The Bar Business Podcast: Bar & Pub Owner Profits, Marketing & Operations

Chris Schneider, The Bar Business Coach
  • 5.0 (12)
  • Marketing
  • Updated Weekly

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. 

  1. 21h ago

    Is Live Music Making Your Bar Money or Costing You?

    Is your live music night actually making you money, or does it just look successful because the bar is full? In this episode, I’m digging into the real ROI of live music and other bar programming.  We’ll look at what the event actually adds to your sales, what it really costs once you factor in the band, extra labor, comps, and other expenses, and whether there’s any real profit left. I’ll walk through the math using live music, but the same applies to DJs, trivia, and other programming.  And when the numbers don’t work, it might mean negotiating costs, changing the format, or deciding if the loyalty and repeat business are worth it.  Because a busy night and a profitable night aren’t always the same thing.  📌Start Here Own, run, or manage a bar? Join Bar Business Nation. An EXCLUSIVE private Facebook group for bar owners and operators who want better ways to run the business. Ask questions, hear what other owners are dealing with, and get ideas you can actually use. 🔴Join here:  → https://www.facebook.com/groups/barbusinessnation 📌Additional resources 🔴Grab the books “How to Make Top-Shelf Profits in the Bar Business!” and “Menus that Sell” here: → https://barbusinesscoach.com/book/

  2. 5d ago

    How to Improve Bar Profitability: The 50-Lever Framework

    Improving bar profitability rarely comes from one big change. More often, it comes from fixing dozens of small problems across your costs, revenue, operations, staff, and guest experience. In this episode, I break down my 50-lever framework for improving your bar, why searching for one magic fix can keep you stuck, and how small operational improvements can compound into meaningful changes in profitability. I get into finding the small levers hiding inside your pour cost, labor scheduling, guest check average, service, training, and overall guest experience; how to audit your operation to determine which changes matter most; and why trying to fix everything at once usually fails. I also walk through how I’d prioritize those improvements, tackle one or two each week, measure the results, and build accountability so the changes actually stick.  Because you probably don’t need one breakthrough to turn your bar around. You need a list, a pace, and the discipline to make small improvements that compound.  📌Start Here Own, run, or manage a bar? Join Bar Business Nation. An EXCLUSIVE private Facebook group for bar owners and operators who want better ways to run the business. Ask questions, hear what other owners are dealing with, and get ideas you can actually use. 🔴Join here:  → https://www.facebook.com/groups/barbusinessnation 📌Additional resources 🔴Grab the books “How to Make Top-Shelf Profits in the Bar Business!” and “Menus that Sell” here: → https://barbusinesscoach.com/book/

  3. Sep 21

    Gut Instinct vs. Data: How Bar Owners Make Better Business Decisions

    Running a successful bar requires more than trusting your gut—and more than blindly following the numbers.  In this episode, I break down how bar owners can use gut instinct and data to make better business decisions, including what experienced intuition actually is, where your instincts can mislead you, and what your bar data can and cannot tell you.  I get into using data for pricing, menu engineering, labor scheduling, inventory, marketing ROI, and performance decisions while using experience and instinct for hiring, culture, guest experience, concept decisions, and major changes.  I also explain why your gut should be treated as a hypothesis rather than a conclusion, how data can confirm or challenge what you believe, and what to do when your instincts and your numbers disagree.  Because the best bar owners don’t blindly trust their instincts or their spreadsheets. They know when to use each one, and when a major decision requires both.  📌Start Here Own, run, or manage a bar? Join Bar Business Nation. An EXCLUSIVE private Facebook group for bar owners and operators who want better ways to run the business. Ask questions, hear what other owners are dealing with, and get ideas you can actually use. 🔴Join here:  → https://www.facebook.com/groups/barbusinessnation 📌Additional resources 🔴Grab the books “How to Make Top-Shelf Profits in the Bar Business!” and “Menus that Sell” here: → https://barbusinesscoach.com/book/

  4. Sep 16

    Classic Cocktail Trends: Why Simple Drinks Are Winning in Bars

    Classic cocktails are making a comeback as guests move away from overly complicated craft cocktails and toward familiar drinks like Espresso Martinis, Old Fashioneds, Martinis, and Negronis. In this episode, I break down the cocktail trends bar owners should be watching in 2026 and why simplifying your cocktail menu could improve guest confidence, consistency, speed, and profitability. I get into why classic cocktails are outperforming more complicated drinks, how decision fatigue and price sensitivity influence what guests order, and the operational advantages of simpler cocktails, from easier training and faster service to less waste and better margins.  I also explain my classic-anchor strategy for building a cocktail menu around well-executed classics while still leaving room for original drinks and creative riffs.  Because simplifying your cocktail program doesn’t mean lowering your standards. It means paying attention to what your guests are actually ordering and executing it better than anyone else. 📌Start Here Own, run, or manage a bar? Join Bar Business Nation. An EXCLUSIVE private Facebook group for bar owners and operators who want better ways to run the business. Ask questions, hear what other owners are dealing with, and get ideas you can actually use. 🔴Join here:  → https://www.facebook.com/groups/barbusinessnation 📌Additional resources 🔴Grab the books “How to Make Top-Shelf Profits in the Bar Business!” and “Menus that Sell” here: → https://barbusinesscoach.com/book/

  5. Sep 14

    Generational Drinking Trends Every Bar Owner Should Know in 2026

    Gen Z drinking trends are changing what customers expect from bars in 2026 but Millennials, Gen X, and Baby Boomers are drinking very differently. In this episode, I break down the latest generational drinking trends and what they mean for bar owners trying to build a beverage program that matches how their customers actually drink. I get into Gen Z’s growing interest in mini cocktails, moderation, mocktails, functional beverages, and earlier drinking occasions; why Millennials are spending on premium cocktails and spirits; and why Gen X and Baby Boomers remain critical for traditional beer, wine, gin, and Scotch.  I also look at what these alcohol and cocktail trends could tell us about where the bar industry is heading next.  Because the future of bars isn’t simply about whether people are drinking less or more. It’s about understanding how each generation drinks and making sure your bar evolves with them. 📌Start Here Own, run, or manage a bar? Join Bar Business Nation. An EXCLUSIVE private Facebook group for bar owners and operators who want better ways to run the business. Ask questions, hear what other owners are dealing with, and get ideas you can actually use. 🔴Join here:  → https://www.facebook.com/groups/barbusinessnation 📌Additional resources 🔴Grab the books “How to Make Top-Shelf Profits in the Bar Business!” and “Menus that Sell” here: → https://barbusinesscoach.com/book/

  6. Sep 9

    Chris Schneider & Brian Haan: How We Adapted Our Bar After the Smoking Ban

    Last week, Brian Haan and I started telling the story of how we ended up running 86th Street Pub together. About 15 months into owning the bar, we hit the first major change that forced us to rethink what the business could become: the smoking ban. In this episode, I break down how Brian and I responded, not by fighting the change, but by using it as an opportunity to up our game. I get into how we cleaned up the bar, expanded the craft beer program, improved the food, built a faster lunch business, redesigned the kitchen for efficiency, tightened portion control, used steak night to drive traffic and drink sales, and eventually moved to seasonal menus when our regulars wanted something new. Because when the environment around your bar changes, holding onto the old version of the business isn’t always the safest move. Sometimes the smartest move is figuring out what the change makes possible—and building a better bar around it.  📌Start Here Own, run, or manage a bar? Join Bar Business Nation. An EXCLUSIVE private Facebook group for bar owners and operators who want better ways to run the business. Ask questions, hear what other owners are dealing with, and get ideas you can actually use. 🔴Join here:  → https://www.facebook.com/groups/barbusinessnation 📌Additional resources 🔴Grab the books “How to Make Top-Shelf Profits in the Bar Business!” and “Menus that Sell” here: → https://barbusinesscoach.com/book/

  7. Sep 2

    Chris Schneider & Brian Haan: Buying, Managing, and Learning to Run a Bar

    After more than 260 episodes talking about the bar business, there’s one story I probably should have told a long time ago: how I actually became a bar owner and learned to run one. In this episode, I sit down with Brian Haan, my longtime friend, former roommate, and the GM who was there throughout my journey in the bar business, to finally start telling that story from the beginning. We get into how Brian and I met at Purdue, why I bought an established neighborhood pub at 22, how Brian ended up becoming my GM, and what those early years taught us about regulars, employees, operations, weekly P&Ls, product decisions, and knowing when to change something, and when to leave what’s already working alone. Because most of what I know about the bar business didn’t come from having all the answers. It came from running the business, watching the numbers, making mistakes, adapting, and figuring it out together.  📌Start Here Own, run, or manage a bar? Join Bar Business Nation. An EXCLUSIVE private Facebook group for bar owners and operators who want better ways to run the business. Ask questions, hear what other owners are dealing with, and get ideas you can actually use. 🔴Join here:  → https://www.facebook.com/groups/barbusinessnation 📌Additional resources 🔴Grab the books “How to Make Top-Shelf Profits in the Bar Business!” and “Menus that Sell” here: → https://barbusinesscoach.com/book/

  8. Aug 31

    How to Increase Restaurant and Bar Revenue Without More Customers

    When revenue drops, I know the first instinct is usually to get more customers through the door.  But what if you’re trying to market your way out of the wrong problem? In this episode, I break down why increasing your guest check average can be one of the fastest ways to grow revenue without spending more money on traffic or marketing. I get into how to benchmark your check average, when your team should prompt the second round, how menu price anchoring can influence what guests spend, and where small changes in the guest journey can help you make more from the customers you already have.  Because before you spend more money trying to fill more seats, make sure you’re getting the most from the seats you’ve already filled. 📌Start Here Own, run, or manage a bar? Join Bar Business Nation. An EXCLUSIVE private Facebook group for bar owners and operators who want better ways to run the business. Ask questions, hear what other owners are dealing with, and get ideas you can actually use. 🔴Join here:  → https://www.facebook.com/groups/barbusinessnation 📌Additional resources 🔴Grab the books “How to Make Top-Shelf Profits in the Bar Business!” and “Menus that Sell” here: → https://barbusinesscoach.com/book/

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Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
12 Ratings

About

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. 

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