Lounge, bar or lounge bar?

It is vital to understand the unique demands of sound and acoustics in bars, say Peter James, commercial sales manager, and John Perry, area sales manager, of professional audio specialist Shure Distribution UK

Music, properly selected for your target audience creates an ambiance that customers identify with, encourages them to stay longer and ultimately spend more. How you deliver music to your customers is key – quality and coverage together with well managed sound levels in and outside your venue are critical.

Our expectation of sound quality has been raised with the advent of digital media and the resultant improved audio performance of mass-market home and in-car entertainment systems together with portable devices such as the ubiquitous iPod. Consumers are more aware than ever before of the quality of sound they experience whether in a shopping mall, fast-food outlet or licensed trade premises.

In most bars the music played is familiar to your customers, and consequently they will have a mental reference of how that music should sound. Meeting or exceeding that reference standard will help keep them in your bar – fall below it and they are likely to move on.

Which raises the obvious question of how do I get it right? Getting it wrong often starts by thinking of audio in terms of the system you have at home in your lounge. Maybe your bar is even named “lounge”. But when it comes to sound and acoustics the similarity ends with the name.

First and foremost the levels of ambient (or background) noise in busy bars is much higher than at home: easily 20 decibels (dB) higher. To experience sound in the same way, in your own busy bar, your audio system needs to create a level at the point where you listen that is 20db higher. This is a very big difference: a 10db increase in volume is what you would perceive as twice as loud, so 20db is twice as loud, then twice as loud again!

But this is misleading – achieving what your brain and ears perceive as double is not a result of doubling your system size or power, either of which will only give 3db more. But we’ll leave the science for another article.

Bar acoustics and the physical positioning of people and loudspeakers is very different too. In your bar the loudspeakers are typically further from the listeners and your listeners are not positioned in one comfy area in the middle of the room – they’re everywhere. To keep your bar full, all your customers should be able to enjoy your music-fuelled ambiance equally, but your staff behind the bar should experience a lower level if at all possible. This will help you avoid contravention of noise-at-work regulations that protect your staff and even reduce the incidence of incorrect orders.

And finally, the other seemingly obvious but often overlooked aspect of bar audio systems is that they are used more often, for longer periods and at close to maximum performance levels which demands high levels of reliability.

The easiest way to achieve all of these goals is to engage with a professional sound contractor. They can guide you through choices available, discuss your vision, help set a realistic budget and give you some references to previous installations for comparison. The interior décor, lighting, furnishings, signage and toilets might all be top drawer but if you intend to play music then the sound system needs just as much attention, planning and budget consideration as everything else. Décor alone won’t keep the customers in place for long if your bar has the atmosphere of a vacuum. Professional products are essential too – not only are they tougher and designed to function under far more demanding conditions but their performance characteristics are specifically tailored to suit commercial needs.

You must also have some understanding of what you want to achieve but be prepared for the demands of your customers to change. By definition, background music is never any louder than ambient noise – eg. in the background – perfect for creating ambiance at quiet times, helping to mask people’s conversations, preventing people feeling self-conscious and of course making an ideal solution for city bars.

However, the difference in cost between a good system designed purely for background music and one capable of higher volumes may not be that great, especially in smaller bars, and the extra investment to get a more capable system will pay dividends in the future by lending itself more readily to the changing trends in the market.

Shure Distribution UK has been at the leading edge of import and distribution for over 36 years and represents some of the best products available in the field of professional audio. It has a suite of demonstration rooms to accurately demonstrate, by appointment, the relative performance and features of different professional audio products. It has worked on leading venues such as Amika (pictured).

Expert advice: Dispensing advice

Jonathan Wildgoose, managing director of Drinks Dispense Group, offers advice to bar operators on getting the most from a dispense system

Statistics show that two-thirds of customers have not made their mind up as to what drink they will order when they enter a bar. Therefore the dispense font plays a vital role in their decision making.

It is the first point of contact that the customer has with the different beers and brands that you are selling. As a result it elevates the dispense font to an important position within the bar. It helps to promote the brands that you have on offer, particularly if there is one that you are keen for your customers to order.

If, for example, you are aiming to promote a particular brand, the position of the font on the bar for that chosen beer is of paramount importance.  There has been much research conducted about the position for a font, but in my opinion, as long as the font is clean, bright and inviting, then customers will be drawn to it immediately.

The font depicts not only the brands that are on offer, but also the ambience and quality of the venue itself. If you want to create a certain impression or have a certain theme, then it is important to reflect this in the fonts you choose to display.

Visually, a font needs to make an impact and must make some statement about the brand. A good example is Echo Falls wine, which is dispensed through Vin Service’s “Sexy” font in order to create a fluid impression which will appeal to female clientele. The fact that the font is brightly coloured and illuminated enables it to stand out against other brands on the bar.

For T-Bars, dispensing up to seven different brands, it can be difficult to make one stand out. However, there are some that draw attention to the lead brand. A good example is the two-tone T-Bar, in which the larger central plaque draws the eye in and consequently highlights that particular product.

Technically a font should be capable of enhancing the quality of the product through advancements, such as condensation and cooling to tap. Controlling the temperature of the product will improve the quality, taste and presentation to the customer.

It might seem obvious, but it is also important that the font is easy to operate and easy to clean.  At Drinks Dispense Group (DDg), our aim is always to create a font that is visually stimulating as well as practical and reliable for the bar operator to serve from.

Brewers, dispense designers and manufacturers invest heavily to ensure that fonts keep on evolving and are always at the cutting edge in terms of design and what they offer. Condensation is one of the biggest and most important developments in dispense during the past decade. In my opinion, it is the best way to project the message of cold, fresh beer to the customer. DDg has designed some exciting fonts that incorporate a combination of condensation and illumination: a particularly striking one is the Icicle font for Hall and Woodhouse. It creates absolute drama on the bar!

Another new development is aimed at pub and bar operators who wish to reduce clutter on their bars. There is now a system of fonts consisting of modern-looking columns which are banked together, creating the illusion of one complete unit.

In reality, each column is interchangeable, allowing the venue versatility over which brands they wish to sell at different times of trading. It also eliminates the need to have a new font each time.

Finally, never underestimate the importance of a clean-looking font and bar-top area. Always ensure that every stage of the dispense process, from cellar to glass, is well managed, clean and efficient. This will allow you to serve perfect beer every time and keep your customers happy – which is the most important thing of all.

Drinks Dispense Group is a leading manufacturer of high-quality drinks dispense and bar equipment, specialising in creative point-of-sale branding solutions and custom font design.

December 2009

Expert advice: Tackling the 2010 rating valuation

Guidance on how to tackle the 2010 rating revaluation from Dan Mackernan, a senior surveyor responsible for valuations, rent reviews, rating and estate management at Davis Coffer Lyons

Over the past two months, owners of bars, pubs, clubs and restaurants have been receiving a letter through the post telling them the new rateable value of their property. This will decide their rates bills from April 2010 for the next five years, with some expecting to face an increase at a time when business is down year on year. “Unfortunately for pubs it’s based on trading potential of the property in 2008 but the world has changed completely since then,” says Dan Mackernan, a senior surveyor responsible for valuations, rent reviews, rating and estate management at Davis Coffer Lyons.

The rateable value is based on the annual rental value as of April 1, 2008 – three months before Britain officially entered recession – and in the case of pubs and bars, this takes into account levels of trade. However, the Government has reported that, across all industry sectors, 60 per cent of businesses will see a fall in their business rates next year with slight increases of, on average, three per cent in London and one per cent in the south-west. There will also be transitional relief to phase in significant increases, with an annual cap depending on the size of the increase in rates payable, although the Government had not confirmed the percentages at time of going to press.

The Valuation Office Agency (VOA), which carries out the revaluations, says that mistakes can be reported any time through a local valuation office, but Mackernan points out that this is only if “they have completely messed up such as mathematical error”. If it is more of a dispute about how the rateable value was calculated, nothing can be done until after April 1, 2010. Only then can appeals be lodged and, even then, it may be some time before it is scheduled. This depends on the VOA programming and only cases of hardship can be brought forward.

Mackernan says that lodging an appeal can be done easily online and is free, so beware of any rating specialists who request payment for simply doing this. Where rating specialists can come in useful, he explains, is to make sure the valuation is consistent with other pubs, bars and restaurants in the area, not just comparing the rateable value but also having knowledge of the rents they pay and trading ties. It may also be that the business can be categorised differently, with wet-led pubs and bars valued on profits and food-led restaurants based on floor area. “You may find yourself significantly better off on floor area valuation rather than profits, and much depends on the percentage of wet sales,” Mackernan says.

A specialist can also help to avoid business rates being raised by helping to explain how the rateable value was reached, Mackernan adds. “Appeals can go the other way. Sometimes, the rateable value may have just been based on an estimate of trade with no actual accounting information supplied to the VOA, but by making an appeal they may come to take a look at your pub. They may look at your website, at the menu and the pricing, and ask for turnover figures so you have to be careful.”

When it comes to employing a professional, the VOA warns operators to avoid anyone who wants payment for their services up front or anyone promising to reduce the rateable value or business rates bill without knowing the details of the valuation. Always ensure that the agent is a member of one of the three main representative bodies – the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors; the Institute of Revenues, Rating and Valuation; or the Rating Surveyors’ Association – and speak to the owners of other bars and pubs in the area to get a recommendation.

Also check out the guidance and videos on the VOA’s website at www.voa.gov.uk/2010 where, for the first time, you can compare the details of your property with similar properties in the area.

December 2009

Expert advice on running a bar

From design and energy saving through to marketing and customer service, specialists are on hand to offer profit-making advice

It is official: new research shows that bar owners spend a significant amount of their working week dealing with issues that do not improve their bottom line. A study by Red Shift Research for finance group Aviva found that 32 per cent of bar and restaurant owners feel they would be more successful if they had more time to spend on core activities that involve revenue and sales. But when it comes to seeking advice, 83 per cent said they relied on the internet and 26 per cent would rather ask friends and family for advice rather than turn to a specialist.

This can be a particular problem for start-ups, points out Alan Smith, associate at design company BCA London. “Lots of bar projects suffer from not getting the right professional advice at the earliest stages – in fact, at inception, well before most clients would think about engaging a professional,” he explains. “However, getting an experienced design-led architect to first help develop a bar concept and then review it against potential sites can be the difference between a hugely successful bar and one that is lacklustre and even a failure.”

Calling in the experts can highlight problems and areas of risk, he adds. Specialists can advise on whether the concept is right for the location and demographics, warn about technical aspects such as service and power requirements, and point out statutory issues such as planning, building control and licensing. “These are all aspects that are so key to a successful new bar and yet all too often they are overlooked until it is too far down the road. Employing the right advice at inception can avoid so many of the pitfalls and make the difference in time, cost and quality of the finished project.”

One solution is to carry out a marketing and operational “audit”, says Victoria Searl, a freelance operations and marketing consultant for the hospitality industry. “Operators are less inclined to spend money on what they perceive to be less exciting things such as achieving operational efficiency, yet it’s this rather than the actual aesthetics of a bar that helps guarantee success,” she points out. “The sooner an operator takes an objective look at their business, the sooner solutions can be implemented, giving that business a fighting chance.”

A marketing and operational audit objectively highlights the strengths and weaknesses of the business, giving advice on changes needed, Searl explains. “Often an audit finds that operators invest most of their cash in areas that offer little or no return on investment, such as interior or glassware, and spend surprisingly little on areas that are proven to increase sales and profit such as online marketing and training.”

Customer programmes

Keeping customers and increasing their spend is as important as attracting them in the first place, says Leon Sabwa, head of client services for NFS Hospitality’s epos business unit. “Loyalty is an important tool to generate repeat visits as well as achieve customer retention,” he points out. “With so much choice available nowadays, if some kind of reward or incentive is offered, customers will keep returning.”

Sabwa says a loyalty programme using a well-designed, well-planned and well-implemented system, can provide added value and increase revenue by changing the behaviour and buying patterns of customers. Drawing on specialist expertise, the best programmes start with a “loyalty situation analysis” covering operations, revenue growth and communications, followed by gathering data and profiling customers. The objectives for boosting profits need to be identified, such as cross-selling, up-selling or customer retention and acquisition, along with the design of the programme, which could include a loyalty card providing cash rewards.

Bars that have used NFS Hospitality’s integrated loyalty systems, ranging from epos transactions to management of applications online, include the Dover Street restaurant and bar in London’s West End. “The amazing thing is that by using it, we now know which of our customers are good spenders and which keep returning,” says Stuart Graffham, the venue’s food and beverages and IT manager. “It allows us to focus our promotions on key groups of people based on the usage of their rewards card, much like targeted sales.”

Good service is obviously key to retaining customers, but bars and pubs do not score well with the public, according to research by Retail Eyes, which puts together programmes for improving the customer experience, including mystery customer visits. While 52 per cent of people said hotels provided the best service, restaurants were rated top by 23 per cent and bars and pubs by only six per cent. “The most frequently occurring issue always relates to speed and quality of service and check-backs for satisfaction,” says chief executive Tim Ogle. “Little things like not being served in turn at the bar can really irritate customers and can ultimately influence whether they return or spend more money.”

However, Ogle says the hospitality industry is beginning to realise that “hospitality” is key. “There has been a major step-change in the industry over the past two to three years. It used to be just about how well you pulled a pint but now more effort is being put into training the customer-facing teams.” This is changing the way the staff are being recruited, he adds. “You can train someone to pull a pint so operators are focusing harder than ever on recruiting people who are friendly and engaging.”

Audio-visual

When it comes to installing visual equipment, interactivity is now key, according to Neil Dickinson, director of Arcstream AV. “Capturing the attention and imagination of customers and engaging with them will make your bar stand out in their minds, and the more fun you make it, the more likely they are to return. The range of interactive products on offer at the moment is endless, with a few leading bar brands looking to install multi-touch floors and touch-sensitive walls as well as interactive tables and bars.”

Dickinson says that interactive technology, such as the touch-sensitive Your Surface products, can also be used to provide content paid for by other brands, presenting an extra revenue stream for a bar. “Just as easily you can use it for gaming or to allow guests to order from their booth via an interactive touch table.”

Before buying a projector for your bar, take into account the “lamp life”, which is the number of hours a lamp will run before needing a replacement, advises Mark Dunnett of PVS Solutions, which specialises in AV installation and hire for bars and clubs. “Many modern projectors have lamps that will last up to 5,000 hours but some are as low as 1,500.” As these can be expensive - £250 to £350 – hiring equipment may be a better option. Dunnett also suggests using a digital signage solution rather than just TV screens for showing sport or music videos because they can also be used for advertising or promoting events.

Rather than just ordering product from suppliers, professional sound companies can carry out a survey and advice on the best system as well as on sound level legislation, points out Clive Kinton, director of OHM which designs and manufactures sound systems for bars and clubs. “When choosing a sound system. consideration has to be given to the sound distribution, ideally that everyone in the bar should be hearing the sound at the appropriate level,” he points out. “This can be achieved quite easily by zoning and having the volume level for each zone controlled from behind the bar or manager’s office. For example if you have a bar area, restaurant and dance floor, you need three zones each with its own amplifiers and speakers so that each zone can be run at its required sound level.”

He points out that loudspeakers must be able to provide good sound at both low and high volumes. “More small speakers are better than a lesser number of large ones especially if the bar has alcoves and odd shaped rooms,” he recommends. “Sub-bass speakers can be built into alcoves and banquettes. The system should be run in mono mode so that everyone gets the full sound no matter which speaker they are nearest to.”

360-degree advice

If a bar owner is devising or revising the drinks offering, a number of consultancies have grown up over the past 10 years to offer guidance on drinks, especially cocktails, such as IPBartenders, LA Bartenders, Soul Shakers and Cheeky Tiki. However, many have developed their services beyond just drinks lists to look at the broader business picture. Gorgeous Group was founded as a food and beverage consultancy but now offers broader services such as concept creation, design and training plus links into partners providing other expertise such as PR and marketing. “We look at projects 360 degrees,” says managing director Robbie Bargh. “Bars all need to tell a great story but you have to give the staff the right tools to tell that story.” He recommends it is always best to call in the experts at an early stage when planning a new bar. “The concept should come first and the design afterward but 90 per cent of the time that doesn’t happen.”

The Venue 

The need for specialist advice under one roof has been met by a new exhibition centre for the hospitality industry, featuring pods fitted out as “live working” bars to showcase more than 20 leading names. The Venue, just off the M60 in Oldham, is the brainchild of Neil Guest, director of contractor and designer Dawnvale, and features its own in-house guild of designers and architects as well as a free bar design service and a range of consultants offering specialist advice from marketing collateral to training and recruitment. “In essence, bar operators can select from a menu of products and services that embraces everything from the initial concept and design right through to the opening and on-going sales and marketing,” Guest says. “It’s revolutionary and a holistic approach that will appeal to the experienced and ‘new to the market’ bar operator and will ultimately save them time and money.”

Other companies involved include Villeroy & Boch, GlassTech, Mirmac, Graham & Brown, Contract Tile Solutions, Scenesetters, GBM, Surface 2 Surface, Safeguard, DBE, Century Carpets, Mirmac, Vinfinity, Gerrard Seel, Sound Ceilings and Bang & Olufsen.

Saving energy

The hospitality industry is responsible for over 3.5million tons of carbon emissions per year but, according to technology specialist EMU Systems, it is estimated that energy savings of up to 20 per cent – equivalent to more than £200million – are possible across the sector. “Energy costs have always been a significant overhead in the catering and hospitality industry – air conditioning, refrigeration and lighting all require significant electricity,” says EMU Systems commercial director Charlie Wainwright. “On top of this is the issue of climate change which is a particularly hot topic at the moment.”

EMU Systems’ newest product is called edd:e which measures where, when and how electricity is consumed in commercial properties. Working with EMU Systems’ specialists, bars can use this information to identify energy-saving measures.

The Geo Bar heat recovery system has been launched by system designer Paul Menzies and ex-Scottish & Newcastle directors Christie Slater and Rob Woodcock (pictured). It uses the excess heat from bars’ chilling equipment – which is normally lost outside the building – to heat water for direct use or in the heating system. Since January this year, Geo Bar has installed systems for groups such as Punch Taverns, Thwaites, Charles Wells and Caledonian Heritable. “Customers are saving an average of £5,200 a year on their energy bills as well as seeing a substantial reduction in carbon emissions,” Slater says. 

December 2009