Running a successful pub is both a science and an art. On the one hand, there's the admin associated with running any business - hiring employees, balancing the books and so on. On the other hand, the real secret of how to make a pub busy and successful lies in the atmosphere you create and customers' desire to stay for longer and come back sooner.
There are all kinds of different ways to achieve this, ranging from modern bar furniture to rustic pub furniture that gives your premises a traditional and homely feel. Of course it's not just about the decor, but your pub furniture creates the fabric of your venue, which you can then use to deliver services ranging from a good range of drinks, to home-cooked food, to entertainment like pub quizzes, jukeboxes and pool tables.
Pros and cons of running a pub
The pros and cons of running a pub can depend partly on how much freedom you have. If you're a bar manager for a large chain, you might not be able to make decisions that affect your business as freely as you'd like, but there are still ways to stamp your own personality on the way you interact with customers.
If you have much more management freedom, then you can really make the venue your own with your choice of pub furniture and decor, the types of entertainment you provide, and the selection of food and drinks on offer. Don't be afraid to try new things - you never know when you'll discover an untapped niche in the local market.
How to make a pub busy with benches
An often overlooked aspect of furnishing a public house is making sure you have enough pub and bar benches. Think of a traditional pub and they usually have bench seating running the whole way around the interior, providing a huge amount of extremely space-efficient seating for groups of different sizes.
Freestanding pub and bar benches create similarly space-saving seating but don't tie you down to having seating physically built on to the walls, so if you prefer to retain the ability to reconfigure your interiors for events or just to keep things looking fresh, they're a great option. A bench seat or sofa can also create a cosy extra seating area in a previously unused nook.
Cater for individuals
Groups might spend the most collectively but be aware if a large proportion of your clientele tends to visit your premises alone. Sitting alone at a large table surrounded by empty chairs can be quite daunting, but equally sitting alone at a table for one can feel very exposed as well.
Smaller tables with two or three chairs can be the Goldilocks option for lone customers while still catering for couples and small groups, and again consider benches and sofas as individuals can sit on these without feeling like there are empty seats all around them. For more ideas about how to maximise revenue from the space you have available, or to place an order, contact Trent Furniture on 0116 4736 834 or sales@pubfurnitureuk.co.uk.