How to create the perfect festive bar

Creating the perfect Christmas pub can be tough. But learning the secret of a successful festive offering can be incredibly rewarding.

Michael Mann runs Enterprise Inns pub the Earl Spencer in Wandsworth, south London. He says recommending drinks is a key component of driving sales in the festive period.

“At the Earl Spencer, we have quite a balanced wine list available all-year round. However, around Christmas time we have a bigger focus on red and mulled wines because they become more popular.

“We usually see a rise in sales for red wines during the festive period because there are a plenty of styles we stock that pair well with comforting winter dishes.

For example, we’d recommend pairing a Cabernet Sauvignon with Bavette steak; Merlot with the Sunday roast; red Rioja with richer dishes; and we always suggest a Malbec from Argentina for when there is a nip in the air.

“We’d also make more unusual pairings, like London Dry Gin with a game terrine; or IPA with a creamy blue cheese; or cider with Somerset Camembert.
Mann also points out the importance of matching your less well-known drinks correctly with food.

“Port is another favourite that customers enjoy around Christmas, and we’re always happy to recommend a variety of cheeses to accompany the drinking occasion. We’ll also see an upswing in sales on dessert wines as customers look for a sweeter option to treat themselves. We’d recommend serving a chilled Tawny Port with chocolate desserts because the liquid provides a good balance of sweetness and body that complements the chocolate flavour perfectly.

Quality and training​

Star Pubs & Bars food development manager Luke Davies says customers look for quality a lot more during the Christmas period.

“Focus on quality and making Christmas special. Make sure your product range reflects this from the menus and food to your drinks range. People will remember how good their Christmas was, not how cheap it was. The earlier you’re ready, the earlier you can get guests to commit to celebrate at your pub rather than someone else’s.”

He also suggests appointing a ‘Christmas Champion’ from your staff to promote all things festive.

“Give someone you trust an opportunity to shine with some additional responsibility for marketing, training and back-of-house administration. Agree with your team the best way to rota and plan days off during Christmas and get the December rotas up early in November so everyone knows where they stand. Make sure you make it easy for guests to book and pre-order, and train your team to do this.”

Planning​

Planning in advance is the key to making a success of Christmas, which is why you’re reading this in September. Mulled wine is a Christmas staple, but it’s not enough to mix up a batch on 1 December.

At the Earl Spencer, Mann and his team brew their mulled wine months in advance.

“We’ll start making the syrup in September to give it a chance to build up in flavour, and we’ll preserve the liquid in the cellar to keep it fresh. We’ll promote the fact that the mulled wine is home-made because this generates awareness, especially because customers are increasingly interested in how ingredients in their food and drink are sourced nowadays. Presented in glassware similar to how we would serve a latte, the mulled wine experience attracts a lot of interest from the customers.”

Davies also notes the importance of getting your planning done early.

He says: “Start promoting Christmas menus and start taking bookings in September at the latest. Plan festive activities such as the Christmas quiz, Christmas karaoke and disco nights throughout December so your pub becomes ‘the’ place to celebrate Christmas.

“Work parties are great business in December. Get out now into local offices and workplaces and tell them what you are doing. Take a Christmas pack with bookings info and samples to leave behind.”

Digital drinks​

With customers increasingly turning to social media and the internet when making Christmas plans, it’s important to spend some time working out your digital strategy in the period.

Pernod Ricard on-trade director Ian Peart says simply signing up isn’t enough, it’s engagement that gets custom through the door.

“Many operators are rarely active on those platforms, despite more than one in four consumers saying they had interacted with hospitality venues and were keen to continue doing so. This really highlights how important it is for pubs, clubs and bars to get their social media voice right — and to be consistently active across their social media channels,” he explains.

“The festive period is a huge opportunity to engage with customers and highlight a point of difference, and the right festive social media programme — combined with the perfect seasonal drinks fixture — will help to drive sales this Christmas.”

Pernod Ricard has identified spirits as a key drinks category to focus on during the Christmas period, with customers in a “treat mentality” willing to try things they normally wouldn’t drink during the rest of the year.

According to its research, almost half of consumers drink spirits during the festive period, but not during the rest of the year. This has led to an additional 30 million spirits serves sold last Christmas, up 38.5% from a normal month.

Diageo on-trade commercial planning and activation executive Janel Fatania agrees.

She says: “Licensees can make the most of the occasion by planning well in advance and getting in must-stock premium variants, a wide range of the best-selling brands, making spirits the perfect partner to your food led occasion, and remembering the importance of extending the occasion by offering customers a spirit combination that they might not expect to see, for example Baileys in coffee or in a dessert.

“Our Christmas activity is all about making simple serves fun, exciting, and new for consumers, enticing them to move into the more profitable spirits category.”