Things Every New Pub Owner Can't Live Without (examples/pictures)
- The Drunken Mallard
- Sep 18
- 5 min read
Updated: Oct 4
When you make it your mission to step foot inside every Irish Pub in America, you pick up on a lot of things after visiting over 100 Pubs within one calendar year. Not every Pub can be good, of course. Sometimes you need to enter a lousy Pub in order to fully appreciate the finer ones. Most of the time, the Pubs that do the best are the ones who've been established the longest. If there's anything in particular that people like the most; it's nostalgia. What if you're opening a new Irish Pub, though? Unfortunately, nostalgia won't be on your side, however, there are certain traditions that still hold water that will make everyone want to come back for years to come.
CURB APPEAL
It's the first thing your guests lay their eyes on. Think about this; if you're going in for a handshake with someone you've never met, would you rather them be clean and polished or have greasy hair with Cheeto-dusted fingertips? Not only does your curb appeal plant a picture in everyone's head before they even sit on a barstool, but it tells the community that you care. Everyone loves greenery outside of the door's entrance, but do you know which demographic loves it more? Women. If you want more women to enter your Pub, then please put a little TLC into having nice curb appeal.
LIGHTING
Be careful with your lighting. The only time it should ever be extremely bright is if your building offers beautiful windows that allow for natural lighting. Sipping at 1pm with sunlight is always pleasant, so long as the sunlight is never blinding the corneas. However, if your building doesn’t allow for good, pleasant, natural lighting: dim the lights and be sure to have an amber glow. Do NOT go with total white light bulbs. Having dim lighting will save on your electric bill, it’ll hide minor blemishes, and it’ll help make your patrons lose track of time. Lighting is the first ingredient to championing a "cozy" atmosphere.
MUSIC & TV
Stay on top of your music and TVs. Guests hate it when they walk in during lunch hour and realize the staff hasn’t bothered to turn on any music and the TVs are all on local channels with Judge Judy and the Price is Right because those were the channels from last night’s NFL game. Before you open the door, make sure your music and TVs are catering to the mood. PLEASE. If you ever look unfinished then you immediately look lazy and careless, which means you're probably careless in other ways.
With Curb Appeal, Lighting, and Music; we've already nailed three senses before your guest has even plopped their potato on a barstool. We're winning, and the game hasn't even started yet.
WALL DECOR
The kind of decor you have will be dependent on whether you are a "proper Pub" or one that's more American/Westernized. While there's no right or wrong in having either styled Pub, the way you decorate it can make or break your guest's experience. Nobody wants to look around or take a picture inside a place with bare walls and a boring vibe. If you're a westernized Pub, then don't be afraid to explode the walls with decor, I'm talking covering almost every square inch of the place (pending the Pub, of course, sometimes you have to use your own judgement on particular cases). Prime examples include Harrigan's of Kettering, Erin Rose of New Orleans, and The Dead Rabbit of NYC.
If you're a proper Pub, then be sure to align everything pleasantly and never forget about your ceilings. Crown Moulding, mirrors, and beautiful ceiling tiles go a long way inside a Proper Pub. A masterpiece of proper design is The Kerryman of Chicago.
Whatever you do, do NOT skimp out and get cheap decor. If people notice that you placed something on your wall from Hobby Lobby *cough, Murphy's in Indianapolis, then people will consider you as a gimmick. People are stupid, yes, but not that stupid. If you can't afford it or even worse, don't know where to find authentic wall decor, then you should not be opening a Pub in the first place.
FURNITURE
Similar to the decor and just as important; don't go cheap on your barstools, chairs, and tables. It’s obvious to guests if you picked the “run of the mill” tables and chairs that look like they belong in a group therapy session that’s taking place at the local library. There’s a difference between having furniture with a touch of “worn-in” and “used and abused,” (which just means the place has character, warmth, and patina), and having flat out ugly, mass produced, cheap furniture that nobody wants to sit on, especially when they’re spending $9.00 for a pour of Guinness. If you're going to do something, then you have to do it the right way. There are no cutting corners when opening an Irish Pub, especially if it's going to be a proper one.
TINY MENU
Don’t be afraid to have a tiny menu (if you even decide to sell food, that is). Three appetizers, three entrees, and potatoes can do the trick. It's better to put all of your energy into making a few things great rather than ten things mediocre. People like simplicity and making easy decisions. Let the 24/7 diner down the street handle the 5-page menu.
BARTENDER
You must be picky about who you hire as your bartender. One bad bartender could make or break your Pub. Whether it’s either him/her stealing from you by overpouring, giving out too many free drinks, and literally taking cash, or them not giving your guests any true hospitality. Or worse, both. It’s disgusting how often you’ll come across a bartender who sits at the end of the bar on their cell phone and only engages with the bargoers until their glasses are running empty. People can buy beer and whiskey anywhere, and if you don’t provide any hospitality then not only will people choose not to come back, but they’ll tell their friends not to come either. Get someone who’s going to get the conversations flowing. Nobody wants to belly up to a bar where everyone is staring at their phones like lumps on a log. Your bartender can control that, and it’s not hard.
They don't call them "Pubs" for no reason. It's a "public house," where people come to congregate, learn things, and make relationships within the community. Never forget that the bulk of people who enter your establishment aren't coming solely for the whiskey (a few, yes,) they're coming for an experience. The person behind the bar holds the key to making that experience bad, mediocre, or great. This is the largest ingredient for establishing the Craic.
TAKING CASH
Never go cashless. It seems silly that it even needs to be said, but we live in weird times. Some people don’t like leaving paper trails everywhere they go. That doesn’t mean that they are sketchy or hiding something, it’s just that sometimes some people enjoy being anonymous. I’ve talked to a lot more people than you’d imagine who blatantly choose not to support a Pub who doesn’t take cash. Guess what? People who pay with cash tend to tip more, plus; Uncle Sam can’t touch it. Don’t be an idiot; take your patron’s cash.
Comments