Raising the Bar in 2009

Is it really New Year’s already? Good Lord. Is it me, or did 2008 just fly by? My head is still spinning. Time to put the brakes on and take a look at the state of the union for a minute. It’s a funny one this year, there’s an air of concern both within the industry and amongst the clientele about the coming year, a palpable uneasiness that I haven’t felt at previous New Year celebrations. (Mind you, my bar is in the Financial District, which may account for a higher anxiety quotient.) The restaurant community here is already starting to feel the pinch, and even new rooms are choosing less expensive digs. How will the bar industry fare in the coming year? Are Vancouver’s booze peddlers recession-proof, or will we see a reflective dip in the tip pool? Should we start to panic?

I wouldn’t get a side job at an accounting firm just yet. It may, however, be a perfect time to reevaluate our bar programs. Choice of establishments in our fair city is high, and the public’s discretionary spending is low, so now more than ever we need to give our guests a good reason to keep coming back. Just because the economy is in a lull doesn’t mean people are going to stop socializing and start drinking alone indoors by the warmth of a candle. But value for the dollar is going to be the most important consideration in our communal gathering choices in 2009, and that means the customers are going to be far more choosy about where they spend their time. This is a very good thing for the standards of our bartending community.

We have been in a steady incline in quality as a cocktail town for the last six or seven years, and in 2008 I saw us reach a pinnacle of performance unmatched in my memory in both classic drink knowledge and new recipe innovation. It’s a proud time to be a bartender in Vancouver. We enjoy a respect here not enjoyed by many North American cities, thanks to the efforts of a cadre of dedicated professionals and an attentive local media willing to spread the word. If we can capitalize on this hard-won reputation by continuing to raise the bar, as it were, we’ll all be sitting pretty come next New Year’s.

2009 will be all about personalized service, mark my words. This is the year to work on the aspect of your bartending that truly made the legends legendary: making each and every guest feel like a movie star. It’s that simple, and it’s something we all need to work on, no matter how busy the night, no matter how tumpy you’re feeling that day, treat them like they’re your favourite customer and they’ll have no need to go anywhere else. Introduce yourself to everyone at your bar. Work on remembering names, keep a book for it if you need to (short, bad toupé, drinks vodka tonics = Dave), have their drink ready when their butt hits the stool, buy the odd round, that sort of thing. This level of attention is actually what all your customers want, even more than a well-made cocktail, and it’s what’s going to keep your bar buzzing while all the rest are flailing. This year, the people in your bar will be there because they want to be there, not because they want to be seen there.

It’s going to be a good year.

Happy New Year everyone, get home safe…

Simon Ogden | Urban Diner