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
216 episodes
The Emotional ROI of Hospitality: Why $50 on a Regular Outperforms $5,000 in Ads
You’re spending money on ads… but your bar still doesn’t have real regulars.The drinks are good. The vibe is solid. People come in once, and then you never see them again.Because attention isn’t loyalty. An...
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Season 4
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Episode 212
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16:27
The Theatrical Menu: How to Turn Every Cocktail Into Free Marketing
Why are you paying for ads… but your bar isn’t getting talked about?Your costs are controlled. Margins look healthy. The menu is optimized.On paper, you’re doing everything right.But great drinks aren’t ma...
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Season 4
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Episode 211
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12:05
Party of Six - Bar Show Mastery: Unlocking the Secrets to Successful Industry Events and Networking
Discover how industry shows can transform your hospitality career and business.In this episode, our expert panel shares personal stories and insights on the evolving role of bar shows and conventions. Learn how these events offer unpara...
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Season 99
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Episode 4
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59:29
Blind Spots of Data-Driven Bar Management Every Bar Owner Must Understand
Why do your numbers look right… but your bar feels off?Your labor’s tight.Margins look healthy.The menu’s optimized.On paper, you’re doing everything right.But data is transactional. It tracks sales and costs. It do...
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Season 4
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Episode 210
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17:58
The Vibe Audit: Why $2,000 in Dimmers Beats Another POS Upgrade
Why are guests leaving earlier than you think they should?Your pricing’s solid, the drinks are good, the team’s doing their job and still, tabs are closing after two rounds.Most operators assume it’s a marketing issue or a menu pr...
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Season 4
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Episode 209
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15:15
Dave Nitzel & Dave Domzalski on A Tale of Two Taverns: Why Most Bars Solve the Wrong Problem
Running a bar isn’t just about controlling costs, it’s about leading people.In our latest episode with Dave Nitzel and Dave Domzalski, we unpack their new book, A Tale of Two Taverns, and the deeper lesson behind it.Through the st...
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Season 4
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Episode 208
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53:57
The Staff Sentiment Index: Why 20% Labor Means Nothing
You can run a perfect 20% labor cost and still feel like your bar is one bad shift away from falling apart. Call-outs start stacking up, the vibe changes, and people show up physically but mentally they’re gone.That’s usually...
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Season 4
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Episode 207
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14:57
How to Build a Profitable Neighborhood Bar from Scratch with Zach Yurchuck of Truck & Tap
A lot of people think you need years of bar experience to open or run a successful bar.That assumption keeps a lot of people stuck or broke.Today, I’m talking with Zach Yurchuck of Truck & Tap, who helped build a profitable, m...
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Season 4
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Episode 206
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35:39
The Simple Way to See When Your Bar Actually Makes Money
You can have a packed bar, a full staff, and still wonder why the profits aren’t there.The truth is, most owners mistake busy for profitable. The real problem isn’t effort, it’s not knowing which hours actually make money and...
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Season 4
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Episode 205
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12:29
Party of Six - Unlocking Bar Success: Simplify Menus, Boost Profits, and Control Inventory Now!
Are you struggling to balance menu complexity with profitability in your bar? Discover the surprising insights that could transform your business strategy.In this episode of Party of Six, Chris, Dave, and Cliff dive deep into the intric...
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Season 99
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Episode 3
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1:04:11
The Dry ROI Playbook: How 80% Margin Non-Alcoholic Drinks Are Outperforming Your Best Cocktails
Bars aren’t losing money on non-alcoholic drinks.They’re losing money by misunderstanding them.As guest behavior shifts toward functional, botanical, and alcohol-free options, the bars winning right now aren’t guessing, they’re fo...
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Season 4
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Episode 204
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31:08
The 3-Minute Miracle: How the 1-3-1 Rule Saves Bar Owners Hours Every Week
Why does every “quick update” from your manager turn into a 20-minute conversation?Most bar owners don’t realize how much vague communication is slowing decisions, increasing burnout, and keeping them stuck in the weeds instead of runnin...
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Season 4
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Episode 203
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12:33
Great Managers Aren’t Born: How Hospitality Leaders Are Made with Andrew Roy
A lot of people in hospitality end up managing without ever being taught how to manage. You’re good at the job, you get promoted, and suddenly you’re responsible for people, numbers, and decisions you were never trained for....
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Season 4
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Episode 202
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40:50
The Local Search Double Win for Bars: How SEO + AEO Drive More Customers from Google and AI
Why does your bar show up on Google, but not when someone asks ChatGPT where to go for a drink? That’s happening more than you think, and it’s costing bars real customers. People haven’t stopped searching, they’ve just started askin...
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Season 4
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Episode 201
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12:32
200 Episodes Strong: Celebrating the Voices That Built Us
Join us as we celebrate the 200th episode of the Bar Business Podcast, a journey shaped by the insights of our fantastic guests and your support as listeners.We reflect on the meaningful contributions from industry leaders and the evolut...
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Season 4
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Episode 200
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32:03
The January Inventory Reset Every Bar Owner Needs for Better Cash Flow
January slows down, but the inventory almost never does. After December, most bars are sitting on too much product, bad pars, and shelves that look fine until cash flow tells a different story.In this episode, we break down h...
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Season 4
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Episode 199
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11:39
The Leadership Development System: How to Build a Strong Management Bench
If running your bar feels like everything still runs through you, that’s a problem that only gets bigger over time. Being great at the work often turns into being stuck doing all of it.In this episode, we break down why bar owners get t...
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Season 4
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Episode 198
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28:32
January Revenue Recovery Playbook for Bar and Restaurant Owners
Are you bracing for the January slump every year, watching sales dip and wondering what to cut first?The holidays are over, guests pull back, and revenue almost always takes a hit.In this episode, we break down why the January dro...
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Season 4
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Episode 197
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9:43
A Bar Owner’s Year-End Reflection: Gratitude, Rest & What's Coming in 2026
From the outside, everything looks fine. The bar is open, people are coming in, and the work gets done. But underneath it, there’s a quiet heaviness from long days, nonstop decisions, and pressure that never fully lifts.That weight isn’t...
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Season 3
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Episode 196
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8:55
Year-End Audit for Bar Owners: 5 Questions That Reveal What’s Really Holding You Back
Running a bar can look successful on the surface while still leaving me overworked, frustrated, and questioning whether the business is actually supporting the life I set out to build.Small compromises, avoided conversations, and fear-ba...
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Season 3
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Episode 195
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8:04
Party of Six - Bar and Restaurant Staffing Solutions: Reducing Turnover and Building Culture
Discover the evolving landscape of staffing and turnover in the bar and restaurant industry with insights from global experts.Explore how COVID-19, Brexit, and generational shifts are reshaping employment dynamics. Learn why investing in...
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Season 99
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Episode 2
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59:30
The Lean Bar Business Model: How Simpler Operations Drive Higher Profit Margins
Running a bar gets harder when everything becomes more complicated than it needs to be.Extra menu items, excess inventory, and unnecessary systems quietly hurt margins and make daily operations harder to manage.In this episode, we...
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Season 3
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Episode 194
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22:53
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The Gift Card Profit Maximizer: How Bars Can Make $5K in 10 Days With Gift Cards
Most bars don’t sell as many gift cards as they could.They’re easy to miss, rarely mentioned by staff, and usually treated like an afterthought, even during the holidays.In this episode, we break down how simple 10-day gift card p...
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Season 3
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Episode 193
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11:19
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2026 Bar Marketing Calendar: ROI-Driven Promotion Strategies for Higher Revenue
Most bars don’t have a marketing problem.They have a reaction problem.One slow night, one competitor promo, and one random idea, and suddenly the whole month spirals into discounting, rushed events, and staff burnout.In this...
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Season 3
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Episode 192
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22:58
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December Bar Waste Audit: How to Stop Profit Leaks in Food Cost, Pour Cost, and Inventory
December is supposed to save your year, but for a lot of bars it quietly becomes the month with the biggest waste bill.You’re packed, bottles are flying, the kitchen is slammed, and somehow the money left over never matches how hard you ...
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Season 3
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Episode 191
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10:17
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