The food and beverage business is a popular industry to get into. Everyone loves to go out for a drink and a bit to eat, and you will never be short of a customer or two. Investing in starting your own pub can be hard work. However, once you are set up in a well-situated venue, you may be able to create a lucrative investment.
There are several routes that you can take your business in, and you will need to explore all of the options and do lots of research before jumping. Amongst other things, here will undoubtedly be licensing concerns that you will need to work through.
Culture Shifts
Looking back fifteen to twenty years, there has been a significant shift in people’s habits when it comes to pubs. The smoking ban changed the landscape and caused many traditional pubs to either go out of business or need to change tact. This ushered in a change towards pubs, offering a lot more food.
While you still get bars that focus entirely on beverages, providing a dining option may be a way of enticing a broader revenue stream. However, pubs that are primarily geared towards drinking may want to offer a wide range of quality drinks, specialize in one type of drink, or be centered around a particular form of entertainment.
Deciding which angle you will take for your pub is essential as the route that you will choose as it will be significant in how you market the business to your customers.
Decor
The look and feel of your pub are vital aspects that you need to consider. Your customers will want to feel comfortable and be able to relax and to do that you will need to have appealing decor and good quality furniture.
You may have a theme in mind for your pub, and this may well determine the style of the furniture and decor that you go for. If possible, bring in an interior designer to create a venue that will seem professional and appealing to customers.
Pub furniture needs to be hardwearing and built to last, and you ideally won’t want to have to refit your pub too often. Kitting out your entire pub can be expensive, so you may want to look at financing options.
Tied Houses Vs. Free Houses
One decision that you may need to make is whether to look at getting into business with a brewery and operating under their wing, or whether to go it alone. There are many brewers out there that will lease out pubs under the condition that you stock their drinks. They may have other areas of the business that they may want to have control over. This may be a good option in terms of saving set-up costs. However, if you want full control over your own business and want to determine what you are selling, then you may prefer to go down the free house route instead.
