How to open a bar: 8 steps from someone who's opened 40

Lessons from Geoff Dawson, who has designed, built and run about 40 bars since 1992, including the ones that didn't work.

1. Define your customer first

Before anything else, decide who the bar is for: families, 25- to 30-year-olds who go out during the week, locals who walk in, or people driving in for dinner nearby. Geoff's rule: define who your customer is, then build the place for them. Everything else (design, menu, hours, pricing) follows.

2. Visit great bars and take notes

Go see as many great places as you can and list what looks good and what doesn't. Geoff says opening a bar is not rocket science, but you learn the most by studying rooms that work.

3. Pick a location that can be licensed

Confirm zoning and liquor license availability before you sign a lease. Some areas cap full liquor licenses, so you may need to buy one. Check your state agency first.

4. Get your liquor license

Start early; it is often the longest step. See our state-by-state guides for who issues licenses where you are.

Find your state's liquor license guide →

5. Design for comfort and flow

Give people somewhere comfortable to wait, a strong bar that works as its own business, and space to watch a game. If you add pool tables, light them properly and leave room to shoot.

6. Build your regulars

Geoff's Bedrock Billiards sells a paid membership for 15% off everything; it has more than 3,000 members in a room that holds about 100. Members become your direct marketing list for slow nights.

7. Plan for slow nights

Weekends fill themselves. Leagues, trivia and member nights early in the week are what make a bar profitable.

8. Don't shut out your locals

Geoff avoids closing for private parties: a regular who walks four blocks and finds the door closed is a regular you might lose. Rent a table or a section to groups instead.

From our expert, Geoff Dawson, who has designed, built and run about 40 bars since 1992, starting with Bedrock Billiards in Washington, DC. Watch him walk through real openings, successes and failures on his YouTube channel.

Watch: real bar openings

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Coming soon: Geoff's Bar Playbook

A complete guide and video masterclass on how to build, manage and grow a bar, from someone who has done it about 40 times. Sign-up for early access is coming soon.