Focus on Nightlife

Here’s a quick tip for bar owners and goers in New York City. Brothers Eric and Will Stephens have cataloged 364 beer menus and 1625 types of beer at beermenus.com, a site that allows bar owners to easily add their club’s entire beer list. The result is a handy tool for NYC’s beer enthusiasts who are looking to find venues that serve their favorite drinks.

Nightclub and bar owners would be wise to jump on this type of initiative. Getting a free online company listing that targets your exact market is only the start. Savvy owners will get the most out of researching types of beer that other venues are offering, as well as comparing price tags.

When is the last time you had a reservation canceled or your guests simply didn’t show? Are you keeping track of what a lost reservation costs your venue? Club owners that do will be the first to tell you how important it is treat each and every reservation as valuable. While some bookings might have a higher price-tag than others, any lost reservation will impact your bottom line. That’s why prepared owners and party planners will always stress the necessity of getting customers to honor their commitments and make sure the venue is covered when they don’t.

The act of taking a reservation shouldn’t be taken lightly. Does your club have a system in place for booking procedures? Here are a few pieces of information, on top of a name, date and phone number, that your employees should get down:

Expected time of customer and guests. If you have guests coming and going at different times, this is a good way to personalize their experience at your club. If a certain attendee is expected to arrive at 11pm, it would be a nice touch to have a specified beverage or appetizer ready to go.

Email address. Being able to keep in touch with your guests via email is crucial these days with the rise of mobile communications. With a simple email address you can subtly confirm, remind, and followup on a reservation with relative ease. This is also a perfect opportunity to pre-sell and up-sell on a reservation to maximize your revenue on a given night.

Cell phone or texting info. Why not get down your customers cell phone number if they haven’t already provided it? If they’re running late on a reservation, you have a second way of getting them to honor their reservation. Being able to send an SMS text message to a customer is another good way to keep in touch.

Special requests. Go out of your way to convince your guest that you’re keeping them in mind. The best way to personalize a customer experience is to take down service notes on any special requirements they might have. Not only will this lead to future reservations, it will assure them that you’re on top of their reservation.

Beyond these things, you should notify your guests about any fees associated with a reservation. If you haven’t already, you should look into implementing a minimum spend policy, a cancellation fee, a no-show fee, or a rental/package price if your venue offers it. Getting a customer’s credit card information on file can drastically reduce your reservation cancellations and no-shows as well. It’s just another way to weed out the serial cancelers and cover yourself in case of a canceled reservation.

Nightlife industry professionals all agree on the importance of impeccable service in nightclubs. Where VIP guests are involved, there can be hardly any margin for error as one bad experience can cost a nightclub a very expensive client. Because nit picky service errors can occur from time to time, it’s crucial to minimize them to keep your customers satisfied, while avoiding any negative publicity. One of the best ways to improve service is through proper communications. Has your nightclub implemented an effective communication system? Let’s find out.

Even the smallest reservation modifications can affect each member of your staff. Because on-the-fly changes occur so often due to customer requests, it’s difficult to keep every member of your team in the loop. For example, a VIP client might call an hour before a reservation to add an F&B requirement and change their planned time of arrival. On a slow night, this might not be too difficult to manage but it gets tricky when you’re running at full capacity. Depending on who’s answering the phone, this small change will have to go through a number of people. This is when effective communication becomes very important.

Most changes have this direct effect on your entire staff. The example above requires the person who is answering the phone to properly notify the kitchen, the door staff, the VIP host, and possibly the owner if he or she requires a report on nightly revenues. Many nightclub owners who crave numbers want to see these changes at the end of a busy night. Selling one extra bottle can mean a big difference in the night’s revenues. If this line of communication breaks down, you can bet that problems are on the way.

Assuming that your staff are generally comfortable with their role in your business and motivated to create a great experience for all your customers, there are a few different tools you can use to boost communication in your club. Technology is shaping the way we communicate in the workplace. Automatic text-messaging solutions can keep a nightclub productive. Imagine sending out instant notifications to each member of your staff that is directly effected by a reservation change. New computer software packages are making sure that employees are always in touch while on duty as well.

The sooner you implement a strategic communication system in your club, the sooner you’ll notice an increase in revenues… and guests, of course.