The Best in Bar Management

®

www.nightclub.com

Spirits: Drinking Upscale Returns Pg. 25

Bar Food: Go GlobalPg. 28

Marketing: Eye AppealPg. 32

Nov/Dec 2010

$5.00

Serve Responsibly

Jason Strauss & Noah Tepperberg

Think Big – Really Big

2 Nightclub & Bar Magazine | N o v / D e c 2 0 1 0 N i g h t c l u B . c o M

Nov/Dec 2010, Volume 25, Issue 9

16 Trends2011Are you ready for high-tech tables, retro design, house music and more? By Nightclub & Bar staff

20 BestinBarManagement:SocialBlitzHow to make social media work for your bar or club. By Alissa Ponchione

25 LivingLuxeDespite the economy, guests open their wallets for ultra-premium spirits. By Jack Robertiello

28 Other-worldlyTastesDeeper explorations of world foods add verve to bar menus and dollars to bottom lines. By Monica Kass Rogers

32 TheEyesHaveItFrom glassware to garnishes, smart drink merchandising heightens guest appeal. By Jenny Adams

{features}

{departments} 4 First Round7 Industry News8 Marketing & Promotion9 Recipe File36 Spirited Discussion38 Beer Training

40 NCB News41 The Shelf42 The Wire44 The Vine46 Marketplace48 Nightcap10

Nightclub & Bar (iSSN 0893-4177) is published monthly except for combined issues in January/February, April/May & November/December (9 times per year) by Questex Media group, llc., 306 W. Michigan Street, Ste 200, Duluth, MN 55802. Subscription rates: u.S. $30/yr, canada $45/yr, Foreign $85/yr. Periodical Postage paid at Duluth, MN 55806 and additional mailing offices. PoStMASteR: Please send address changes to Nightclub & Bar, P.o. Box 1269, Skokie il, 60076. canadian g.S.t. number 840 033 278 Rt0001. Publication Mail Agreement Number 40017597. Printed in the u.S.A.©2010 by Questex Media group llc. Written permission is necessary to reproduce any contents by any means. For reprint requests, contact laura Alford at (216) 706-3769.

Marketing MidnightWith the opening of the massive Marquee Las Vegas, Jason Strauss and Noah Tepperberg put nightlife on a grand scale. By Sean Evans Cover story photos of Jason Strauss and Noah Tepperberg by Chance Yeh.

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4 Nightclub & Bar Magazine | N o v / D e c 2 0 1 0 N i g h t c l u B . c o M

Anthony Abbinante DiageoTony Abou-Ganim The Modern MixologistRalph Aguera Brown-Forman Beverages WorldwideCharles Andrews Republic National Distributing Co.Carlo Barone OneBar USABrian Barrett GuestMetrics, Inc.Jeff Bartfield William Grant & SonsMike Blumberg Crown ImportsJohn B. Bodnovich American Beverage LicenseesGeorge Borrello Top Shelf Mktg - Progressive Specialty GlassRon Breitstein Tenzing Wine & SpiritsDavid Brown Houlihan’s Restaurant Inc.Fredrick G. Brown TGIC Importers, Inc. Scott Burch Burch Management Co. Inc.Raymond Burton InterContinental Hotels GroupCindy Busi Hard Rock InternationalEdgar Carlson Hospitality USAAdam Chafetz Health Communications/TIPSHarvey Chaplin Southern Wine & Spirits of America Inc.Lonnie Charleson High Energy Holdings, LLCClint Clausen SBEJim Colosi Charles Jacquin Et. Cie Inc.David Commer Commer Beverage ConsultingChristopher B. Coursen Infinity Hospitality GroupPeter Cressy Distilled Spirits Council of the United StatesSteve Chucri Ariz. Restaurant & Hospitality Assoc.Patrick Droesch Brinker InternationalMatt Durbin Fox & Hound Restaurant GroupVito Finizio Vacation Adventures International Bob Fenley TapDynamics, Inc.Jim Flaherty Flaherty Beverage BrokersRay Ford FORD Management Services Inc.Stuart Foster Moet Hennessy USAMike Ginley Next Level MarketingThom Greco Greco HoldingsGreg Greenbaum CentArchy Restaurant Management Co. Charlie Greener Harborage International Inc.Jeff Grindrod Brand ActionMike Grosser Zipscene MobileBarry Gutin Cuba Libre Restaurant & Rum BarScott Hempstead The Boston Beer CompanyPaul Hartgen Maryland Restaurant AssociationDavid Henkes Technomic Inc.Patrick Henry Patrick Henry Creative Promotions Inc.Cian Hickey Anheuser-Busch InBevDoug Jackson Darden Restaurants Ken Jarecki Shaw-Ross International ImportersDebbie Johnson Ariz. Hotel & Lodging Assoc.Patrick Kirk Buffalo Wild WingsJohn Knorr Phillips Foods Inc.Ken Kribel Southern Wine and SpiritsJohn Lingo Tooters PromotionsKen Madison Labatt USA Ryan Magarian Liquid RelationsWyatt Magnum CMS/Magnum Music GroupTed McAleer Sydney Frank Importing Co.John Metz Metz EnterprisesMike Mikenas Western Spirits Beverage Co. Lonnie Moore The Dolce GroupVic Morrison McCormick Distilling Co.Gary Namm Tampa Bay PartnersMichael Nelson Promo Only NetworksRon Newman Newman HospitalityStan Novack Novack Consulting LLCAndrew O’Rourke Heineken USADan Parr MillerCoorsRoberta Perry Roberta Perry and AssociatesRobert Plotkin BarMediaRandy Porter GlazersJonathan Ressler The Big Fat Mouth LLCKeith Riley Monster BeverageJack Robertiello DrinksInkJim Robinson Promo OnlyKen Ruff Beam GlobalGlenn Schmitt MarkeTeam Inc.Richard R. Schneider Ballys Atlantic CityBob Sikora Bobby Q’sJimmy Skeadas ShowTenders Inc.Joseph Smith Monin Gourmet FlavoringsSterling Smith Sterling Leadership Consulting LLCRobert C. Smith Nightclub Security ConsultantsSam Stanovich National Restaurant Association SolutionsJason Strauss Strategic GroupJose “Papo” Suarez Coco LopezJim Sullivan Sullivision Inc. Frederick M. Tibbitts Jr. Fred Tibbitts & Associates Inc.Richard Verrechia Neat Beverage ConceptsJesse Waits Tryst, XSSteve Walkerwicz Pernod Ricard USA Kent Walrack Lyons MagnusChuck Weisberg Kameryn Beverage Marketing

Advisory Board

Longevity is a point of pride in this industry. A

nightclub or bar hitting its one-year anniversary is cause for celebration; marking three,

four or five years in this busi-ness is certainly a reason for

an all-out bash. Our cover boys

know a thing or two about keeping the doors open year af-

ter year. Jason Strauss and Noah Tepperberg (see page 10) began op-erating nightclubs more

than a decade ago — the flagship Marquee in Manhattan is now in its seventh year and their other properties, including 5-year-old Tao Las Vegas, generate huge revenues each year.

How is that possible? They evolve. They innovate. They stay one step ahead of the trends and tweak their clubs’ concepts, offerings, service and décor to continu-ously appeal to a fickle and fast-changing customer base.

As we hit the all-important holiday season and gear up for 2011, what are you doing to evolve? Are you still touting your Saturday night DJ or band with a flier in a sticky plastic table tent? Or are you hitting the web and broadcasting invites, complete with a secret code for a comp beverage for

your most loyal followers and fans? Are you still menuing lollipop-sweet cocktails, or are you tracking the drink-local trend, pouring spirits and ingredients from your area?

Check out our annual Trends story (page 16) and what’s hot in social media (page 20) for more evolutionary ideas. And just like you, we’re working to keep things fresh. Online, we continue to enhance nightclub.com, and we recently revamped the NCB Forum (nightclub.com/forums). Our goal? Delivering you plenty of ideas and informa-tion as well as an opportunity to chat with fellow operators for new ways to keep your doors open, your barstools occupied and your dance floors hopping for years and years to come.

May your holidays be happy and your New Year prosperous!

See you at the bar,

Publisher & Editorial DirectorDonna Hood Crecca • dcrecca@questex.com (631) 265-3839

Managing EditorEmily Hanna Mayock • ehanna@questex.com (216) 706-3762

Associate EditorAlissa Ponchione • aponchione@questex.com (216) 706-3757

Creative Director Rob Ghosh • rghosh@questex.com

Contributing Editors Jenny Adams, Robert Plotkin, Jack Robertiello

Contributing WritersLew Bryson, Sean Evans, Monica Kass Rogers, Karen Weisberg

Senior Production ManagerJanelle Heller • jheller@questex.com (218) 279-8834

Senior Audience Development ManagerAntoinette Sanchez-Perkins • asanchez-perkins@questex.com (216) 706-3750

Advertising Sales Eastern Region Account ManagerDarlene Balzano • darlene.balzano@questex.com (440) 263-2595

Western Region Account ManagerJo Von Reed • jvreed@questex.com (662) 513-8656

For subscriptions or customer service concerns: P: (847) 763-9594 (847) 763-9694 nightclub&bar@halldata.com P. O. Box 1269, Skokie IL 60076

Lists: Ilene Schwartz, Kroll Direct (216) 371-1667 • Fax (216) 371-1669 Ilene@krolldirect.com

Reprints: The YGS Group 800-290-5460 ext. 100 • Fax (717) 399-8900 nightclubandbar@theygsgroup.com

Nightclub & Bar Media Group PresidentJon Taffer

Vice PresidentLiza Wylie

Vice President, SalesLeo Squatrito

www.nightclub.com

Forward thinking

First | Round

4 Nightclub & Bar Magazine | N o v / D e c 2 0 1 0 N i g h t c l u B . c o M

Donna Hood Crecca Publisher &

Editorial Director

Donna Hood Crecca and Noah Tepperberg at Lavo NY.

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Industry | News

Register Now for 2011 Nightclub & Bar Show & Save

Registration is now open at ncbshow.com for the 2011 Nightclub & Bar Convention and Trade Show in Las Vegas on March 7-9, and early birds get the savings.

Numerous attendee packages are available to suit every person and every budget, from the Super Premium Pass — the best value — to the Expo Hall Pass. The Super Premium Pass gives you access to all conference sessions, including keynotes and the exhibit hall, and includes the Club Pass — providing you free admission to featured Vegas clubs — and NCB Show parties like the 2011 Welcome Kick-Off Party, Opening Night Party, Top 100 Party and Closing Night Party. The popular Expo Hall package includes admission to keynote speakers, the exhibit hall and the Wel-come Kick-Off Party, as well as a Club Pass. Attendees registering before Jan. 7 can save up to $80.

This year, the Nightclub & Bar Show offers new incentives and prizes for attendees and exhibi-tors. In the exhibit hall, the Main Street area will lead to the new NCB Main Stage, where the Shake it Up! Competition will be held. New on the floor are the specialty areas, which include the Bou-tique Brands Pavilion, the interactive Coin-op Pavilion and a new Lighting and Sound area. Also on tap is the 11th Annual DJ Spin Off with a twist: a collection of DJ talent will battle for turntable supremacy at one of the hottest parties of the year.

What’s more, the debut of the Nightclub & Bar Sports Bar Marketing Conference will provide owners and operators with information on how to develop and execute promotions and pro-grams tied to sports programming. This new event will take place March 7-8.

So go to ncbshow.com, and learn more about the Nightclub & Bar Show events, speakers, forums and exhibitor info. We can’t wait to see you at the Show!

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N early200beverageexecutivesfromspirits,wineandbeermarketingcompaniesandthenation’slargest

restaurantandbaroperatorsgatheredinPalmbeachgardens,Fla.,inoctoberfortheAmericanbeverageinstitutemeetingtodiscussoneofthemostpressingissuesthreaten-ingthebarbusinesstoday:ignitioninterlock.

onequestionaskedwaswhethermostbarandcluboperatorsunderstandignitioninterlockandwhatitmeanstotheirbusinesses.ifyouarenotintheknow,youneedtobe,sohereistherundown:

What is Ignition Interlock? Anin-vehicledevicethatdetectsbloodalcoholconcentration(bAc)andpreventsthevehiclefromstartingifthedriver’sbAcexceedsapre-setlimit.

thebAclevelforinterlockdevicesistypicallysetat0.02or0.03percent,wellbelowthelegallimit,toallowforamarginoferror,accordingtomanufacturers.

mostignitioninterlockdevicestodayarein-carbreatha-lyzers,butdevelopingtechnologiescanrandomlydetectbAcviasensorsinsteeringwheels,gearshiftsandkeyfobs(transdermaldetection)andalsousingretinalscansandmeasurementsoftheairinthevehicle.

What’s the legislative angle?twelvestatesnowmandateignitioninterlocksbeplacedinthevehiclesofalldrunkdrivingoffenders,regardlessofbAclevelornumberofpreviousoffenses;16mandateforhigh-bAc,first-timeoffenders;12requireforrepeatoffenders;andsixallowforjudicialdiscretion.

Who’s For & Who’s Against? thehospitalityindustrysupportsignitioninterlockforhigh-bAc,repeatdrunkdrivingoffendersbutdoesnotsupport

itforlow-bAc,first-timeoffenders,assertingthatdoingsodoesnotaddressthecoreofthedrunkdrivingprobleminthiscountry—theheavydrinking,repeatdrunkdrivers.

mADDandseveralfederalgovernmentagenciesareaggressivelyadvocatingforignitioninterlocktobestandardinallvehiclesintheu.S.;federalfundsarebeingsoughtouttoresearchthetechnology,andlegislationformandatoryignitioninterlockisbeingpushedinseveralstates.

volvo,toyotaandotherautomanufacturersaretestingthetechnologyabroad;interlockandinsurancecompaniesadvocateforitaswell.

ledbytheAmericanbeverageinstitute(Abi),concernedrestaurantoperatorsarelobbyingagainstmandatoryignitioninterlockforallDWioffendersandagainstthetechnologybecomingstandardinallvehicles.

Abiassertsthatstandardignitioninterlockinallcarswillessentiallycreateaneweraofprohibitioninwhichsaleofalcoholinbars,clubsandrestaurantswillbenearlyimpos-siblebecausethemajorityofpatronswillnotbeabletostarttheircarsafterevenasingledrink.

What’s Next?howfastisthepro-interlockcampaignmoving?Abiantici-patesthatwithoutinterventionfromourindustryandanoutcryfromconsumers,ignitioninterlockcouldbestandardinallcarswithinfiveyears.Abiislaunchinganotherroundofconsumereducationoutreach.

Nightclub & Barwillcontinuetocovertheissue,andurgesyoutobeawareandbeapartoftheprocess.We’llalsopresentasessiononthistopicatthenightclub&barShowinlasvegasinmarch2011.

Bottom line: getinvolvedorkissyourbarbusinessgoodbye!Formoreinformation,search“interlock”onnightclub.comorvisitinterlockfacts.com.

Ignition Interlock: Get the Facts

8 Nightclub & Bar Magazine | N o v / D e c 2 0 1 0 N i g h t c l u B . c o M

Marketing | Promotions

Going Whole Hog

For the past 26 years, the clientele at La Jolla, Calif.’s Georges at the Cove have

appreciated the culinary limbs on which Chef and Co-owner Trey Foshee is willing to climb. With Foshee’s latest menu addi-tion, a whole suckling pig preparation that feeds eight to 10 people, Foshee has seen that support grow.

“We were doing a few specials a while back, and I had one entire pig leftover. So I had a few friends come in for a special din-ner. I figured it was unique and put the option on the menu,” Foshee says. “We require that guests call a week in advance because we can’t have a whole pig laying around. At this time, we have sold four of them.”

Guests are seated and presented with the suckling pig, a seasonal salad and several seasonal sides for $600. Foshee has upped his profits even more, thanks to the pig’s versatility in pairing beverage options with the meal.

“This preparation lends itself well to multiple options. The flavors are subtle and work with a red wine like a nice Pinot Noir, bourbon neat, bourbon cocktails and multiple craft brews,” he says. “We use local farms and most of the beers we use are local. For this particular style dinner we have our servers suggest [one of] Stone brewing’s large-format bottles.”

The locally produced, 22-ounce beer, Foshee believes, is a near perfect comple-ment to the locally sourced fresh pig, especially in a large group setting. For the holiday, he plans to serve a porchetta-styled preparation instead of the typical Christmas ham with warm cocktails to complement the meat dish.

Testing the Market

M anagement at Corkbar in Los Angeles is enticing customers’ palates with a savvy food promotion that

also makes their California wines more affordable. How exactly does that work?

With Test Kitchen Tuesday, chefs test out new dishes on guests by fixing small portions and pricing them at just $2. The promotion goes on every Tuesday from 5:30 p.m. until they run out, although guests are limited to one $2 plate per person.

While the promotion helps sell food quickly, it certainly doesn’t hurt the wine sales, says Managing Partner Caleb Wines. People can afford to spend a bit more on a glass if they know they are getting such a good deal on an appetizer portion of food.

Overall sales on Tuesdays are up 150 percent, Wines says. The night was “born out of the desire to experiment with new food items and get feedback from our customers. It also makes people feel like they are a part of the process and gives them a voice. This fits in nicely with our philosophy of making wine more accessible and creating a comfortable atmosphere.”

Think PinkIn vegas, it’s hard to host a

consistently great Monday night. Rhumbar, however, seems to have Mondays cornered, becoming a haven for locals and tiki-loving tourists who appreciate a great promotion and a well-crafted cocktail.

the event is called “Pink Sugar Jam,” and it combines live rock mash-ups with accompanying acoustic musi-cians. Management takes this night up a notch by collaborating with X-Rated Fusion liqueur to serve a neon pink cocktail, the X-Rated Mojito for $8.

“this is our original take on the cuban classic, featuring X-Rated Fusion liqueur, mint leaves, rock candy and a splash of soda,” says general Manager oliver Nivaud. “it complements the attitude and vibe on the patio, and we move a lot of them.”

through print and radio spots, Monday Pink Sugar Jams pull in a great deal of las vegas’ thirsty patrons and management plans to continue the promotion. there is no cover for the event, but Rhumbar is making plenty of money with the right style.

U ncle Fatty’s Rum Resort, located in chicago, has a tropical theme that spreads to the menu. But

this winter, things are about to get cold inside the bar. “co-owner Mark Kwiatkowski, our staff and i are

always trying to think of ways to remain as innovative as possible when it comes to special events,” explains co-owner Brian galati. “We’ve always gone big with holiday decorations in the past, but this year we are taking it a step further.”

“Big with holiday decorations” translates to the

guys devoting upward of $10,000 just for decorations annually. this year, they are transforming the bar into an actual snow globe, with $5,000 of accoutrements like confetti snow for the bar’s Dec. 18 party alone.

“the snow globe will be specific for the event,” galati says. “[We will use] metal flex molding and plastic [wrapping] to create a dome over the stage where the band is playing. We plan ... to dome the main bar as well.”

half a dozen confetti cannons will spray snow a

dozen times throughout the night, filling the room with white confetti. to encourage guests to attend, management is making the most of social network-ing on Facebook, which is a perfect tool for the bar’s target demographic, ages 21-25. Add to the lineup a great live cover band and drink specials like $10 signature yards, $15 Polar Pond Fishbowls, $15 mini pitchers and a $100 4-gallon fishbowl that serves 10, and you have yourself something Santa would be hard-pressed to outdo.

Is It Snowing in Here?

n i g h t c l u b . c o m n o v / D e c 2 0 1 0 |nightclub&barmagazine9

Recipe | File

JustDessertsW ho says you can’t drink dessert? Dessert cocktails can be the perfect upsell to

guests who may want to stray from the normal drink regimen and have a sweet treat instead, and they’re particularly appropriate around the holidays. Transform

your cocktail menu from mundane to subtly sweet by adding a few cocktails made with lush liqueurs, chocolate syrups and graham cracker garnishes that will not only satisfy a patron’s sweet tooth but also your bottom line.

By Alissa Ponchione | aponchione@questex.com

Black Forest MartiniCreated by Sara Welch, pastry supervisor for Bistro Aix in Jacksonville, Fla.

3 ounces Dole Fresh Frozen Dark Sweet Cherries, thawed and puréed

2 ounces brandy1 ounce chocolate syrup½ ounce vanilla extractChocolate shavings, for rimCombine cherry purée, brandy, chocolate syrup and vanilla extract in a shaker with ice. Shake vigorously. Strain into a Martini glass rimmed with chocolate shavings.

Rose Raj FizzOn the menu at Apothecary in Lakewood, Ohio.1 ½ ounces Bombay Sapphire gin½ ounce orange juice2 dashes rose flower water½ ounce vanilla syrup1 ounce cream1 ounce egg white2 ounces soda waterStar anise, for garnishCombine first six ingredients and dry shake for 1 minute. Add ice and shake for another minute. Strain into a white wine glass and top with soda. Float star anise.

Flor de Caña CobblerCreated by Niccole Trzaska of Stone Rose NYC for Flor de Caña.1 ounce Flor de Caña Grand Reserve 7-year-old rum ¾ ounce honey¾ ounce lemon juice½ ounce waterAssorted berries Splash Cremant d’AlsaceMuddle lemon juice, honey and water until liquefied. Add berries and muddle lightly. Add Flor de Caña and shake. Strain over crushed ice. Top with sparkling wine. After stirring, add crushed ice. Garnish with berries, lemon peel and a drizzle of honey.

Don’t Mess with My Tu-TuCreated by Gina Chersevani of PS 7’s in Washington, D.C.1/3 part Plymouth gin 1/3 part lemon juice1/3 part Roi Rene Rouge cherry liqueurCombine all ingredients in a shaker filled with ice, shake until frothy, strain into a small wine glass and garnish with smoked fairy floss (cotton candy).

Mango BelliniCourtesy of the National Mango Board.1 Tbsp. fresh mango, peeled, pitted and puréed4 ounces chilled Prosecco1 mango peeled, pitted and sliced for garnishCombine mango purée and chilled Prosecco in chilled Champagne glass and serve. Gar-nish with fresh mango slices on the rim.

Avocado Mint Chip WhipCreated by Kim Haasarud of Liquid Architecture.2 scoops mint chip ice cream

¼ ripe California avocado1 ounce light cream1 ½ ounces chocolate

liqueur (optional)

Combine all ingredients in a blender. Add two ice cubes. Blend until smooth. Pour into a cocktail glass. Garnish with whipped cream and an avocado slice.

S’moresCreated by Jeff Isaacson and Clark Moore for Gerber Group.

1 ½ ounces blended whiskey1 ½ ounces dark crème de cocoa¾ ounce cinnamon schnapps

Splash of milk 3 miniature marshmallows, for garnish

Rim a Martini glass with a graham cracker crust. Combine all ingredients and pour into the Martini glass. Garnish with the miniature marshmallows.

Cookies & Cream MartiniCourtesy of Monin.1 ½ ounces vodka

¾ ounce Monin Shortbread Syrup½ ounce Monin Caramel Sauce

2 ounces half-and-halfCombine ingredients in shaker in the order listed. Cap and shake

vigorously. Strain into a Martini glass rimmed with crushed graham cracker.

The S&M (Whipped Nuts)Courtesy of Rich Hellner for Pandora

Spirits LLC.2 ½ ounces NutLiquor peanut butter vodka½ ounce Pinnacle Whipped vodkaShake with ice and strain.

Thirsty for More?Want more sweet treats? Go to www.nightclub.com/desserts

to get more ideas for delicious confectionary creations.

10 Nightclub & Bar Magazine | N o v / D e c 2 0 1 0 N i g h t c l u B . c o M10 Nightclub & Bar Magazine | N o v / D e c 2 0 1 0 N i g h t c l u B . c o M

With the Opening of the Massive Marquee Las Vegas, Jason Strauss and Noah Tepperberg Put Nightlife on a Grand ScaleBy Sean Evans

MarketingM i D N i g h t

n i g h t c l u b . c o m n o v / D e c 2 0 1 0 |nightclub&barmagazine11

Seven years and seven venues later, Tepperberg’s office wall seemingly doubles as an impres-sive résumé for the duo; it’s adorned with multiple matted New York Times profiles, Wall Street Journal features and more pieces of prominent press, linearly showcasing the twosome’s ascent from club promoters to their posi-tions as kings of clubland. What’s the secret to their longevity and success? Tepperberg and Strauss aren’t simply savvy nightlife op-erators; they’re savvy marketers who happen to own nightclubs. They’ve mastered the notion of marketing midnight, creating an overwhelming demand for a wholly intangible product: late-night fun.

Their latest creation, Marquee Nightclub and Dayclub at the Cosmopolitan Hotel in Las Vegas — the highly anticipated $3.9 bil-lion luxury hotel and casino open-ing Dec. 15 — will debut with a wild New Year’s Eve blowout. The 60,000-square-foot venue is rumored to have cost $50 million to develop (funding came from Deutsche Bank). Given its size, Marquee Las Vegas will unofficial-ly receive the title of the biggest nightclub in America. “We haven’t heard of anything being larger,” Strauss says, flashing a grin that reveals more than a sliver of pride at the accomplishment.

While it takes an entire team of dedicated partners at Strategic Group Hospitality/The Tao

Group — Rich Wolf, Marc Packer, Lou Abin and Seth Rodsky — to oversee the portfolio of venues that includes Marquee New York, TAO New York, TAO Las Vegas, LAVO Las Vegas, LAVO New York, Avenue in NYC and now Marquee Las Vegas, Tepperberg, Strauss and their veteran partners stand at the helm of an expansive nightlife machine that now plays in multiple markets and shows no signs of slowing anytime soon. The twosome sat with Nightclub & Bar to reveal their plans for Marquee at the Cosmopolitan, how a massive deal like this hap-pens during an economic crunch, what opening the largest club in

America means to our country, how they continue to post im-pressive returns on their investors’ dollars and more.

NCB: Let’s start with the latest Vegas project. Tell me about Marquee Nightclub and Day-club at the Cosmopolitan. Tepperberg: It’s three rooms, essentially. The main room has a big circular dance floor and

Can we please use this picture again?” Noah Tepperberg jokes as he flips around a frame containing a copy of the cover of Night-club & Bar from 2004, featuring himself and business partner Ja-son Strauss. “C’mon, I look great here! We look so young! Look at

all my hair,” Tepperberg chuckles as Strauss, seated next to him, laughs. The duo are reminiscing while sitting in Tepperberg’s office, located on West 27th Street in New York City, less than five blocks from their famed club, Marquee. While they had operated several clubs in Southampton and Manhattan previously, Marquee is the venue that truly put them on the nightlife map when it opened in 2003.

LAVO Las Vegas (above) and TAO Las Vegas (left) both have counterparts in New York City; with the opening of Marquee at the Cosmopolitan in Las Vegas, Strauss and Tepperberg (opposite) try the formula again, taking Marquee from NY to Vegas.

12 Nightclub & Bar Magazine | N o v / D e c 2 0 1 0 N i g h t c l u B . c o M

coliseum-style banquet seating, which is tiered so that one section is above the next. Everyone has a great view of the DJ, which is the focal point of the room, given the stage.

The second room is called the Boom Box, and it’s smaller, has a real urban sensibility — etched artwork and beautiful bars with a DJ booth sunken into one. There are a lot of glass windows in there, out of which you can see the Strip.

The third room is called the Library, which is designed to feel like someone’s living room. It’s on the mezzanine level, overlooking the main room. It has a fireplace, a pool table and a cool British glam-rock feel to it. It’s a total lounge.Strauss: Then there’s the pool and dayclub portion to the space. It’s a massive space, with numer-ous cabanas — each with its own private dipping/plunge pool

out front. There’s a gaming area, raised bar area and a fantastic DJ setup. There are also 10 bunga-lows, which are really three-story hotel rooms. Tepperberg: Guests can spend the night in there if they can get one [laughs]. Each has a hot tub on the roof and it’s really the ultimate Vegas hotel room. It’s poolside and club adjacent, so you can walk from the party to your room in a few feet.   NCB: What’s the coolest in-novation about Marquee at the Cosmopolitan? Strauss: We are building a multimillion-dollar festival-esque DJ booth in the main room. It’s a fully interactive light and sound stage, so it’s no longer just a DJ spinning or a person performing; it’s an entire show. The stage is 40 feet high, with multiple levels of LED walls and video components.

It even has hydraulics so we can float it out over the crowd and move it around. That’s never been done before.   NCB: Why did you decide to name this venue Marquee? Tepperberg: We needed a name that was bold; that evoked the thoughts and image of a big, cosmopolitan — no pun intended — nightclub experi-ence. Having owned Marquee NY for seven years, we couldn’t think of a better name to exemplify a soon-to-be-famous, world-class nightclub. We’ve had nearly a decade of success in New York, so it’s time to bring it to Vegas.   NCB: What are the challenges presented by a project this big? Tepperberg: One of the biggest will be how you move traffic and thousands of people in and out of a venue this size with grace and ease. And there’s always going to be a weather issue because half the venue is outside. It’s not easy to plan for when you have 7,000 people — half being around your pool — and the weather drops 50 degrees and you have to fit them all inside. Or vice versa. Managing the seasonality in Vegas will likely be the biggest challenge.   NCB: How do you formulate a

plan for that? Tepperberg: Those are made up as you go. [laughs]   NCB: Here’s the burning question: Why build such an expensive, large venue during a recession? Tepperberg: The nightlife market in Vegas is booming. There may be a recession going on in other sectors of this industry, but as far as Vegas goes, there’s no reces-sion there. People are flocking to Vegas [clubs]; every place is packed. And they’re spending money. Now’s the exact right time to do something like this.   NCB: What does opening the largest club in America mean to the country?  Strauss: We’re fortunate to have [Deutsche] bank as our partner, willing to invest in nightlife and willing to create an attraction that the country and the world should see. That it’s happening in Las Vegas — that there’s such a confidence to build something of this grandiose stature — really puts the stamp on Vegas as the nightlife capital of the world.   NCB: How do you continue to pack your houses and put up great numbers despite the economy?

Marquee New York (above) helped Tepperberg and Strauss rise to fame on the club scene before opening venues like Avenue in NYC, TAO in Las Vegas and LAVO in Vegas and New York (left).

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Strauss: Mainly through [guest] experience and through commit-ment to service. But having the most relevant and new content all while pushing the envelope and being plugged into what the demographic is looking for is also important. Keep it fresh and people will want to come back.   NCB: Is nightlife recession-proof? Strauss: As the recession changes, there are adjustments you make to pricing points, but people are always looking for the nightlife experience. Owners have to adapt to the recession, but now I’m feeling less of a fear [of the economy] and more of a sense of confidence in our clients’ [spending habits]. It’s been a very steady but slow increase from month to month. We’re also seeing an upswing in corporate and private events in our venues, which had been negatively af-fected for the last two years.   NCB: What do your partners in Strategic Group Hospitality and Tao Group bring to the table? Tepperberg: Lou [Abin], Marc [Packer], Rich [Wolf] and Seth [Rodsky] are great partners. We’re a well-rounded team, and we all play different positions. When you have the size and scope of the properties we have, it’s got to be a team sport not a solo endeavor.

NCB: How have your roles in SG Hospitality changed as the company grows and you have more and more venues under your belt, particularly ones as large as Marquee at the Cosmo-politan? Strauss: We’re delegating more. We’ve had to empower and mentor a lot more people and create an infrastructure of different layers of management. Despite the delegation, we’re

still very hands on. We’re at one of our venues six nights a week. Every partner has their strengths — some are better at certain things than others — but gener-ally we each touch all facets of the business. No one partner sticks only to marketing, or just to helping out making sure the kitchen is running smoothly or showing someone how to do a door properly, etc. We all do a little bit of each discipline.

NCB:  What do you know now that you wish you could go back and tell your younger self to do differently? Strauss: I think when I was younger, we were really top-line focused. What mattered was bringing in the business, and we didn’t look at the bottom line as much. As we matured, I think we found a nice balance between managing the house and balanc-ing the top line and bottom line of the financial slope. So I’d have fixed that earlier.Tepperberg:  In 2003, all I did was work, and I’ve learned as I’ve grown up that personal time is important as well. You need to take a vacation, even if it’s to Ibiza, and take days off every once in a while, even if you’re still on your BlackBerry. I didn’t take a day off between 2003 and 2008, so I’d tell my younger self to learn to balance the personal life with the professional one.

 NCB: What does the future of nightlife look like?  Tepperberg: Marquee, LAVO and TAO [laughs]. Trend-wise, you’re going to see clubs that opened in the beginning of the nightlife boom five or six years ago being remodeled and reopened. A lot of original products are being retooled. In New York and in Las Vegas, nightclubs coming on line are being revamped and stronger than ever. When the recession hit, operators were able to buy them cheap and are just waiting for the right time to reopen them, which is now.   NCB: What’s next for you two and SG Hospitality? How do you top the biggest club in America? Strauss: For us, it’s about build-ing the brands, such as TAO, Marquee, Avenue, LAVO and our Artichoke Basilles Pizzeria & Bar concept that we recently launched with Francis Garcia and Sal Basille. We want to create more brand extensions of those successes. Tepperberg: Maybe opening the biggest restaurant in America? Or building the biggest club in the world? [smiles broadly]

NCB: You don’t have a venue outside of the U.S. Will that be changing in the near future? Strauss: We have offers in a few countries, and we have one or two pending deals abroad, but nothing we can announce just yet. We’re always looking.   NCB: What are your ultimate goals? Where do you see yourself in 10 years? Still at the owners’ table of your hottest venue?Strauss: The goal would be to expand the brands and develop enough senior-level people so that we can grow properly. I’m sure we’ll still be at the owners’ table but just not as often as we are now. Tepperberg: Precisely.  NCB: So you want to continue to stay in nightlife for the fore-seeable future?Strauss: I’ve been doing this since my sophomore year of high school...I don’t know what else I would be doing if it wasn’t this. NCB

Sean Evans writes about nightlife and the nightclub business from New York City and various points around the globe.

Strategic Success

Jason Strauss and Noah Tepperberg may run one of the largest nightlife enterprises in the nation, but they started small and

still apply the basic rules of smart operations. Here are their tips for surviving in today’s tough market for any nightlife pro:

Manage all aspects of your club closely. Don’t assume the bar is running smoothly because you have a great manager overseeing it. Get in there regularly, understand what’s going on and tweak as you see fit; lots of dollars can be lost behind the bar and in the stock room. Watch how the door is run, making sure guests are handled efficiently and with a high level of hospitality.

Know your customer, and constantly refine your space, drink menu, music, service style and promotions to attract and keep them in the house.

Watch the top line closely and the bottom line closer. Be strategic in how you drive traffic into the club, and then be smart in how you manage costs — everything from staffing to inventory to energy costs.

Focus on service and experience. The nightlife customer expects both, so consistently deliver better than your competition.

Be proactive. Keep an eye on market trends, from consumer spending habits to real estate opportunities, so you can stay ahead of the game and the competition.

ThE NighTlifE MarkET iN VEgaS iS BooMiNg. there may be a recession going on in other sectors of the industry, but as far as vegas goes, ThErE’S No rECESSioN ThErE. People are flocking to vegas [clubs]; every place is packed. – Noah Tepperberg, co-owner and co-founder of the Strategic group hospitality/Tao group

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What drives trends? These days, we see

innovations in technology and consumers looking to

connect while also seeking a highly personalized experience as the key

trends shaping the bar and nightclub business. While

we could go off on lengthy and lofty articles about

what that means, we know that when looking in the

proverbial crystal ball, bar and club operators want two questions answered: What’s Hot? What’s Not? So here’s our take. Now it’s your job to see how

these trends may or may not play out in your place,

and what you need to do to capitalize on them.

Good luck!

TRENDSHigh-tech Tables, Retro Design, House Music & More 2011

Technology As you read this, these technologies are likely evolving, but here’s our take on the tech trends for bars and clubs in the coming year:

Guest Experience EnhancersTouchscreen tabletops and bartops –Tabletop systems allow guests to review drink menus, customize cocktails and place drink orders — all while playing games and accessing the venue’s Facebook and Twitter feeds. System advances promise greater guest-to-venue and guest-to-guest interactivity.

TV systems – Slimmer and sleeker HDTVs, 3-D and increasing multi-functional and custom-izable systems are on the rise. “Private” cable or satellite feeds mean varied programming within the venue, including in-house feeds. Systems that overlay ads for brands on hand, current or upcoming promotions or event notices on screens will drive greater sales and new revenue for bars and clubs. Also, text-to-screen and ticker options are on the horizon.

Music for the ears and eyes – Greater production elements for DJs, from visuals like digital light shows to live drummers and DJ platforms that move to float out above the crowd, not to mention video mixing to sync with audio for a complete multi-sensory experience.

Back of House Scan, sync and prevent shrink – Internet-enabled inventory control systems track bottles from receiving to backbar (thanks to ever-smaller RFID tags), sync with POS systems and allow man-agement to get real-time inventory and sales reports sent to their mobile devices — even for small bars. Benefit: just-in-time inventory, no out-of-stocks, nimble ordering for promotions, less shrink and a better bottom line.

Rockin’ reports – Draft line and liquor pour systems synced with POS systems will yield drink-level reporting; spot the winners, losers and sources of loss quickly and push manage-ment to make adjustments. — Donna Hood Crecca

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RegulatoryBar and club owners have enough to do without trying to keep up with the politicians and legislators, but you don’t

want to be blindsided either. Here are two issues to track on the local and national scene:

Drink TaxesCounties, states and even the Fed are looking for dollars, and alcohol is a likely can-didate for increased taxes in 2011. From taxes on individual drinks to fee increases at the state level that will trickle down to wholesale prices, we’re at risk. With 59 percent of the cost of a retail bottle of spirits already coming from taxes, according to the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States, it pays to keep tabs on what’s going on and get involved. Stay tuned at nightclub.com and also check out stophospitalitytaxes.com.

Ignition InterlockThe future of your business rests on this issue. In-vehicle alcohol detection devices could be standard in all cars within five years, if we don’t get involved. Twelve states require ignition interlock for first-time DWI offenders with low BAC levels; that’s a strong step toward universal application (interlocks in all vehicles), which translates into major loss of business for any of you with parking lots. Search “interlock” on nightclub.com or visit interlockfacts.com for more. — Donna Hood Crecca

Design and Décor

Retro is the future. Michelle Bushey, partner and creative director at Dallas firm 360 Design, is seeing more bars and clubs using exposed brick, vintage games like Pac-Man and chess as tabletops and reclaimed wood and furniture to create a clubbier and darker version of your parents’ basement; Bushey calls this “Rec Room Chic.” Here are other trends to note:

I t’s all about the “wow” factor, which demands versatility. Transforming seating options from day to night, creating small, intimate spaces,

using sustainable furniture and energy-efficient yet decorative lighting are all on-trend design points that help create a comfortable yet stylish setting. Michael Werner, vice president of Kansas City, Mo.-based Leap Hospitality, says this allows the operator to constantly change the guest’s perspective of a space.

Steven Lewis, principal of design firm Lewis & Dizon in New York, sees, specifically, that horseshoe banquettes are replacing the straight benches that place crowded tables next to each other. Guests are now seeking out a club with a more personal nightclub design.

Future trends include an increase in retro stylings as well as a more “show biz” feel with a stage or per-formance area that gives operators the edge.

Additionally, Werner recommends creating an environment that's enticing and comfortable for the ladies. “Women tend to influence the selection process when it comes to eating or drinking out.”

From digital menu boards to at-table ordering, technology is the future. Werner says owners need to integrate technology into design concepts because they create efficient operations. — Alissa Ponchione

What’s InBartenders putting guest service on

par with crafting great cocktails

Bars, and those who tend them, breaking out as mainstream media darlings

Pisco, rye and cachaça, for real

Millennials. They’re coming of age in droves. Are you ready?

Live entertainment – music acts and comedians, with social media build-ing the buzz and bringing the crowds

Better trained bartenders, thanks to programs like the USBG Master Accreditation, BarSmarts, B.A.R. and more

Organic, green and sustainable spirits, wine and beer

Boutique brands — but only of the authentic variety

Iconic beer brands (think PBR) on the menu alongside eclectic brews (think Allagash White)

What’s OutDrinks with ingredients no one can

pronounce, let alone recognize

Telling patrons, “We don’t serve that here.”

Thinking gin will be the next vodka (Hey, we’re huge fans, but gin won’t capture 30 percent of the market any time soon)

Thinking vodka is over (see above)

Flat, skunky or poorly poured beer — there’s just no excuse anymore

Deep, deep drink discounts that deliver no margin and attract the wrong guest

— Donna Hood Crecca

BarsHere’s what we see coming, and going, at the nation’s bars in 2011

18 Nightclub & Bar Magazine | N o v / D e c 2 0 1 0 N i g h t c l u B . c o M

Social Media Here are the top social media trends, according to Dave Sribnik, manager of trends and technology for

MarkeTeam Inc., a Mission Viejo, Calif., F&B sales promotion agency.

B e omnipresent and sign up for all social networking opportunities. Ubiquitous ones like Facebook and Twitter are important in retaining loyalty, while those gaining in popularity like Yelp and Foursquare offer insight into what your

customers like and rewards them for it. QR Codes or Microsoft tagging are the future of mobile marketing. Using smart-

phones, guests scan a barcode that is on your bar or club’s napkins, glasses or POS, which takes them to your website, where you can offer coupons or discounts.

Augmented reality combines smartphone camera capabilities and reality. Customers looking for a place to nosh or drink simply open their phone, snap a photo and overlay that photo on the map from the GPS locator, which will show where all the bars and clubs are in their vicinity.

Personalized URLs and e-mails are the future. Instead of sending out a mass e-mail to your whole database, you can personalize text messages, e-mails and URLs with a welcoming message to the customer you’re trying to attract, making him/her feel like a VIP at your establishment. — Alissa Ponchione

MusicOne word: electronica.

W hereas many Las Vegas clubs used to be the only ones touting the dance music craze, smaller

bars and lounges around the country are now starting to feature house music.

“Dance music is slowly taking over and will soon become what is considered main-stream,” says Sol Shafer, director of special operations and music for the electronica-focused Marquee Night & Day Club at the soon-to-open Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas, a brand-new hotel and casino on the strip.

This surge in nightlife stems from its swelling popularity in the music scene over-all. “It’s crossed over to commercial music — your will.i.am, your LMFAO — everybody is crossing over, and it’s taking a huge turn, especially in the [nightlife] market,” says Zee Zandi, director of marketing and special events for Las Vegas-based Angel Manage-ment Group.

Live music also will make a splash, with performers helping to pack small- to mid-sized bars and clubs.

— Emily Hanna Mayock

NightclubsThe top 5 trends we’re tracking for 2011:

1Day-to-night, multipurpose venues.  Nightclubs will use their space for other pur-poses, getting the most for their rent money, whether it’s with a dayclub, a restau-

rant or private event space.

2Headlining house DJs instead of unknown talent — but where will they get their start? Hopefully this won’t discourage rising DJ stars.

3Personalized spaces — where every guest feels like a VIP.

4Nighttime pool parties (where applicable) — or just using the great outdoors in all seasons. “Pool parties this summer were going later and later…and lighting and

visuals were added for those events,” says Deanna Rilling, reporter with Las Vegas Weekly. Clubs are using their outdoor space to extend the party poolside, on the rooftop or patio as long as possible.

5Ultra-lounge/exclusive nightclub settings, even outside of Vegas: “I think that New York, especially, will always remain a lounge/ultra-club destination because there are

so many different personalities in New York nightlife, and they speak to all different sorts of people,” says Pavan Pardasani, director of marketing for New York’s EMM Group. And by speaking to the right audience, you’ll rake in money all the way to 2012.

— Emily Hanna Mayock

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20 Nightclub & Bar Magazine | N o v / D e c 2 0 1 0 N i g h t c l u B . c o M

How to Make Social Media Work For Your Bar or ClubBy Alissa Ponchione

SocialBlitz

W hen it comes to social media, there are many roads

to take, and though some are less traveled, you should make sure your bar or club is head-ing down the right ones. Each social networking site has its own pros and cons, but by surveying your loyal customer base and understanding each, as well as your demographic, you can create a social media presence that will positively affect your bottom line.

IN

22 Nightclub & Bar Magazine | N o v / D e c 2 0 1 0 N i g h t c l u B . c o M

What it is: This free review site not only gives people the facts about your restau-rant — linking to your website, showcas-ing photos and giving your address and hours — but it’s also a place for users to review your business — good or bad.

In fact, with more than 38 million unique visitors checking out the site as of August 2010, Yelp is showing no signs of slowing down. Having your business on Yelp means you’re working hard to develop an exclusive community that supports your bar or club, explains Boris Bugarski, CEO and president of Santa Ana, Calif.-based mUrgent, an e-mail marketing and search engine service. Yelp creates value that goes both ways, he says: You value your customers for their opinions, and they value you for being interactive.

How to use it: For business owners, Yelp offers information about your ac-count, a summary of the traffic flow to your page, a place to create special offers and announcements and, more impor-tantly, it allows you to respond to reviews either through direct personal messages or publicly on the site.

This gives you the opportunity to change a guest’s point of view by ac-knowledging either their positive experi-ences or their grievances. If guests know

you’re listening to them, they’re more likely to come back.

Pros and Cons: As web searches shift from universal to local, Yelp can help push your business to the first page of search engine results. “It’s important to optimize your listing,” Bugarski says. “If you do it correctly, then you can compete and de-vour the first page of Google searches.”

Dr. Rachna Jain, chief social marketer at Washington, D.C.-based MindshareCorp, says the main criticism with Yelp is that unfair or negative reviews can cause bias and often become “as authoritative as negative press for your business.” To com-bat this, make sure you have a trained and dedicated staff that frequently responds to reviews, offering coupons or incentives to people who are both happy and unhappy with your business. “If you can’t train someone to respond to a bad complaint, then you have a miscommunication,” Burgarski warns, which means you’ll lose business.

What it is: Right now, Facebook is it. With more than 500 million users and grow-ing, it’s the largest social media platform out there. For business owners, Facebook

allows you to maintain customer loyalty by offering deals and specials to a loyal fan base who appreciate and frequent your establishment.

How to use it: Create a Facebook Fan or Like page. The reason this works best: “They’re tied to a business and not a personal profile,” says Jain, and it makes it easier to search. What’s more, Facebook offers a variety of ways to engage your clientele — pictures, discussions boards, videos, etc. — and you should take advan-tage of all them. Remember, by tagging photos of your patrons, you ensure their friends will see it because it likely will show up in their news feed and profile page, meaning more and more people will learn about your business.

Pros and Cons: When it comes to Face-book, most business owners don’t know how to use their fan pages properly, often over-saturating or cannibalizing sales with too much frequency. Let the consumer be in control, having him/her start discussion topics that you can respond to, if you’d like. Also, tone down your use, only updat-ing about two to three times per week.

When It Comes to soCIal medIa, there are many roads to take, and though some of them are less traveled, you should make sure your bar or Club Is headIng doWn the rIght ones.

n i g h t c l u b . c o m n o v / D e c 2 0 1 0 |nightclub&barmagazine23

“It’s all about engagement and community. You don’t always have to go in there and post something. You can add a comment. Be genuine and make it fun,” Bugarski says. It’s also important not to inundate fans with direct Facebook messages; it’s a surefire sign of losing fans online and guests at your place.

What it is: Relatively new on the social media scene, Twitter is a microblogging site that gives you 140 characters or less to tweet a message to your followers. It’s an efficient way to connect with customers, who often check Twitter as frequently as they do their Facebook pages. Twitter jargon, from @replies and hash tags to direct messages and retweets, may confound you now, but the learning curve is steep and worthwhile. Twitter is perhaps the most direct way for you to connect to your followers — there are more than 100 million people on Twitter — and show them you’re listening in a public forum.

How to use it: Getting started with Twitter is effortless, espe-cially because it’s easy to find business handles on Twitter. To sign up, visit twitter.com and create a handle, then start searching for regular guests who will follow you back. Also, Twitter is a great way of starting a dialogue with your patrons and getting them engaged with you and your business. Here’s a hint: If a new fan fol-lows you, follow him/her back or send a direct message thanking him/her for following you.

One more tip: Connect your Twitter and Facebook feeds so you’re hitting your customers on all fronts.

Pros and Cons: Don’t get lost in the noise — find a genuine voice on your Twitter page, which will allow you to really connect with your followers. This means not letting multiple people handle the account; it’s a way to let people get to know you and what you stand for, not be confused by various styles and personalities from one account. “Twitter is great at getting people engaged with you,” Jain says.

And it’s great for tweeting out last-minute promotions, coupons or just updating your followers on your latest specials.

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Facebook, Twitter, Yelp and Foursquare should all be on your radar, but what other sites

should you keep an eye one? Dr. Rachna Jain, chief social marketer for MindshareCorp, says to look into Eventful.com, a website that connects consumers with entertainment and live events. With 15 million users and 2,000 partner licenses, Eventful.com allows users and businesses to market their restaurant or bar to reach consumers looking for trendy places to go.

Another site getting buzz: Groupon.com, which sends out daily e-mails to customers with deals for food and fun in cities across the U.S. and

abroad. The opt-in e-mail system connects your business with thousands of users, and it’s free to appear on Groupon. “The promotions tend to do well and allow people to try out new bars and nightclubs that are discounted,” Jain says.

As for LinkedIn, the social networking site for businesses and professionals, Jain says it won’t increase foot traffic, but it can help you network with neighboring businesses or brands for upcom-ing promotions. “It’s a good outlet for building an owner’s reputation and professional network,” she explains, but it’s not the best way to connect with your consumer.

Looking Ahead

24 Nightclub & Bar Magazine | N o v / D e c 2 0 1 0 N i g h t c l u B . c o M

What it is: Though in its infancy, Foursquare has 4 million users, and it’s growing. This mobile application works as a social guide for friends who want to know what is hap-pening and where. It also functions as a game where users “check in” to places and are rewarded with special badges for their frequency. Businesses can offer deals to

users that come to their bar or club. In short, Foursquare is a social networking trifecta: a guide, a friend finder and a game.

How to use it: Bugarski sees Foursquare as truly the most innovative social media platform out there today because it builds value and loyalty. Business owners can offer specials through Foursquare, such as discounts or prizes to customers when they “check in” to a bar or club. For example, when a patron earns Mayor status, which

indicates the number of times he or she has come to your place, he/she could receive a special offer. On the site, Foursquare offers analytics to businesses in order to check out how web traffic is flowing.

For businesses, creating specials for spe-cific “check-ins” means your loyal customers receive a complimentary drink or appe-tizer, but it’s an even better marketing tool because it connects to users’ Twitter and Facebook feeds, so more and more people know your place is the one to check out.

Pros and Cons: Foursquare is for building frequency and loyalty. Whereas you don’t want to overly saturate your Facebook fans with constant updates, Foursquare is a site that welcomes constant vigilance. “Connect to people who use it actively and encourage them to come to your place more often,” Jain says. You can offer specials, leave tips or a list of what customers should check out at your place. She also recommends having someone keeping note of all the people checking in to your location, which allows you to get to know them and greet them personally when they enter your bar or club.

With social networking, as long as you’re participating, you’re already ahead of the game. The final tip: Don’t hesitate to sign up for new sites that enter the fray. Having your business’s name out in the social networking scene is another way for you to become increasingly popular on the Internet, which translates into becom-ing popular with customers who want to check out a place that has its finger on the pulse. NCB

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LuxeLiving

Despite the Economy, Guests Open Their Wallets for Ultra-premium SpiritsBy Jack Robertiello

hen bars aiming to make a splash throw open their doors, inevitably the drink menus are pep-

pered with brand names that signify quality — and price. A focus on the high end of the pricing spectrum

might fly in the face of the recent economic trends, but it seems to be the norm among new cocktail-oriented bars. Take, for example, the new Forty Four

at the Royalton Hotel in New York City; it’s high end to start with, given that the six bartenders who put together the drink list — Richard Boccato from Painkiller in

NYC, John Lermayer from The Florida Room in Miami Beach, Pernod Ricard ambas-sador Simon Ford, Contemporary Cocktails’ Willy Shine, Misty Kalkofen from Drink in

Boston and Eric Alperin from The Varnish in Los Angeles — are among the best-known in the country. A menu like the one they created, with drinks priced $15 to $17, must use

top-shelf brands, and even the secondary spirits in the drinks run at the high end: Cherry Heering, Carpano Antica Formula Vermouth, Chartreuse and Benedictine, among others.

At Drago Centro, chef Celestino Drago’s newest venture in downtown Los Angeles, som-melier and beverage director Michael Shearin recently introduced a fall cocktail menu that

displays no sign of retreat from high-end brands. The drinks, normally $12, include the Autumn Night’s Dream, made with Martin Miller’s Westbourne Gin, Crème Yvette and St-Germain, are all

super-premium brands. Other drinks highlight such brands as Karlsson’s Gold vodka, Zaya Rum, Appleton Estate V/X rum and Belle de Brillet Poire Cognac — all super- to ultra-premium products.Menus at these and other cocktail-centric bars are one part of the reason high-end spirits are still

de rigeur — when drink prices break the $10 barrier, it’s hard to drop down a level in ingredient quality. Says Drago’s Shearin, “I definitely take price into consideration when creating drinks for each seasonal

menu, but there are other, better ways of keeping costs down than using cheap liquor.”

26 Nightclub & Bar Magazine | N o v / D e c 2 0 1 0 N i g h t c l u B . c o M

Bar operators aren’t the only ones playing in the higher price ranges. When Banks Five Island Rum recently launched, an all-star team of New York bar stars — PDT’s Jim Meehan (who worked on developing the rum), Julie Reiner of the newly opened Lani Kai, Eben Freeman of the Altama-rea Group and Dushan Zaric of Employees Only — helped roll out cocktails designed to show-case the spirit’s fruity, pot-still-driven qualities. Clearly presented as something special at the upper echelon of the lightly aged rum category, pricing for Banks was set to push the $30 barrier, but folks involved with the brand pri-vately admitted the ultimate price would depend on initial response from the market.

That’s a far different attitude from a few years ago, when marketers for high-end spirits seemed to be competing for the honor of bringing out the most deluxe, the most prestigious or the highest price point spirit in the category. The logic behind that model mostly disappeared with the recession’s onset. Yet while conspicuous consumption may be less in vogue and some

high-end brands may struggle to sustain growth, there’s no pre-cipitous drop in spirit prices at the top. Marketers may hold off a bit on introducing more expensive products, but there’s still plenty of consumer interest in spirits that are special, whatever the price. And that means there’s plenty of ways for your bar to gain profits.

Price BreaksThe persistence of super-premi-um brands is partially a result of the shattering of so many price barriers in the 2000s. Cocktails selling for $15, bottles of rare malts pushing the $1,000 range, vodkas like Jean Marc XO and Crystal Head going for $50 a bottle — all of this helped create the idea that something rare and well made was worth more, and in turn, it created consumers who now like to shop at many price points up and down the ladder.

Partially driven by the craft distillery boom, which is bringing a flood of new small-production spirits to the market, there’s a constant thirst for the new among operators of bars and restau-rants. Beyond the small distillers, producers of some categories —

notably tequila and mezcal — are constantly importing new brands, most at super-premium and above price points.

Some categories have shat-tered low price sensitivity among fans; while it was once possible to find a handful of modestly priced single-malt Scotches, for example, many of those smaller malts have undergone repositioning, with higher prices arriving along with new packaging and profiles.

Even among blended Scotch whiskies, suppliers seem un-daunted. The recent repackaging of the best-selling Dewar’s range included an 18 year old priced about $80 retail (roughly the aver-age price for that age) and the Signature at nearly $200. Clearly, keeping prices tight all along the line is of utmost importance in suppliers’ minds.

Upscale SalesFor some operators, the economic rollback had a serious impact at the top end. The Brandy Library in New York City defines itself with an enormous collection of rare malts, brandies and other ultra-premium spirits, depending largely on consumers willing to

spend lavishly. But according to owner Flavien Desoblin, while his traffic is strong, the current picture is quite simple: “We have a large proportion of corporate clientele who used to bring in four or five clients and order a few rounds of the most expensive whiskies or Cognacs we had, but since the summer of 2008, that’s all changed. Wall Street guys and bankers are much more careful about conspicuous spending because of how it might look to their coworkers or clients.” 

At Brandy Library, orders might have averaged $60 or more until 2008, but now they are about half that, though Desoblin says since the summer he’s noticed an uptick in check totals, as custom-ers are starting to loosen up on spending. These customers also want to know more about the spirits they order, something Desoblin, who heads a staff of brandy “librarians” well-versed in their stock, says is crucial when trying to sell top-end spirits.

Cordials especially are buoyed by the recent higher-end intros; while the bottom seems to have fallen out of the inexpensive end of the category, such brands as

On both coasts, ultra-premium spirits reign supreme: Sommelier and Beverage Director at LA’s Drago Centro, Michael Shearin (far left) prefers ultra-premium products as do (front, from left) Eric Alperin, Misty Kalkofen, Richard Boccato, Willy Shine, (back from left) John Lermayer and Simon Ford at NYC’s Forty Four.

n i g h t c l u b . c o m n o v / D e c 2 0 1 0 |nightclub&barmagazine27

Crème Yvette arrived with great fanfare — and a $40-and-up retail price. Other recent examples in-clude the planned national rollout of the pear-flavored liqueur Xante at about the same price and Gran Classico bitter apertif, priced at around $30 retail. That’s just the cordial category, where many of the best-selling products are suffering even though their price points are far lower.

“When a product like Crème Yvette comes out, we’re anxious to play around with it and see what we can do with those flavors, especially if it’s something with historical references,” says Shearin. Bartenders’ eager antici-pation of other high-end products with interesting flavor profiles is carving out backbar space in a crowded market.

The Chain GameCasual dining chain restaurants provide a good barometer of the consumer’s willingness to spend. While many chains may be carry-ing slightly fewer high-end spirits as they deal with the recession through inventory and SKU reduc-tions, there’s still great customer loyalty to break-away super-premium brands like Grey Goose and Patron, says David Commer of Commer Beverage Consulting, who works with chains including Mimi’s Café, T.G.I. Friday’s and Lone Star Steakhouse.

But chain operations at the higher end recognize the wisdom of focusing on featuring the best; at the many Palm restaurants, single-malt Scotch dinners are still a fixture, and the signature cock-tail list features super-premium brands like ABSOLUT, Stolichnaya,

Ketel One, Ciroc, Hendrick’s, St-Germain and Cointreau. There’s even an ultra-premium Upper East Sidecar made with Remy Martin VSOP and a Martini featur-ing Ultimat vodka.

Commer says chains, like most restaurants and bars, are caught in a bind when it comes to figur-ing out how to market high-end spirits in today’s economy — if they are too focused on driving foot traffic through discounting and low pricing, they may unnec-essarily undermine what they can charge at the top-end.

To solve that problem, Shearin now offers a two-tier menu at Drago Centro, one set for happy hour food and drink items and prices, and the other featuring the bar’s regular prices. The $5 happy hour drink menu includes four changing classics — the recent list included the Sazerac and Pen-dennis, made with value brands Pikesville Rye and Seagram’s Gin, meant to bring in an entirely dif-ferent set of customers than the rest of the evening, says Shearin.

But on the other hand, he’s sur-prised that, despite the economy, he still goes through a significant amount of Macallan 18 Year Old single malt, Highland Park 18 Year Old single malt and Don Julio 1942 Extra Anejo Tequila, all ultra-premium brands. Proof positive that no matter what the state of the economy, for drinkers, price resistance to the patron’s favorite brands is still rare. NCB

Thirsty for More?Want to check out the latest in ultra-premium

spirits? Visit nightclub.com and click on the Products tab to see what’s new.

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28 Nightclub & Bar Magazine | N o v / D e c 2 0 1 0 N i g h t c l u B . c o M

I f you told Chef Edward Lee when he was a kid that one day, hip American bar guests

would clamor for Korean kimchee (spicy pickled vegetables), he wouldn’t have believed you. “I would have said, ‘No way!’” laughs Lee, chef and owner of 610 Magnolia in Louisville, Ky., who does a mean green tomato kim-chee. “Back then, everybody was like, ‘How can you eat that? It’s so stinky and spicy!’” But clamor for kimchee they do. And also Peru-vian anticuchos. And Venezuelan arepas. And Polish pierogi. In fact, your bar’s interest in ethnically inspired tastes is a top priority for adventurous palates. The hottest new bars either delve deeper into well-known world cuisines, con-temporizing and redefining them, or introduce guests to lesser-known world foods in fun ways. Either way, globally inspired bar food distinguishes your business from the competition and, in the

process, helps you gain faithful customers.

The ripple effect is every-where. During happy hour, guests can go way beyond what they thought they knew about Mediterranean and order the Lebanese lamb ribs with straw-berry and scallions a la plancha in a cumin/Aleppo pepper broth at ilili in New York City ($10). Or get the Armenian Luleh Kabob Sliders with caramelized onion, bacon, aioli and arugula ($8) at Neomeze in Pasadena, Calif. Or try the modern-Hellenic baby okra with sun-dried tomatoes, fresh coriander and semolina bread ($8) at Taxim in Chicago.

It’s not just Middle East fare that has guests salivating. The perception of Polish food as always-heavy is also getting an upgrade. The lighter, more creatively stuffed dumplings are the bar food of the moment at pan-European LOKal in Chicago

where “Pierogis After Dark” is a late-night special feature. Chef Ian Flowers does about a dozen varieties of the half-moon pillows, including those filled with duck confit, BBQ braised pork, and sweet potato. He likes to pair the dishes with the Polish Zywiec beer, available on tap for $5.

Street SmartsThis ethnic-exploration trend includes a proliferation of “street-food” restaurants such as Susan Feniger’s Street in Los Angeles. Feniger’s approach is to introduce patrons to easy-to-eat foods from all over the globe. The items on the menu are inspired by cuisines from Iceland to Singapore,

Brazil to Syria and even more in between. Some of the best sellers at Street are the Tatsutage Fried Chicken from Japan ($15), which pairs well with Carl Ehrhard Rocken Riesling ($12), and Kaya Toast from Singapore (toast with coconut jam, served with a soft fried egg drenched in dark soy and white pepper; $11), which Feniger likes to pair with Ayinger Bräu-Weisse beer ($10).

At INC Street Food in Roswell, Ga., the inspiration is “authentic international” with a largely Latin spin. Popular bar bocaditos (“little dishes”) include the Salvadoran chicken pupusas — grilled white-corn masa stuffed with adobo-braised chicken and queso,

Other-worldly tastesDeeper Explorations of World Foods Add Verve to

Bar Menus and Dollars to Bottom LinesBy Monica Kass Rogers

At Philadelphia’s Chifa, bar patrons love the Asian-inspired Pork Belly Buns (above), while the Boricua (below) at Chicago’s Belly Shack is a riff on a Puerto Rican plantain sandwich.

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30 Nightclub & Bar Magazine | N o v / D e c 2 0 1 0 N i g h t c l u B . c o M

served with Peruvian potato salad ($7.50). Street-style tacos also are very hot, and both are good matches for any number of INC’s vast selection of tequilas and mezcals, in 1-ounce pours, rang-ing in price from $3.50 to $16.

Freestyle LatinoThis conglomeration of tastes is the catalyst for a growing group of “freestyle Latino” restaurant/bars such as Chef Maximo Tejada’s Rayuela and Macondo restaurants in New York City. Spanish for “hopscotch,” Rayuela jumps all over Peru, Ecuador, Mexico, Cuba, Columbia and Spain for ingredient and flavor combinations. Tejada tucks the unfamiliar (Uruguayan caviar or Peruvian Alpaca meat) in with the familiar in light-handed small plates. At Rayeula, Tejada says Jalea — a Peruvian seafood tempura of shrimp, scallop, cala-

mari and octopus, with mango aji amarillo aioli, red onions and yucca fries ($12) — is one of the most popular items at the bar. He recommends pairing it with a glass of the Rias Baixas Albarino ‘09 Licia, Spain, or with a Tona beer imported from Nicaragua.

At Macondo, Tejada’s newer exploration of Latin street food, menus hone in on food platforms that are vehicles for a wide variety of Latin ingredients. Among them? Venezuelan arepas (corn cakes; $11-14), Spanish chur-ros (sweet-filled crispy pastries; $6) and Mexican tacos ($10). At the bar, the Bocadillo de Chimichurri Chico (short ribs, peppers, manchego cheese, cabbage, onions; $11) is very popular and often is paired with a glass of Terrazas de los Andes ‘07 Mendoza, Argentina ($7 by the glass). Another oft-ordered item is the Calamares Crujientes

(crispy calamari, rocotto-honey aioli; $9), which Tejada says goes great with the Maracuya + Vodka cocktail (passion fruit, Sobieski, Canton ginger liqueur, lime juice, jalapeno; $7.50).

Neo-MediterraneanThe meaning of Mediterranean also has broadened. The term, which once suggested vague adherence to a menu of hummus, falafel and spit-roasted meats, now is highlighted by cuisine that is more creative and culture-spe-cific. At ilili, Lebanese is the focus. Ilili means “tell me” in Lebanese, and executive chef/owner Philippe Massoud’s mission is to better-inform Americans’ experience of Lebanese food. “Lebanese cuisine has been so neglected, overlooked and under-represented here,” says Massoud. Setting the record straight, items from ilili’s bar menu are scru-pulously made fresh daily, right down to the garbanzo beans. Beautiful examples? Massoud’s bay scallops ceviche with smoked pomegranate ice ($9), and kibbeh beef dumplings with yogurt and aleppo pepper ($6). But ilili’s cheese rolls (Rkaykat bil Jibnet; $8) are most popular. “They’re our contribution to America’s long-standing love affair with

mozzarella sticks,” says Massoud. Made with feta, kashkaval and mozzarella cheeses, the rolls are perfect with arak ($10 - $12 by the glass; $100 - $140 by the bottle). “It’s the quintessential best bever-age pairing for Lebanese cuisine,” Massoud says. “It resets your palate between bites, and it’s a potent digestif.”

Meanwhile at Neomeze, fun Armenian items such as the Cheese Bouregs — wontons filled with feta, fontina and Jack cheeses plus mint garnish — and the Arayes (Armenian quesadillas) are stars on the bar menu, which draws from Armenian, Persian, Israeli, Lebanese, Greek, Moroc-can and Turkish influences. One easy-to-prepare guest favorite at the bar is the Watermelon Neo: stacked watermelon and feta sticks in herbed olive oil ($10). General manager Marques likes to serve this dish with the restaurant’s $12 Summer Sky Martini — cucumber-infused Skyy vodka, strawberry purée and lemon juice.

Delving DeeperNew restaurants that stick with one country’s cuisine — but do it with a cutting-edge and contemporary style — include many iterations of the small-plate-focused, Japanese izakaya pub fare. Skipping items like fish guts, cartilage and skin that are popular in Japan, U.S. izakaya bars dial things down a bit for American palates. San Francisco’s Nombe — which just opened a snack bar for midnight noshers — includes items on its Late Night Bar Menu such as fried wild nori with lemon and togarashi ($5); Brussels sprouts with mint, carrot and togarashi ($5); and beignets with yuzu jam and crème fraiche ($7).

Also focused and fun: In Chicago, people line up at the bar for the Dutch version of a tequila

The Belly Shack in Chicago offers soft serve treats (left) while Taxim, also in Chicago, serves a modern Hellenic baby okra (above).

n i g h t c l u b . c o m n o v / D e c 2 0 1 0 |nightclub&barmagazine31

shot, a Maatjesharing ($9), at Vincent, chef Joncarl Lachman’s just-opened Dutch-accented bistro. “You start with a piece of soused herring, follow that with a shot of Bols Genever and finish with our house-made dill pickles,” explains Lachman. “In the three weeks since we opened, we’ve been amazed at how popular this is!”

Meanwhile, venues that pull elements from wide-flung food cultures and put them together on one plate are referencing those cultures more creatively. At Belly Shack in Chicago, an Asian restaurant with Latin and Puerto Rican touches, which some have dubbed “Korican,” chef Bill Kim’s Boricua sandwich is a riff on the Puerto Rican jibarito plantain sandwich with Korean fillings for $9. Planks of fried plantain are spread with sweet sticky brown

rice, Korean BBQ beef, Korean chili paste, curry mayo and bean sprouts.

The key to success with all this global inspiration? Make the unfamiliar more easily acces-sible by linking it to the familiar. “If you say, ‘Belgian food,’ the first thing everybody thinks about is waffles,” says Chef Bart Vandaele of Washington, D.C.’s Belga Café. “So using the waffle to take people in unexpected, delicious directions is a lot of fun.” Belga’s couscous waffle with foie grass, the cornbread waffle with pulled pork or the roasted tomato waffle with sour cream and smoked trout each illustrate his point.

For all the progress American restaurants have made with worldly menus, many chefs look forward to guiding guests further and deeper into ethnic

explorations. Lebanese chef Massoud sums it up: “We’re taking baby steps right now. Once the American public is more familiar with how the food should taste when it’s fresh and authentic, then we’ll really be able to push the envelope.” But for now, let’s just get guests pushing their forks across the

plate — and their money across the bar. NCB

Monica Rogers writes frequently about culinary and beverage trends and operations from Evanston, Ill.

Thirsty for More?Looking for more bar food ideas? We’ve got ‘em. Check out nightclub.com and search “bar food.”

Worldly Wings, Burgers & Dogs

For the easiest entry into ethnic flavor exploration, bar food basics like chicken wings, burgers and hot dogs are an open canvas. Rework the sauces and toppings, and presto-chango: You’ve got the

world in a basket — or on a bun. Check out: Korean BBQ burger featuring American wagyu and braised short rib with kimchee ketchup, pickled

vegetables and sesame krispies; available for $14 at Atlanta-based FLIP Burger BoutiqueChicken Tikka Spiced Wings with chat masala, nectarine chutney and spicy mint chutney; $9 at

Akasha in Culver City, Calif.Jumbo roaster wings with a honey, sambal and lime sauce; available for $11 at 51 Lincoln in

Newton Highlands, Mass. The Belly Dog, topped with kimchee salsa and egg noodles at Belly Shack in Chicago; $8Bacon-wrapped Sonoran hot dog with cucumber coleslaw, black beans, queso and chili-lime

mayo; available for $8.95 at INC Street Food in Roswell, Ga.

Right at Tableside with the Write-On Handheld™ for the iPod Touch.Right at Tableside with the Write-On Handheld™ for the iPod Touch.

1. Swipe to Open Tab2. Select Items3. SendRepeat or Settle.

See demos online at www.rmpos.com/ncb and live at the Nightclub & Bar Show, March 7-9, 2011.

32 Nightclub & Bar Magazine | N o v / D e c 2 0 1 0 N i g h t c l u B . c o M

The Eyes Have ItFrom Glassware to Garnishes, Smart Drink Merchandising Heightens Guest Appeal By Jenny Adams

Specialty glassware is on the rise in tiki-themed bars. At Frankie’s Tiki Room in Las Vegas, custom tiki mugs are

iconic collectibles for regular customers.

O rders for large quantities of glassware placed by bar own-ers are trending downward.

Not surprised? That’s understandable. It’s hardly the most exciting moment in

your month, determining the amount of breakage plus the total number of your logo-clad pilsner glasses stolen by wily members of bachelor parties. However, owning quality merchandise matters. It gets your brand in the brains (and, yes,

occasionally the pockets or purses) of patrons, and it says to your customer that

you care about quality; that your venue, events, services and products are worth

his or her time and money. And merchan-dise doesn’t necessarily mean glassware — what about using straws, beer taps and even creative garnishes to set your bar apart from the competition? Use them wisely and you can easily recoup the invest-ment in the form of loyal customers.

Looking Past the GlassAt the 15 Post Road Entertainment (PRE) venues throughout Connecti-cut, New York, New Jersey and North Carolina, management opted to cut back on glassware and bulk up on more meaningful items that offer some lon-gevity. Staff members at each of PRE’s locations select unique products that fit their concept, from sports bars and Irish pubs to live entertainment venues and nightclubs.

“We had done pints in the past, but looking at the price point, breakage

and cost of people taking them, it was an incurred cost we didn’t need in this economy,” explains Nicole Steeger, director of operations. “We are keeping the [quality] experience the same for customers by using large-scale and big-ticket gimmick items instead of

everyday things.”These large-ticket items for PRE’s Black

Bear Saloon operations, for example, include a tabletop beer tower dubbed a “cub keg” that is available in two sizes; the smaller dispenses six beers and the larger 10. Man-agement sourced the beer towers from a company called Tavern Toys and personal-ized them with the Black Bear Saloon logo, providing guests with a unique product that advertises the bar, provides an original experience for guests and doesn’t run the risk of being stolen.

Creating a unique atmosphere around your establishment will keep guests intrigued and asking for more, which is why it’s important to think outside the glass. “Glassware is becoming less of a novelty,” offers Gia-Marie Vacca, founder and owner of Fulcrum Promotions & Printing, a promotion merchandising company. With on-premise accounts, she notes, management is opting for standard orders rather than unique designs. Additionally, they’re looking for something classic and upscale, which generally means bars are no longer putting alcohol company logos all over the glasses as part of sponsorship or promotion programs.

Bar operators are also adding one-of-a-kind touches to cocktail presentations in the form of unique garnishes. Whether edible — yet still unique — like shrimp, flamed lemon twists or Dress the Drink’s pineapple jerky, or inedible, such as a sparkler or a beautiful flower, a special garnish breathes life into what could other-wise be a well-made but standard-looking drink. Think about the visual and also aromatic elements

n i g h t c l u b . c o m n o v / D e c 2 0 1 0 |nightclub&barmagazine33

a garnish can bring to a cocktail. Or, consider the branding opportunity. Cheeseburger in Paradise, the 32-location chain, includes clever garnishes made with fruit and novel-ties that relate to the Jimmy Buffet-inspired concept. The Electric Lizard, for example, is dressed up with Lizard Lips, a garnish involv-ing lime and lemon slices arranged as a face adorned with sunglasses held together by the stick of a paper umbrella. Kitschy? No doubt, but it makes a memorable impression for the brand.

Big SwellAlthough merchandising companies are seeing a similar downward trend in specialty glassware, they also are seeing new trends arise. There’s one segment of the bar world, however, that is ordering custom like no other: tiki bars.

At Hula Hanks, a tiki-themed venue from PRE located in Stamford, Conn., Top Shelf

Marketing supplies giant plastic fishbowls that are decorated in logoed stickers

and outfitted with neon plastic straws. “Customers steal the fishbowls

nine times out of 10,” Steeger says. “There is no way to stop this, so we make sure our information is on

there. Then, at least, our venue has a spot in their homes.”

Other tiki bars are seeing the value of having eye-catching glassware as well

— and even making a profit off it. Hold-en Westland’s company, Tiki Farm, has been online for 10 years, and business is

rising this year as the tiki trend booms. His specialty is creating an actual mug from a bar’s logo rather than simply sticking a logo on the glass.

“The cost for doing a custom ce-ramic mug is in the $6 dollar range,

and it goes down and up depend-ing on complexity,” Westland says. “It’s about the same price as printing a T-shirt, but you can sell the [glass] with a drink for an added profit.”

Frankie’s Tiki Room in Las Vegas features Tiki Farm prod-ucts, and although the place is fairly new, the custom mugs are already legendary.

“When we first opened, we had eight original tiki mugs designed

for us,” says Frankie’s owner, P Moss. “We have a special drink menu, and eight of those mugs have drinks named after them. They are collectable, and we sell thousands of them at the bar and online.”

Guests at Frankie’s can get a mug by itself for $15; add a cocktail in the mug and it’s just $5 more (saving money off the $8 cock-tail guests normally would pay for without the mug).

Tiki mugs as high quality and sought after as Moss’ require a little extra time and effort on his part.

“Ours are all designed by various artists, and it’s quite an involved process,” he says. “They make drawings, which become sculptures, that then go to the factory to be produced as mugs.”

For the bar’s second anniversary event on Dec. 4, Moss unveiled a $79 custom mug. Think that price sounds a little steep? Think again. He did the same thing last year and sold out in about a week.

Moving ForwardSo where do you go from here? Custom glassware certainly has its pros and cons. While you may understand that large, logoed items like beer towers eliminate the expense of people taking items home, how do you know what to order, especially when it’s your first time?

Bryan Balbuena, wine and spirits business development manager for Chicago’s Inner-Workings Inc. says first-time customers have a lot of general questions. “We get questions like, ‘What do you suggest? Should we do custom or stock glassware? Should we order overseas or domestic?’ It makes it difficult, because when someone says ‘glassware,’ to

Think Outside the Bar

When Nicole Steeger, director of operations for PRE (Post Road Entertainment), wants to pull people in to

the company’s Thirsty Turtle venues, she looks beyond the walls of those establishments with creative merchandising.

“In the past, we have had our logo made into a label for water bottles. We included our phone number and pertinent information on the label, and we took them to softball games in the area and passed them out.”

This established several things about the venue to prospective customers: it is invested in the community, its management team is creative and they are willing to give customers something for nothing on a hot day outside.

34 Nightclub & Bar Magazine | N o v / D e c 2 0 1 0 N i g h t c l u B . c o M

me, that can mean 100 different directions.” To move the process along, bring in a

photo of what you like, Balbuena suggests. “That speaks a thousand words, and then my translation of the technical aspects are much more clear. It saves us not only days but pos-sibly weeks in design and ordering, and time is always money.”

Balbuena also adds that any company should be willing to mock up an actual proof for a client ordering something custom. Steer away from just looking and agreeing to a picture. If you are putting out the money for something custom, make sure you can hold a prototype in your hand before you spend money on 10,000 of them. Glassware and merchandise purchasing is something that can be done on the phone and via e-mail with the right companies, but there should be open lines both ways.

“Communication is key,” adds Heather Dickert, commercial sales manager for Click Clack, whose clients include Tryst at the Wynn

Las Vegas. “We have a number of tumblers, Martini and rocks glasses, and we probably have 25 different styles. On top of that, we have color offerings that increase that 25, so we have to communicate frequently with customers about inventory availability.” Not only that, but they have to make sure they’re getting each customer the right product on time and that they’re getting exactly what they desire.

Large companies like Click Clack have tens of thousands of their top-selling options stocked domestically, but if an overseas order is necessary, it can take additional time for an owner to receive the product, so keep this in mind if you need the items by a set date, such as a promotion or grand opening.

Whether it’s specialty glasses or a tabletop tap, presenting high-quality merchandising products to your guests is vital. The products may be an additional up-front cost now, but your guests will be talking about them, leading to return visits and new customers. NCB

Choose Your Partners Wisely

Looking for a glassware or merchandising company but not sure what you need? Gia-Marie Vacca, founder and owner of Fulcrum

Promotions & Printing, a promotional and merchandising company, gives her advice for picking a partner:You can always find someone who may be cheaper, but when it

costs less, remember you are sacrificing something.Work with someone who has knowledge of the industry and what’s

allowed. If someone comes to me and says, “We want custom candles,” I know the container must be at least 3 inches above the flame and enclosed for fire safety.

Will your company ship it for you? They should.Go with a company that is going to give you the most options.Make sure the company tells you what domestic versus import

products cost.

Tiki-themed bars are growing in popularity across the country, with Hula Hank’s in Stamford, Conn., among them. To spread the word and offer something unique, bartenders serve drinks in giant logoed plastic fishbowls.

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36 Nightclub & Bar Magazine | N o v / D e c 2 0 1 0 N i g h t c l u B . c o M

Smart StrategiesMake More Money Through Backbar Management

A restaurant that doesn’t routinely change up its menu always has plenty of open tables. The same

holds true for a bar. If you find yourself in need of a financial shot in the arm, consider taking a page from the beverage consul-tant’s playbook and revamp your backbar. Regardless of the size or concept of your operation, the backbar is your principal and most effective marketing device. Ensuring that it has the most advantageous product mix is a foolproof strategy for boosting rev-enue and rejuvenating a beverage program.

To that end, here are some important things to consider when renovating your backbar and adding a punch to your bever-age lineup.

Taking Stock — Over time, the inven-tory at most beverage operations grows to the point of being unwieldy. New products are added to the backbar, while older, slower-moving products remain on the shelves. The reality is there’s a physical limit to how many products can effectively be marketed on any backbar.

One way to cull through the inventory is to analyze each product’s depletion rate.

If an item takes four months or longer to deplete, it should be considered “on the bubble,” and you’d be well advised to drop it from your inventory. Remember, under-performing products have low returns on investment.

Products that take nine months or longer to turn over are no longer a viable invest-ment and are, for all intents, “dead stock.” The backbar space they occupy could be put to better use marketing brands people actu-ally want. Additionally, these products are often unsightly, with old, tattered labels that

give the backbar the appearance of neglect. Dead stock are financial lost causes and need to be removed from display shelves.

Maintaining Control — Stocking the bar with the products necessary to meet demand requires a significant investment of working capital. Realizing the neces-sary return on that investment is partially a question of control. To be profitable, you need to know exactly what inventory you have, what you paid for it, at what rate you use it and exactly where it is at any point in time. It necessitates tracking every product from the moment it comes through the back door until the end of the inventory period in which it is depleted.

In jargon it’s referred to as “cradle to grave” accounting, and it involves imple-menting a series of overlapping internal systems — e.g. purchase orders, requisitions, bar par, perpetual inventory, comp and spill sheets, etc. — that track every product through the inventory cycle. While not a complicated process, the key to the system is ensuring that all components are in place and being used properly.

Capital at Risk — It’s especially impor-tant in these challenging economic times to keep your company’s working capital flowing through the checking account and not needlessly tied up in inventory. There’s another reason to maintain inventory levels as low as is operationally feasible: Once a product leaves the relative security of the storeroom, your investment in that product essentially becomes “capital at risk,” mean-ing it can be stolen, given away, wasted, spilled or otherwise lost. Therefore, the lower your inventory levels, the lower your exposure to loss.

Backbar Orientation — Are the liquors and liqueurs on your backbar still the best brands to feature? The spirits being promoted should reflect the character of the

Robert Plotkin is a judge at

the San Francisco World

Spirits Competition and has

recently authored his 16th book, Secrets

Revealed of America’s Greatest Cocktails. He

can be reached at www.BarMedia.com or

by e-mail at robert@barmedia.com.

By Robert Plotkin

Spirited | Discussion

top-shelf spirits remain hot commodities. Per caPita consumPtion is steadily increasing back to the highs of the early ’80s. Now is the time to jump on board and leverage their popularity into greater sales.

n i g h t c l u b . c o m n o v / D e c 2 0 1 0 |nightclub&barmagazine37

business and help establish its identity. Like a blood transfusion, changing those brands may infuse your operation with new life. For example, some of the finest spirits produced are from small distillers who could quite pos-sibly be located down the road from your establishment. If so, you, then, may decide to feature a large selection of American micro-distilled spirits.

With the renaissance of the cocktail and the ever-growing interest in high-quality spirits, stocking American-born vodkas like Tito’s Handmade, Cold River and Vermont Gold and others makes considerable sense.

Mixology Support — Liqueurs and cordials are essential products in drink making. And yet some of the liqueurs and cordials you stock may actually be doing little more than collecting dust and taking up space on the backbar. Before investing your working capital, make sure there is a legitimate demand for each and every liqueur and cordial stocked. For instance, if

you’re not planning on serving many Rusty Nails, you probably don’t need to invest in a liter of Drambuie.

Adopt-a-Spirit — So what should you do with the newfound shelf space you’ve created on your backbar? Top-shelf spirits remain hot commodities. Per capita consumption is steadily increasing back to the highs of the early ’80s. Now is the time to jump on board and leverage their popularity into greater sales.

Another viable tactic is to adopt a spirit and become known as a great bourbon bar, tequilaria or single-malt haven. Expanding the width and breadth of your premium spirit selections offers guests a broader array of exceptional brands from which to choose.

The final step in the process is to incor-porate your spirit of choice into your bar’s signature drinks and showcase them on the drink menu. Successfully arouse your clientele’s collective thirst for discovery, and you’ll need to order more bar stools.

Gaining the Upper Hand — Few things boost premium spirit sales more than a knowledgeable staff. Make sure your bar-tenders and servers are well informed about the top-shelf products, what makes them so exceptional and why they’re well worth the higher price tag. Guests often inquire about what makes one brand better than another and delivering a concise, informative answer is usually all that’s needed to close the sale.

Far from a static entity, a well-managed backbar features an ever-evolving selection of spirits and liqueurs — a product mix that’s designed to best support the drink program and to cast the best possible impression to guests. Anything less fosters chaos behind the bar. NCB

Thirsty for More?If you like Robert Plotkin’s straightforward advice, then sign up

for NCB Smart Bar, our soon-to-launch e-newsletter providing bar management tips, written by Robert himself. Go to nightclub.com and click on Subscribe: Newsletters.

38 Nightclub & Bar Magazine | N o v / D e c 2 0 1 0 N i g h t c l u B . c o M

Making the Most of Beer Selection, Staff and Operations Spark Sales

S elling beer has changed over the past few years, driven largely by the boom in craft beer. Craft has broken out of

the “beer geek” ghetto and is a likely choice for a range of customers looking to imbibe. In turn, consumers are more beer savvy these days. “Variety” is the key word for beer drink-ers, and smart bar operators are mixing up their lists, balancing the majors with the craft brews and the appropriate imports. Here’s how to start the process.

PrepareFirst, appoint a lead beer person. Create incentives for him or her to learn about the full variety of beer, and make sure he or she knows enough to stay ahead as trends change. Consider “cicerone” training for your lead bar-tenders — it’s the emerging beer equivalent of sommelier (www.cicerone.org). Then sit down with him or her and your wholesalers — all of them — to plan the best use of your coldbox and keg room.

Use the limited space you have to create a smart variety of beers. Check what other area bars offer…and be sure your beer mix is at least 40 percent different. Be prepared to change at least some of your beers every week, but keep some regulars in rotation: standards like Sierra Nevada, Samuel Adams and your big regionals. Also include a signature beer that’s a little unusual, such as a high-alcohol Belgian or a big-bottle craft. Make a tap and bottle list that you keep current (and correctly spelled); that’s one of your best selling aids.

Once you have the menu figured out and your head beer-tender in place, train the rest of the staff on the styles you offer. They’ll need to taste, and they’ll need the right vocabulary to describe the brews. For a comprehensive guide to beer styles, check out CraftBeer.com, under Style Finder; BeerAdvocate.com also has definitions.

Once the servers and bartenders know the styles and commercial examples, they will approach customers who are having trouble making a decision with confidence, offering

suggestions that fit the drinkers’ flavor and style profiles.

PourKeep your taps clean; the beer that’s lost is a small price to pay for a great reputation for fresh beer. Train staff on draft maintenance — at least one person should know the common draft problems. (The Brewers Association has an excellent free manual at DraughtQuality.org.) Make sure everyone knows how to pour: Open the tap wide into a tilted glass, don’t “pre-pour” into the drain and don’t let the spout touch the beer; it’s just not sanitary.

The trick to pouring is keeping the right amount of foam. The ideal pour for most beer is about ¾-inch of good foam. It’s pretty, it makes the beer smell better and it shows cus-tomers that the lines and glasses are clean.

PresentFinally, deliver the beer to the customer with respect. Don’t slosh the beer over the lip, and don’t deliver a wet glass. If you’re using branded glassware, present it with the logo facing the customer. The same goes for bottle labels. If you’re delivering a bottle with a glass, place the glass in front of the customer, open the bottle, pour about half a glass and then place the bottle next to it. Never touch the rim of the glass or the bottle (even when you’re opening it). The presentation of the logos and the half-pour is a bit of class and gives off the impression that your staff cares about the beers and the guests.

If your staff members keep selling up, you can maintain your regulars while building a beer destination reputation that should start getting you the coveted limited-release kegs and bottles. This will get more people coming in regularly, meaning more business and bet-ter tips for staff, which is motivation to keep learning. NCB

Thirsty for More? Go to nightclub.com and click “beer” on the Products tab.

Lew Bryson is an award-

winning, beer-drinking,

whiskey-sipping, brewery-

visiting, cask-tapping, thirst-creating drinks

writer based in Philadelphia. Visit him at

www.lewbryson.com.

By lew Bryson

Beer | Training

once you have the menu figured out and your head beer-tender in place, traiN the rest of the staff oN the styles you offer. they’ll need to taste, and they’ll need the right vocabulary to describe the brews.

40 Nightclub & Bar Magazine | N o v / D e c 2 0 1 0 N i g h t c l u B . c o M

upping the AnteThe 2011 Shake It Up! Cocktail Competition at the Nightclub & Bar Show Increases Prize Winnings to $25,000

J ust a few short months ago, 25 bartenders battled it out on stage at the Nightclub & Bar Convention and

Trade Show in Las Vegas during Shake It Up!, the mixology competition sponsored by Nightclub & Bar and Southern Wine & Spirits. For the 2011 event, they’ll do the same, but the stakes are much higher: The winner will receive $25,000 opposed to the previous $7,500 purse.

Interested bartenders can visit ncbshow.com to enter; deadline for entry is Jan. 14. From there, an organizing com-mittee will judge the recipes and select up to 25 contestants based on the quality of the drinks — from creativity to delectabil-ity. Please note: Entrants must currently be employed as bartenders to compete.

Selected contestants will be notified by the end of January to take part in the huge competition at the Nightclub & Bar Conven-tion and Trade Show in Las Vegas, March 7-9. During the competition, mixologists will be tasked with creating drinks of varying skill

levels and styles within a time limit; in the final round, a secret ingredient is introduced and bartenders must craft a recipe on the spot using that ingredient. Last year’s ingre-dient was aged balsamic vinegar, and Daniel Gonzales, mixologist and bar manager at Secreto Bar and Loggia in Santa Fe, N.M., snagged the grand prize with his Primavera cocktail. For 2011, a panel of Southern Wine & Spirits mixologists will score the cocktails: Bridget Albert, Jason Girard, Allen Katz, David Nepove, Armando Rosario, Arturo Sighinolfi, Michael Trujillo and Chandra Lam.

Shake It Up! is a must-see event for all attendees. The stage area is always packed with eager viewers craning their necks to get a glimpse of what intriguing concoction these top mixologists will craft next.

“Shake It Up! is dedicated to share the finest experience in cocktail competition history, where the greatest mixologists will surely provide you with inspiration, passion and creativity,” says Francesco Lafranconi, director of mixology for Southern Wine & Spirits and host of the competition.

If you want to share your original recipes and elevate the craft of the cocktail, get on-line and visit ncbshow.com to enter. Here’s hoping we can celebrate your $25,000 vic-tory in Vegas! NCB

At the 2010 competition, mixologists created delicious libations. (Bottom, right photo) But it was Daniel Gonzales, mixologist and bar manager at Secreto Bar and Loggia in Sante Fe, N.M., who earned the grand prize, presented by Southern Wine & Spirits’ Francesco Lafranconi (far right). Second place went to Charles Joly of Chicago’s Drawing Room (far left).

Liza Wylie is

Vice President of the

Nightclub & Bar

Media Group.

By liza Wylie

NCB | News

THE BAT TLE OF THE MIXOLOGISTS

n i g h t c l u b . c o m n o v / D e c 2 0 1 0 |nightclub&barmagazine41

Product&PromotionnewsFromSpirits&beveragecompanies

TheShelf Kahlúa Peppermint Mocha KahlúaPeppermintmochaisalimited-releasecoffeeliqueurmadewith100percentArabicacoffeebeansgrownintheveracruzregionofmexicoaswellaspeppermintanddarkchocolate.it’sbestenjoyedneat,overiceorinhotdrinkslikehotchocolateandcoffee.KahlúaPeppermintmochaisgoodforholidaycocktailsandisavailablethroughDec.31,withcustom-designedmerchandisingandPoSmaterialsavailablewherelegal.www.pernod-ricard.com.

Stolichnaya Wild CherriWilliamgrant&SonsintroducesStolichnayaWildcherrivodka,the12thflavorinitsvodkaportfolio.StoliWildcherriisnaturallyflavoredfromrefinedfruitextracts.theStolichnayaWildcherrivodkarecipebalancessweetandtartand

hasarichcherryaromawithhintsofvanilla.thetasteisfullofcherryflavorswithaccentsofredplumfortartness.itcanbeenjoyedchilledorsippedandisavailablenationally.www.stoli.com.

The Sandy Bottom Drink theSandybottomDrink,acarbon-ated,coconutrumdrinkwithcitrusessence,launchedinSeptember.theSandybottomDrinkhastropicalandrumflavorswithafizzfinish.it’spackagedina100percentrecyclablealuminumbottlewithaRoPPclosure,makingitidealforoutdoorvenuesorthosewithatropicalvacationvibe.www.thesandybottomdrink.com.

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42 Nightclub & Bar Magazine | N o v / D e c 2 0 1 0 N i g h t c l u B . c o M

Product News From on-Premisetechnology & equipment companies

TheWire

Pioneer HeadphonesPioneer electronics hDJ-500 Series headphones provide maximum performance and versatil-ity. the headphones, available in red, black and white, are engineered to assists DJs with the mixing process through enhancing the low and mid frequencies of music. the headphones use urethane pads for ears and are made with magnesium alloy for durability. the right earpiece can rotate 60 degrees, allowing DJs to listen to audio in only one side of the headphones. www.pioneerdjusa.com.

Avatar Pinball Machine Stern Pinball introduces Avatar Pinball, based on the James cameron film. the pinball ma-chine features a 3-D backglass with speech and sound effects from the movie including a voiceover from colonel Miles Quaritch (actor Stephen lang). As Jake Sully, the player’s goal is to the save the Na’vi people from destruction. Avatar Pinball features a banshee ramp, magnet for random ball play, stationary targets, mobile targets and multi-ball action.www.sternpinball.com.

Knuckle Head Tables and Magnetic Skins Knuckle head Bucket tables and Magnetic Skins are customized tables that allow permanent graphic magnetic skins to be placed on top. the tables are 36 inches in diameter, come in bar and patio heights and feature a bucket hole in the center. the Magnetic Skins can be changed out as easily as a tablecloth and can represent a variety of brands or promotions, including Bud light, Budweiser, Smirnoff and the NcAA. www.animalmarketing.com.

Autofry Keypad Autofry, from Motion technology inc., announces the addition of Spanish, French and Portu-guese languages to its keypads. the Autrofry Mti series is affordable, safe and user friendly, and is an alternative to deep fryers. the Autofry keypad comes in four models, which are all ventless, fully enclosed, fully automated and equipped with an Ansul fire suppression system. www.mtiproducts.com.

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44 Nightclub & Bar Magazine | N o v / D e c 2 0 1 0 N i g h t c l u B . c o M

Product & Promotion News From the Wine industry

TheVine

Black Tower RedesignBlack tower wine relaunched its product in the u.S. market. the new two-tone bottle, designed by fashion expert Bobbie thomas, features two halves: the lower showing the wine varietal and the upper with the brand’s black color. A new tagline reads “easy ends the Day” to target young professionals. the new packaging is available in New York, New Jersey, Florida, Pennsylvania and illinois. www.black-tower.de.

Bonterra Pinot Noirthe Bonterra Pinot Noir, produced in california’s Mendocino county, is a recent addition to the Bonterra portfolio. the wine has aromas of strawberry, raspberry and cola with oak, spice and vanilla ac-cents. it features berry, vanilla and spice flavors with the soft tannins adding to its long finish. Bonterra offers Riesling, chardonnay, Merlot, cabernet Sauvignon, Sauvignon Blanc, Riesling, Rosé, Syrah, Zinfandel and viognier varietals in its portfolio. www.bonterra.com.

2009 Lake Sonoma Sauvignon BlancMade in the Dry creek valley, the lake Sonoma Winery 2009 Sauvignon Blanc features a powerful fruit character, bright, natural acidity and moderate sugars. the winemaking process involved pressing whole berries to extract the juice, cold fermentation in stainless steel tanks and bottling within six months. the wine has fresh lime, kiwifruit and guava aromas with lime, lemon, orange zest and sorrel flavors that lead to a lingering finish. www.lakesonomawinery.net.

Korbel Sweet Cuvée California Champagne Korbel introduces Sweet cuvée california champagne. Bottle fermentation results in persistent bubbles and a polished texture, and the blending of four grapes achieves the cuvée’s style. chenin Blanc adds the fruit taste while chardonnay gives it body and structure. the Sweet cuvée has peach, nectarine and tropical fruit aromas that are accented by subtle yeast notes and pineapple and tropical fruit flavors, giving the taste a bright acidity. www.korbel.com.

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46 Nightclub & Bar Magazine | N O V E M B E R / D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 0

Market Place

n i g h t c l u b . c o m n o v / D e c 2 0 1 0 |nightclub&barmagazine47

Ad | Index

Advertiser........................................... Page.No.........................................Website

Action Systems ....................................................31 .........................................rmpos.com/ncb

AutoFry/MTI Products ......................................22 ......................................mtiproducts.com

Automated Financial .........................................44 .................................automatedatm.com

Creative Global Marketing ..............................33 ............. creativeglobalmarketing.com

Comcast .................................................................43 ................... business.comcast.com/bar

Diageo ....................................................................21 .................................................diageo.com

Diageo Don Julio ............................................Cvr2-1 ..........................................donjulio.com

Effen ......................................................................... 5 ..................................................... effen.com

Eye D Cam .............................................................42 ............................................ eyedcam.com

Incredible Technologies ..................................15 .............................................itsgames.com

Jim Beam ............................................................ Cvr 4 ........................................... jimbeam.com

Laphroaig ..............................................................35 ............................................laphroaig.com

Luci ..........................................................................37 ......................................... lucireseller.com

Maker’s Mark ........................................................29 ...................................... makersmark.com

Modern Line Furniture .................................. Cvr 3 ...................... moderlinefurniture.com

Modular Arts.........................................................24 ...................................... modulararts.com

Monin Gourmet Flavors .........................9a-b & 40a-b ........................................monin.com

Power Bomber .....................................................27 ..................................powerbomber.com

Red Gold Sacramento Tomato ....................... 3 ................................................redgold.com

Roaring Lion Energy Drink ..............................34 ................ roaringlionenergydrink.com

Rush Flyers .........................................................16a-b ........................................ rushfylers.com

Sazerac Gran Gala ...............................................23 .............................................grangala.com

Taffer Dynamics ..................................................41 .................................tafferdynamics.com

Touch Tunes .........................................................19 ................................. mytouchtunes.com

Vitamix ..................................................................6&7 .................... vitamix.com/thequietone

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48 Nightclub & Bar Magazine | N o v / D e c 2 0 1 0 N i g h t c l u B . c o M

Night | Cap

By Karen Weisberg

When our association of food and beverage trade magazine editors

and publicists started planning our annual conference to be held this year in New Orleans, we included, as always, an afternoon of visits to relevant — and fun — locations. Since some of us previously had interviewed Daniel Victory, the award-winning mixologist at The Ritz-Carlton New Orleans, who also regularly teaches at the Crescent City School of Bartend-ing, we thought a busload of us would pay him a visit. Victory, voted New Orleans Magazine’s Bartender of the Year in 2009 and subsequently featured in Esquire as well as GQ, immediately welcomed the idea of our visit. However, after a decade-long stint at the Ritz, he was leaving to open his own place, Victory Bar on Baronne Street in the Central Business District.

Since the new venue was slated to open by the time of our visit in November, we could be among the very first to come and check it out, Victory said. But when we arrived, he and his business partner, Andrew Emory, appeared

unfazed, even though they just received their Certificate of Occupancy the day before and were prepping for an early December opening.

As our group of more than 30 swarmed in, we found ample yet cozy seating (there’s actually room for 57 guests) in a cheerful room that emanates a warm reddish glow, a

flattering tone for people, drinks and food alike. The Disney World-inspired shattered green glass-topped bar dominates the space; Victory constructed it to be a bit higher than standard because he and Emory each top 6’4”. In fact, little else in this former Quiznos location needed to be changed. “Whoever did the build-out did an amazing job,” Victory points out. “We just repurposed it, and I did the plastering and stucco on the walls. We have a low budget and low overhead, but we aim to give people an enjoyable experience with good service and good products. I put employees as No. 1 so

they’ll put customers as No. 1; both must have a great experience.”

Aiming to “create a restaurant with a lounge atmosphere combined with a mixology focus,” Victory points out that the cocktails are old clas-sics yet presented in innovative ways. That’s not to say guests can’t still enjoy a shot of Jameson and a beer. “We want the old classic cocktails on the menu, especially the Sazerac and Ramos Gin Fizz; we also want people to know about

mixology and ‘edible cocktails’ such as Mojitos. I’ll do a lime and simple syrup rum gelatin with a mint syrup on top to be cut with a fork and knife. We want to push the envelope of what we can do with our palate.”

The “eats” menu features a slew of quick-to-prepare items including bowls of warm black truffled popcorn with smoked coarse sea salt ($4), which was especially yummy. For a more filling small plate, there’s the Korean BBQ lettuce wrap of ahi tuna, fresh melon and cucumber with wasabe cream wrapped in a spinach tortilla ($17 to share among four) — perfection.

With the crunchy economy, Victory finds some places have lost their finesse, dropping details like fresh flowers. “When you touch on all five senses you make people feel welcome; it doesn’t have to be high end, but people act more sophisticated in fine surroundings. I saw that at the Ritz.” He also believes his new location in the business district suits his upscale sensibilities and that the area could be renamed the Central Loft District with so many young people now living in spaces vacated by businesses after Hurricane Katrina. Because of this heavy evening foot traffic, he plans to be open from 4 p.m. to midnight weekdays, and until 2 a.m. on weekends. “Anytime things get a bit too hectic, we can tell Andrew [Emory] to go sing some opera; it always blows people away to see this guy covered with tattoos singing opera. He’s a maitre d’, a waiter and is great at taking care of people.” And that, really, is what bartending in any city should be about. NCB

New York-based award-winning journalist Karen

Weisberg has covered the issues and luminaries of the

food and beverage world — both commercial and

non-commercial — for more than 25 years.

A WiNNiNg Night At victory NOLA’s Victory Bar Serves Mixology with a Touch of Class — and Economy

i’ll do a lime and simple syrup rum gelatin with a mint syrup on top to be cut with a fork and knife. We want to push the eNvelope of what we CaN do with our palate.” daniel victory, partner

Phot

o by K

aren W

eisbe

rg

Daniel Victory (left) and Andrew Emory (right) show guests how to create the perfect Mojito.

http://www.ModernLineFurniture.com

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