Are you losing customers for this dumb reason?

There isn't anything especially fancy or groundbreaking in this week's interview, just a gut-check from Rob Austin, marketing director for Chicago's Leader Bar:

Check each of your online profiles to make sure your business's basic info is correct and up-to-date.

You'd be shocked how many businesses don't have the correct info on their Facebook, Google, Instagram, etc. profiles. It's super common to:

• have the wrong hours listed
• not include a website link
• forget to add an address
• and so many other things

If prospective customers get far enough along in their buying journey that they're trying to figure out your hours or location, you're at the 1 yard line. Don't fumble by not including your address or including incorrect hours.

And for bonus points, make this check a part of your monthly tasks by creating a monthly calendar event for it.

Check out the interview clip to hear more from Rob on this as well as his advice on which online platforms you should be active on:

👉 And if you'd like to hear more from Rob about marketing for the bar and restaurant industry, check out this playlist on the Brave New Bar Youtube channel.

How it works

• On their own, without the help of the bartender, your customers can read your full-info Print Menu (includes beer descriptions, ABV, etc.) to hone in on what to order.
• Then they can step up, look at the TV Menu, and just say “I”ll have a number 4” to the bartender.

The interaction is finished and significant time saved—no asking what's on tap, no samples, no back-and-forth about what to order.

This time savings can add up quickly on a busy night, and the more time saved means the more folks served per hour. And that means more sales.

David Hayden of multi-state chain Up-Down says this phenomenon "works out to thousands of additional dollars on a Friday or Saturday night."

How can I do it at my business?

You could do this manually. Google the beers you have, copy the info you need, drop the info into your Print Menu doc and your editable TV Menu, then adjust the design as necessary.

• Zero proof spirits in trouble? Boisson, the nation's biggest NA retailer shut all its stores and filed for bankruptcy in March. Punch took an in-depth look at what that move means for the 0% spirits market as a whole.
• World Beer Cup winners crowned yesterday. The Craft Brewer's Conference was held in Vegas the last few days, part of which features the World Beer Cup, an international competition for the best beers in over 100 different categories. Here are the winners.
• Pro-biz in NY. The 2024-25 budget for New York state included some notable biz-friendly law extensions. Among them was a 5-year extension on drinks to go, permanently allowing a more flexible approach to outdoor dining, and, my favorite: the budget eliminated a Prohibition-era rule that required liquor stores to be located at street level.
• Ransomware attack in Sweden threatens nation's liquor supply. Weird one here. In Sweden liquor stores are state-owned. According to the organization's spokesperson, a North Korea-based ransomware attack took out its distribution software, threatening to leave shelves bare.