When Labor Day hits we all feel it. On the east coast it may stay warm enough later into the month to eke out a few more days at the beach or by the pool, and in other parts of the country patio drinking and dining may just be taking off for the season.
So, while you don’t have to throw out the almost expired sunscreen quite yet, there is no denying that the turn of calendar pages impacts bar operations.
So too do big events. As well as the continuously shifting tide of employees working on-site at home, and hybrid shifts post-pandemic. It’s enough to make even a seasoned beverage professional’s head spin. Until they stop to wrap their head around it and plan, that is.
The ebb and flow of guest traffic is really nothing new day to day when you sit down to think of it, but when big swing shifts happen in concert with milestone events and activities it helps to be thinking ahead and accommodating your staff, enhancing staff training, and considering inventory and operational procedures to keep things even keel.
Melissa Araujo, owner and Executive Chef of Alma Cafe, operates in New Orleans, a popular tourist destination. They come for the architecture, the food and drink, the music, the history, and of course, the festivals like Mardi Gras and Jazz Fest.
Knowing that some of them are return visitors to New Orleans and some have arrived to explore for the first time Araujo puts her guest needs first when contemplating how to get the food out of the kitchen as she says, “At Alma Cafe, we utilize all our resources and channels to fit our guests’ needs best. For example, even though we pride ourselves on our dining experience, we know the importance of offering takeout, curbside pickup, and online ordering as options. Our goal is to adapt to our customers’ needs, allowing them to savor our cuisine in any setting or atmosphere. We’re always looking for innovative ways to keep our customer’s concerns at the forefront and deliver exceptional service.”
The travel patterns and interests of tourists also impact NYC bar veteran Meaghan Dorman’s business plans as she gets ready to open a third location for her popular bar, Dear Irving.
Situated in a hotel at the north end of Times Square, Dorman plans to appeal to employees and nearby residents, as well as the tourists in town for a Broadway show and more. In a neighborhood with one of the densest concentration of hotel rooms in the city the location drove Dorman to feel strongly about leaning into the ties between hospitality and theatre.
She shares, “We want to be as open and welcoming as many hours as we can, while balancing that private event business is very important to us. So many on our team have been involved in the arts and being that we’re at the top of the theatre district we want to tie being there to our operations. So, we’ll consider adjusting operating hours to maybe an earlier opening to align with matinee time for people who want to have a drink earlier in the day. And of course, be open for post-theatre drinks.”
Drinks are definitely a draw alongside the food menu at Gertie, and Gertrude’s, Nate Adler’s Jewish Brooklyn spots, but as remote work became more prevalent fewer guests stopped in for them.
Adler notes that this is the worst summer for revenue he’s ever seen, as he says, “Usually the swings I budget for tend to be down 15-20% in July and August; this year we’re down 30-40%.”
He thinks he knows why, “People are used to working remotely and that’s settled in. The partners in law firms and other industry bosses, are saying they don’t want to be in the office all summer. And in August people always plan to be out of town anyway. So, now the season is July 4th to Labor Day out of the city. It used to be at Gertie in the summer – that because of summer Fridays – Friday would be our busiest day after Saturday and Sunday. But now people are taking summer Fridays and working remotely and leaving on Thursday.”
He continues, “Usually there’s a replacement with some of those people with tourists. But at least in Brooklyn we’re not seeing the same tourist traffic we used to. There’s so much competition on the waterfront.”
So, Adler got creative about new ways to get people through the door and developed programming like the non-denominational Shabbat Supper club that marries a casual open door Jewish tradition of gathering of good friends, family and perfect strangers for a delicious Friday night meal structured after classic Wisconsin supper clubs.
Every meal begins with a relish tray, and it has been going well. He notes, “We conceived the program because we initially were open for nighttime and wanted to get back into it with a splash. The main goal of the program was to bring back private events to the space in a serious way. We always felt it was an incredible space for private events. But because people think of it as a daytime spot it is seldom folks reach out to do an evening event there. We decided if we put some new paint, new lights, and built up the bar program at night we thought we could attract more people to the space, and they’d start to think of Gertie after dark.”
Andrew Elder, Beverage and Service Director of Jont, the Michelin-starred concept on 14th Street in Washington, DC, that shares space with its sister spot, Bresca, spends a lot of time thinking about the ebb and flow of business in relation to the demands of the city’s visitors, permanent and semi-permanent residents who inhabit this government company town.
He remarks, “We certainly feel an increase in diners during months with increased local tourism, specifically late spring and early summer. However, this does come with a decrease in reservations during the ‘off season’ in late winter and late summer; where we notice that local guests are traveling out of town coincides with generally low tourism during this time, and we also are impacted by the schedule adjustment of ‘back to school’ time and Congressional recess (both usually occurring in mid to late August).”
Elder and his team have the experience to anticipate and address these ups and downs in guest head count and notes, “In general, we are constantly seeing a wave of change throughout the year within our two very different concepts, however we have developed certain tools and ideas that allow us to make rather unideal situations profitable and promotable, while also maintaining our brand and overall image. Since both concepts operate in rather contrasting facets, we adjust operations for each concept differently as well. At Bresca, staffing is much more fluid, and volume based, where during the busier weekend and holiday times we ensure to ‘bulk out’ the team and enlist all hands-on deck to guarantee a smooth service. Yet, on the slower shoulder days (Wed, Thurs, Sun) we can rotate the staff to allow for a leaner team during service. Regarding operating hours, as a Michelin Starred concept, we can maintain consistent hours throughout the year, with an exception being made for certain holidays known for earlier dinner times and more leisurely dining – Mother’s Day, Easter, Labor Day Weekend, etc.”
Over in Dupont Circle, Farid Azouri, Co-founder of Residents Café & Bar sees a similar impact on his bar business. It’s no wonder in a city that houses nineteen colleges and universities, not to mention Congress and serves as the flagship home for most foreign embassies.
He shares, “Seasonality in DC is very acute. The summer is a very slow season for us; universities are off, Congress is out, embassy staff are off traveling. We definitely feel a dip in the summer and the impact it has on us and the bar. On the other hand, there are big events like when the cherry blossoms are in bloom, or international events like the World Bank annual meeting which brings lots of delegations into DC, the hotels are packed, and people are looking for happy hour places and establishments in which they can gather after the meetings.”
Residents’ Director of Operations, Jon Arroyo, offers some advice for navigating it successfully and provide staff with enough hours so they can live comfortably, “The easiest way that we handle it is that we have the luxury of looking at previous years’ sales. So, take a look at the previous year’s work and then try and add 10% more. And accommodate accordingly [in terms of projections] when you ask yourself what can we do this year? For example, last time this year this week we did 600 espresso martinis. I asked myself, ‘what can we do this year?’ Well, this year we added a shake mixer. It took our ability to make 70 martinis into 170 martinis, and our drink ticket time got cut down by 70% by one piece of equipment.”
Lest you fear that robots on the back bar might replace the welcoming bartender, not to worry. People are the number one priority that Azouri has every day as he checks the weather report since 70% of his seating is outside. He concludes, we always monitor the weather for our team, so we know how to staff because when it is too hot or too cold, we have less traffic.”
SIPS TO SAVOR
FONTBONNE
For all those bartenders around the country hoarding their yellow and green herbal liqueur, fearful of running out and not being able to get more because the monks aren’t making as much as they used to…rejoice! Fontbonne Herbal Liqueur is here.
Or, should we say, it is back. 150 years after it was first created. And then forgotten in the house’s books during the sale of the company in 1909.
This historic French herbal liqueur with roots tracing back to 18th-century France is produced in Dijon, France and makes its debut in the US, this summer.
Look for the herbaceous spirit’s pale green color that reflects the 26 herbs, plants, and spices that go into it. And start making those classic cocktails again with abandon. There’s plenty to go around.