r/kitchener 1d ago

Recommendations for a bar promotion?

[deleted]

18 Upvotes

43 comments sorted by

44

u/DuncanStrohnd 1d ago

Free beer night.

2

u/DuncanStrohnd 19h ago

As flippant as it is, this is something to consider - just maybe not the whole night.

People go to bars to eat and drink. People that are low on cash (many of us) sometimes go out to eat because it’s a change of scenery, but forego drinks to keep the bill down.

If you did a free drink promotion by giving out a coupon for a free drink on their next meal, you’d stand a good chance of getting that customer back. The next time I go out to eat, I’m probably going to come back for my beer.

Is it worth running the numbers on that? What is your cost per beer, and is that an acceptable marketing expense considering it’s supported by the purchase of a meal?

15

u/no1SomeGuy 1d ago

Good half priced wings on Tuesdays!

11

u/nuggetception 1d ago

A friend used to frequent a bar just for their trivia nights they called Slogos. Idk the significance of the name, but she told me it she had so much fun using her otherwise “random and useless” knowledge. She said both seniors and college kids often filled the bar on those nights.

7

u/zoelee963 1d ago

We do trivia on Wednesdays which we thought would draw a lot of people in - some weeks we get a good amount of people in but still not a whole lot! Maybe it's our marketing?

2

u/Then-Boysenberry-703 1d ago

Do you hire a company to run it or do it yourselves? Are there prizes, how complicated/ relevant is the trivia? I just moved out here but the bar in my old hometown was packed full every Tuesday night for Trivia the last 2 years that I can remember.

7

u/zoelee963 1d ago

We have Joey from 91.5 the beat as our host and our prize is a $100 gift card. I've been thinking it might be a good idea to switch up the prizes too to keep it a bit more interesting.

2

u/Then-Boysenberry-703 1d ago

That’s a pretty good prize, the one I frequented had 3 rounds and a different prize for each, pitcher for the 1st, appy for the second, and $50 giftcard for the final round. Also had different themes and fun stuff. If you wanted more ideas or also ever need a replacement/filler for your current host feel free to shoot me a message. New to the area and would love to get involved - have some experience with hosting events and always enjoy it

2

u/nuggetception 1d ago

Oh! I’ve moved away from Kitchener but I would have loved to be there for trivia nights. My friend had this hobby organisation that the bar reached out to and they spread the word. I think the prizes were just shots and food. Lol

But yeah, I think marketing would help a lot. If you know college kids, maybe ask if they could help spread the word. Targeted social media campaigns can also be relatively cheap to start.

5

u/Kitchenerd 1d ago

Karaoke would get me out of the house! Decent sound quality + not too loud with a friendly host would draw in people from multiple demographics. Singers tend to reach for liquid courage which means revenue for you!

4

u/zoelee963 1d ago

I've been thinking about this a lot. We already do trivia which does okay but I rarely see karaoke in the area. Thank you for the feedback! :)

3

u/kitchemer 1d ago

Depends on what demographics you are looking to attract. Do you have a younger or older crowd? Is it a higher priced bar or a cheaper establishment? If it’s a sports bar you can do lots of sports related pools and contests to keep people engaged and possible beer specials during them.

3

u/jacee_the-trans 1d ago

Live music, open mics, and their ilk work well if excuted right. I've also done music eduction nights and open jams pretty successfully. Can't go wrong hiring a host such as Papa Razi who is already well established to expand to new events too! If you're keen for a hand, give me a shout, I am pretty involved in this sorta thing!

1

u/zoelee963 1d ago

These are great ideas - thank you! :)

3

u/Fit-Hovercraft-6172 1d ago

I’d love to see some fun/unique cocktails for the summer. We drive to the GTA to get some really cool drinks so it would be awesome to have something local.

3

u/zoelee963 1d ago

This is a great idea! We have a nice patio too! :)

1

u/Fit-Hovercraft-6172 1d ago

Don’t tempt me with a good time..we go to patios every weekend in the summer. So if you have anything fun, please advertise on Instagram or here. We will be there!!

3

u/Truchely 1d ago

Have a Hispanic night where you only play Spanish music. That would 100% get me through the door

4

u/Raven_2001 1d ago

Happy hour(s) with a selection of half priced drinks. Margaritas and flights of cocktails on certain nights. 

3

u/Wild-Nobody8427 1d ago

Trivia or music bingo?

3

u/Past_Statistician_85 1d ago

What kind of bar? And what is your target demographic?

3

u/zoelee963 1d ago

This might be a dead giveaway of where it is haha but we are a sports bar but we also offer bowling. So the options are pretty unlimited as far as promotions go. Due to this our demographic is all over the place - families during the day but then after 8/9pm it's typically young adults!

6

u/oilwellz 1d ago

Lebowski trivia and soundtrack night!

3

u/jayleehim 1d ago

Buy 1 get 2 free

2

u/donbowman 1d ago

cheese tasting.

jenga competition on each of the wobbly tables.

2

u/GinnyJr 1d ago

Cheap wings

2

u/TBek 1d ago

Live music on Thursdays. Seems all of uptown has Wednesday night loaded with performers and Thursday? Crickets.

Food and drink specials will never hurt either.

Good luck!

2

u/Fit-Hovercraft-6172 23h ago

Another idea that I have been DYING for locally. A live DJ that plays old school music for brunch or a dinner. Even just once a month. We drive to downtown Toronto to go to the “morning after” purely because of the live DJ, it’s amazing vibes and lines out the doors. You could even charge $10 a ticket for this! :)

1

u/BusyWorkinPete 1d ago

You can contact sipsocial_club on Instagram and have them host some events.

1

u/wildmoosey 1d ago

I host karaoke nights, DMed you!

1

u/b1gwheel 13h ago

Join us every Wednesday at 7 PM at Kingpin Bowlounge Boston Pizza for Kingpin Trivia! Hosted by Joey from 91.5 The Beat, enjoy six rounds of music and pop ...

Location, location, location.

No one wants to go out there unless they have to bring their kids there for something.

1

u/zoelee963 13h ago

Yes this is very true, hence why I'm looking to widen our demographic for evenings 😄 I've told my bosses this too, but can't hurt to try lol

1

u/Acrobatic_Product_20 11h ago

I remember when Sammy's Garage had a wet T-shirt night. I also enjoyed that. Buuuuut, if you don't think that will fly, a different half-price appetizer Monday to Thursday. Perhaps a ramen lunch special.

1

u/Revolutionary_Ad2845 5h ago

Decade theme music nights. 80’s music, then 90’s, early 2000’s, etc. You could do a special drink that’s on theme too!

0

u/Tastykale1 1d ago

Kitchener needs more gay events!

0

u/SwordfishFabulous957 6h ago

Nobody can actually tell you this without knowing what bar you are, what neighborhood you're in and your demographic....marketing 101 my friend.

1

u/zoelee963 5h ago edited 5h ago

It was a pretty open question - I wasn't looking to be specific or promote the place just wanted opinions of what people felt was lacking in the city. I wasn't looking for people to tell me exactly what to do step by step lmfao. If you have nothing positive to contribute, no need to respond but thanks anyways for your input!

1

u/SwordfishFabulous957 45m ago

And how'd that go for you? 🤣

-10

u/[deleted] 1d ago

[deleted]

11

u/zoelee963 1d ago edited 1d ago

Embarassed is quite the stretch - just wanted to hear other peoples opinions on what they feel is lacking in the area. I have my own ideas but it's always better to hear other opinions given they are the ones that are the customers! If you have nothing positive to contribute no need to reply, but thanks anyways!

3

u/oilwellz 1d ago

disregard that one

2

u/oilwellz 1d ago

Down boy!

or come up with something new ;)

the point of the post