The Bar Business Podcast: Bar & Pub Owner Profits, Marketing & Operations
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
255 episodes
Your Bar P-Mix Report Shows Which Sales Are Costing You Money
Your revenue can look good while your margins get worse.That is why total sales are not enough.Your P-Mix shows if those sales actually helped your bar or quietly cost you money.In this episode I break down what P-Mix reall...
Why Your Bar P&L Is Not Just A Monthly Report Card
Your P&L is not a monthly report card.It is where your bar shows you what is getting expensive.Most owners look at net profit and think they understand the month.They do not. Net profit tells you the result.It do...
Why Your Bar Revenue Looks Good But Your Margins Tell A Different Story
Your bar's P-Mix is where every margin problem hides. Two bars with the same sales can earn completely different profit. Here's how to read yours and fix it.In this episode I break down what your P-Mix (product...
Bar Marketing That Works Without Spending a Dime
Want more bar customers without spending a dime on ads? This is the local partnership system that fills your bar with regulars on autopilot.In this episode, Chris Schneider breaks down how to build business-to-business partn...
How to Build a Training Program That Actually Sticks
Most bar training programs do not fail because the material is bad.They fail because there is no system.In this episode, Chris breaks down why handing someone a binder, recipe book, or checklist is not the same as training them.
How to Fix Guest Complaints Before They Become Bad Reviews
Most unhappy guests will never complain. They will just leave.And if your team is not paying attention, you may not know there was a problem until the review shows up or the guest never comes back.In this episode, Chris breaks dow...
How to Increase Perceived Value in Your Bar
When guests say your bar is too expensive, they may not be talking about price.They may be talking about value.In this episode, I talk about perceived value: the gap between what guests pay and what they feel they received....
Why Google Reviews Matter for Bar Marketing
Your Google reviews are not just nice to have.They are one of the biggest reasons new guests choose you over the bar down the street.In this episode, I talk about why most bar owners wait for good reviews to happen instead of buil...
Party of Six: The Secret to Scaling Hospitality Brands Without Losing Their Unique Local DNA
This month, we are joined by special guest Willie Rosenthal of Gin & Luck. Discover the incredible journey of Willie Rosenthal as he transforms a single cocktail bar into a global hospitality empire with Gin & Luck.<...
Opened a Bar With No Staff and No Experience with Harald Plok
What happens when a regular ends up running the bar?In this episode, I talk with Harald Plok about taking over Turtle House Sports Bar in Plovdiv, Bulgaria.He had no real bar experience.He kept his 9-to-5.He renovate...
Why Bad Bar Scheduling Is Driving Up Your Labor Cost
High labor cost does not always mean you have too many people.Sometimes your people are just scheduled at the wrong time.In this episode, I talk about why bar labor cost is often a scheduling problem, not a headcount problem.<...
How to Raise Bar Prices Without Guest Pushback
Raising prices is awkward.But not raising them can wreck your margins.In this episode, Chris talks about using a seasonal menu change as a natural pricing reset for your bar.Instead of randomly bumping prices and hoping gue...
Why Your Bar’s Instagram Reels Get Views but No Customers
A lot of bar reels look great.But they do nothing.In this episode, Chris breaks down why the gap between “looks content” and “feels content” is killing your social media ROI.Pretty cocktails, neon signs, plated food, and cl...
From Corporate VP to Bourbon Blender with Brandon McCraney
What happens when the business you planned is not the business you actually build?In this episode, I talk with Brandon McCraney, owner of Old Raleigh Distillery, about leaving corporate life, chasing whiskey, and opening a distillery dur...
How One Private Event a Week Can Add $78K to Your Bar
Most bars say they do private events.But most bars do not have a real system for booking them.In this episode, Chris breaks down why private events are one of the most underused revenue streams in independent bars, especially when...
Why Experience Isn’t Enough When Hiring Bar Staff
Experience does not always mean someone is a good hire.In this episode, I talk about why hiring bar staff based on experience alone can backfire.A resume may tell you they know the job.But it will not tell you if they are w...
Is Gen Z Lazy… Or Is Your Bar Management Broken?
Gen Z is not impossible to manage.A lot of bars are just managing them like it is still 2005.No clear growth path.Vague schedules.Random communication.Feedback only when something goes wrong.Then owners act shoc...
How Bad Bar Design Can Cost You $1M with Tobin Ellis
What if your bar was built to look good, but not to make money?That might sound harsh.But if your bartenders are walking laps, reaching too far, making a mess, or fighting the layout every shift, your design is costing you more th...
The Invisible Bar Loss That’s Killing Your Margins
Where is your bar’s money actually going?Probably not where you think.A heavy pour.A spill nobody logs.A comp that never gets rung in.A free drink for a friend.One small thing after another.In this episod...
The Real Reason Guests Don’t Order a Second Round
Why do guests leave after one drink, even when the cocktail was good?That is usually not a drink problem.Your bar may be telling them to leave before anyone says a word.In this episode, I break down the hidden signal...
Your “High-Margin” Bottles Are Quietly Killing Your Bar’s Cash Flow
Most bar owners think high-margin liquor is making them money.But if the bottle barely moves, it is not profit. It is trapped cash.In this episode, I break down why obsessing over pour cost can blind you to a bigger problem: slow ...
Party of Six - The Secret Ingredient to Memorable Bar Experiences with Katalin Bene
Join special guest Katalin Bene, and our normal panel: Aoife Halliday, Dave Nitzel, Minakshi Singh, Cliff Crider, and Chris Schneider as they explore the transformative power of personal evolution in the hospitality industry. ...
Your Staff Controls Your Profit Why Are You Hiding the Numbers?
Most bar owners think hiding financial numbers protects the business. In reality, it usually does the opposite. When your staff doesn’t understand what overpouring, waste, breakage, labor pressure, cash handling, and che...
The Room That Secretly Decides Whether Guests Come Back
How much money is your dirty bathroom costing you?Most bar owners think guests only care about drinks, service, and prices.They don’t.Guests walk into one filthy bathroom, and suddenly your whole bar feels dirty, sloppy, an...
Regulars Keep Coming In, So Why Are Your Bar Profits Still Weak?
Bar marketing gets expensive fast when every promotion is aimed at strangers.The smarter move is knowing which customers already visit often, spend more than average, and quietly keep the business alive.In this episode, we break d...