The Basics of Running an On-Campus Pub

Mike Makoski The College of William and Mary

Kyle Carter University of Maryland - Baltimore County

About the Session

This session is designed to help you understand some of work that goes into running an On-Campus Pub.

Presentation will be in three sections Operational Basics How to put life into your pub Q&A

Please note that we are no legal experts and cannot answer your legal and licensing questions

We are here to inspire existing pubs and give some info on what it takes to run a pub to people looking to start one

There is a lot of information on the subject and we have limited time, if you want more detailed information about something please come talk to us afterwards

What this session is not about…

This session will not tell you how to get a license, insurance or support from the BOT.

This session will not tell you everything you need to know (there is just too much)

This session will not be boring.

Why we can we talk to you…

Kyle was responsible for the opening of Flat Tuesdays 3 years ago and manages it

Mike ran and revitalized the Outpost at Sacred Heart University for 2 years

Because we are nice

Getting your license

Every state has different procedures, as well as possible limitations due to university policies

Most often there is a lengthy legal application procedure

Be prepared to post signs, get petitions signed, visit your local paper and get some angry phone calls!

Some things about licenses

If you are starting/taking over a pub Is the license in your name or the

schools name? How well are you covered from liability

if it is in your name? Will your school support your decisions

as final?

Insurance

State and university specific … What kind of policy?

Private Policies Specific for Pub School’s General Liability Policy

Private Policies: You may get dropped at any time for no reason as some insurances do not want to insure an on campus pub

Student Staffing This is one of the most important

things and is closely tied to success! If you have low quality workers you

will have a dangerous establishment The key is to interview and train

very well (Never hire during the interview)

As with everything, great training is key

How to find dependable students

Advertise your position Everyone wants to work in a Pub

Establish qualifications Past experience and age limits can help develop a

strong staff Interview, interview, interview….

Make everyone come in for at least two interviews. This allows you to see how important the job is to them

Explain to them the worst parts of the job Ex: No homework at all, no cell phones, mopping up

sticky floors every night, etc… Have student managers sit in on interviews

This allows peers to explain what they think of the job and share their thoughts and knowledge on the applicants

Student Managers

Student Managers are essential If trained and developed correctly Student

Managers can do a lot for you Taking inventory, order suggestions,

advertising ideas, promotions, scheduling of staff, and anything else.

It is important to find the most trustworthy students for this position as they will have unfettered access to everything

Professional/Gad Staff

Should know how to do every aspect of the job and better

Need to know laws and policies very well

Should be present during big events in the pub for support

It is up to professional staff as to how much responsibility Grads have for Pub

Training

Having a well developed and thorough manual is very important. It should be able to be picked up by someone who has never been there before to figure out all of the operations. A copy should always be kept behind the bar

The better your staff is trained the more confident you will feel when you are not there

Preventative Training

T.I.P.S. (Training for Intervention Procedures)

Five-Hour training session that instills basic training techniques in your staff

Some insurances give discounts if you staff is fully TIPS trained

Very basic with some outdated videos, good but can be improved

Safety around intoxicated individuals

When dealing with people who are drinking it is important to know how to deal with them. TIPS training helps and explains how to help.

Try to avoid conflict and ensure a quick way to contact campus security.

Do not put yourself or your staff in danger by escalating the situation.

Equipment

We are going to go over some of the equipment you will be using in a bar

Some different Ways to chill beer Refrigeration Coldplate Coils Ice in buckets Portable trucks Etc…

There are many different ways to chill beer, all have their plusses and minuses.

How to Operate your systems

Tap systems Beer dispensing units that are under

pressure Usually powered by CO2, nitrogen or pump CO2 does not store well where nitrogen

does Gas pressure is run through regulators and

can be adjusted Always be careful when working with

containers that are under pressure

How to troubleshoot your system

Lots can go wrong with a system Meet with you line man and have them

explain how the system operates Always keep eyes and ears open Check your Gas containers often Higher pressure = Foamy beer Like any system start from the

beginning until you find the problem Keep everyone except for your student

managers away from system controls!

How to clean for your tap system

Some states require that all lines be cleaned every week Cleaning solution is a chlorine based mix Even if your state has no law, please do anyway You can do this yourself or hire someone Cost: $15-$25 per week Recommend hiring a professional, they can

often find/fix any problems before they become expensive.

Professional line man has much better equipment to properly clean your system

Cleaning you bar

Good to clean every surface every night! Bringing all empty bottles/kegs to

storeroom Restocking fully Throwing away any open food and trash Sanitizing all the tables and bar Mopping the floor Cleaning all the drains and emptying any

overflow containers

Bottles or Cups

This is an issue you may have to deal with, whether to serve bottles or pour everything into cups. I recommend cups as it allows easier sorting, cleanup and less dangers from broken glass. Plastic bottles are an option but cost much

more Cans are also an option and sometimes the

only way to go (Guinness, Boddintons, etc..)

Handtrucks – The lifesaver!

Get two handtrucks (Heavy Duty) One convertible

style One Keg Style

Cost around $250 each, but well worth it.

Storage Rooms

Keep them locked and secured! As few keys as possible Surveillance of room if possible Near Security

Have industrial shelving (beer weighs a lot!) Have a place for everything Lighter items like cups over shoulder

height

Distributors – Friends you pay for

The beer reps job is to sell you beer They can do A LOT more

Custom posters Giveaways Shirts Clocks Glasses Etc...

Anything you see in a bar they can get

What if you sales rep is uninterested in your pub?

Slow Sales? Small operation in a big market? Point out that you are serving their

prime demographic….College Students Go up the food chain (Sales Manager,

District Manager, Owner/President) All else fails, terminate your contract

with them! They will get you their best salesman

right away!

How to get freebies

Ask Be specific about what you want Give them notice (week or two) Ask every time you see your sales rep Play the “Well my other rep gives

me…” Ask about new products Get to know your sales rep and be

genuine with them

Getting Sponsored Events

Different Beer companies run different promotions during the year. Talk to your reps to see what they can run for you.

Sometimes they can give you great deals if you advertise products for them.

Reps often have holiday decorations for your pub that can be put up for no cost

Other Services your Rep can offer you

Refrigerated trucks for outdoor events

Portable tap systems for alternate locations you need to serve

Pull Handles for you bar (Get new styles at least once a year)

Free Samples of beers Emergency orders

Items on “Post”

Post is an expression that means on sale Products usually rotate their specials You will want to order as much as you can

when an item is on post (but not too much) How to anticipate post items

Some distributors will have it printed months in advance, other you just need to ask

Having a good relationship with you rep will always get you the best deal If any item has just gone off post, they can

usually get it for you at the recent price

How to keep underage students out!

Mike used multi-pronged approach Electronic ID machine ID books College and Drivers License required List of all students who were over 21 Punishment for getting caught is severe Offer incentives to staff when they catch

underage people in the pub With this approach I was able to effectively

keep underage people out of the pub

Inventory

How often should you do it? At least once a week to place orders for

stock Who should do it?

Grad Assistant or Student Manager Someone in a responsibility position

When should you order more Depends on your average business and

upcoming events

Food Options

Always have free snacks out $50 a month at BJ’s/Sams will buy enough

popcorn and chips for your patrons Keeps solids in their stomachs to help with

the effects of alcohol Always shave free soda & water

available Encourages designated drivers to want to

stay Provides beverages for your staff

Dealing with money

Number one rule – Have plenty of change! What types of payment will you accept?

Cash (best) Credit Cards (open window to excessive student

spending) Meal Plan

Who is going to run the register? Just Managers All Student Staff Come up with procedures for making change

Keeping the students honest Easy for students to make incorrect change (Ex: 18

singles for a 20) Recommend keeping a paper receipts for all

transactions and having every sale punched in separately

Dealing with money

Tip Jars Should be kept separate from cash drawer When it gets filled have a separate locking bag

to prevent theft Cashing Out

Should be done by the manager on duty Should have paperwork that tracks the nighs

sales Deposited in safe Deposit bag for every night is useful

Campus Relationships

Not everyone will accept the pub as a legitimate part of campus

You will need to defend the pub with alcohol coalitions, parents, faculty, administrators, etc…

Good idea to get on the Alcohol Coalition on your campus so you can offer suggestions and listen to other peoples opinions/ideas

Get the campus paper to do stories on your pub, they can provide good will and advertisement for your space

Part II:How to put life into your Pub

In this section we are going to discuss how we improved our spaces and offer some suggestions for how you can do the same

We will be going over the following Understanding the physical space Improving the space How to decorate and make the space look nice Installing technology to improve functionality Understanding who the space is intended to serve Programming and who does it for the space Running traditional events Co-Sponsoring Events And much more

Who is the pub there to serve?

This is one of the most important questions to answer Do you just want to serve the over 21

crowd or do you want to make this area a community space?

If you make it a community space, can you have a physical definition between the two areas?

This is a very important decision to make from the very start

Looking at what you have

Analyze the space you have Size of the room(s) Does it accommodate both under/over 21 crowd? What other uses (if any) does the room serve? (Is it also a

cafeteria, study room, gym, etc…) What is the atmosphere in the room?

Sterile? Live Dark/Dingy

Furniture, is it comfortable? How much room is there

Can you fit a stage/dance floor? Is there an installed soundsystem?

If yes – What can it handle? Bands, music, spoken word, etc… If no – Do you have a portable system? Is the room designed to allow

instillations? Is there a Patio Attached?

How much access is there around the patio? Can you block off any entry points?

Decorating the space

The days of the dingy bar are over Hotspots always have:

Colorful Lights Loud Music Tevevisions Product Advertisements Themes

You need to make sure your space can transform to something other than a bland multipurpose room. It needs to be able to happen quickly as well.

Remember the talk about your Beer Reps? This is where they come in handy.

Party Stores are also helpful allowing you to decorate without much additional cost

Improving the Space

As previously mentioned Bars now need technology in them

Want to have a dedicated lighting & sound systems Took two years to get both installed at SHU Dramatically improved the functionality of the

space by allowing it to transform into a totally different entity.

These systems can usually be done fairly cheap as well using existing equipment and local companies. Most importantly, they must be easy to use!

Now that you built it, why will they come?

Now that there is a space for people to have fun you need to attract people Bring in events that will attract your crowd

Open Mics Comedians Local Bands Bingo Karaoke Sports Improv Troup Anything that your campus likes

Work with your Student Activities Board, and promote your space to them Spaces are always tight on campus, so promote yours as a space where

events can be held! Offer to sponsor some of the groups that work hard, but have no funding Take risks with new types of entertainment Check MySpace for local bands that are emerging in your area

Host Culture Nigts Have events like Oktoberfest with traditional German beer and German

Folklore and history. Talk to EVERYONE on campus

There are good events everywhere, see if some of the most notorious professors on campus are in a band, or if people will get hit with pies for charity

While you are finding events….

Talk to (not at) students Something a lot of people forget to do. Take some time to see what they want to see

happen there What would bring people to your space? Offer ideas and listen to their responses The most valuable advisors for getting people

to a pub is the student body Talk to other school who have on campus

pubs

Starting Traditions

The backbone to having a loyal consumer base is your programming. If they know every Monday there will be Beer, Hot wings and the game on a big screen you can count on people coming

These traditions will establish a base of customers, and make more want to come in.

Traditions can be elaborate challenges, or as simple as turning on a TV, it is up to you as to how involved you want them to be

The following pages are some of our campus traditions

Monday Night Football

Every Monday Night during Football Season we did the following: 300 FREE WINGS Free Chips & Salsa The Game on a LCD projector with a 10 foot

screen Open to all ages

One of our most reliable events we had, people always came on Mondays for the game

Pub Bingo

Bingo at SHU is wildly popular, so to capitalize on the success I started Pub Bingo Several Hundred dollars in prizes Special prizes from the distributors Open to all ages Enough prizes to last for several hours Raffles during the game

Pub Bingo allowed us to combine a fun event for everyone while still allowing those over 21 to have refreshments

WWE Monday Night Raw

After Football season ended, we wanted a new Monday tradition. We decided on Monday Night Raw Contacted WWE to send a wrestler to sign

autographs and hang out with students Watch another physical sport on a big screen Promoted it widely across campus stressing that it

would be open for all ages Door Prizes Lots of Free Food!

Unfortunately it did not work, Telecom changed the channel lineup just days before the event

Shows that even the best laid plans do not always work out

Senior Pub Nights

Allowed Seniors to celebrate together without anyone else Over 21 only Popularity required multiple bars Go through more beer than humanly possible Provide shuttle services to off campus dorms Extra police presence to deter over consumption

and drunk driving Lots of give aways Top tier entertainment

Senior Pub Nights were very popular and were the only nights where we had to turn people away

Because we ran multiple bars, we decided to purchase a Drawbox

Opening for Special events

During the year there are always special events on campus Parents Weekend Graduation Semi Formals Many More

These are a great way to help your pub get into the black as you can often make more money catering these events than at a normal night

Around the World in 50 Beers

My favorite Creation while I was at SHU Find 50 beers from different countries Get your rep to import them Have people sign up and get a card Have people drink all of the beers (not in

one night) Immortalize them at the pub on a

placard and give them a souvenir to cherish.

Q&A

Questions for us? We didn’t have time to go over everything If you have questions feel free to contact us

Comments from anyone who runs a bar?