52
Unlock Nightclub Success with These Expert Nightclub Tips | Connor Treacy
Let’s be honest, running a bar is one thing. Running a nightclub? That’s a whole different game. In this episode, I’m joined by Connor Treacy, who co-founded Off Sunset, one of LA’s most buzzed-about nightclubs. We talk...
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Season 3
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Episode 144
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29:54
Food and Beverage Cost Mistakes That Hurt Restaurant Finances
Are your food and beverage costs higher than expected? Learn the key food cost calculation formulas and strategies to take control of your margins and protect your restaurant finances. Many restaurants and bars struggle...
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Season 3
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Episode 143
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10:10