Description

Opening a bar with an innovative concept is exciting: working with products you love every day, sharing your passion and experience with employees and customers and participating in the evolution of a rapidly changing industry by adding your own personal touch.

However, this does not mean that you will not face some difficulties. Opening a bar requires a love of dealing with all different types of people and the ability to keep your cool under pressure – whether you’re dealing with staff, suppliers or customers (who can sometimes become a bit of a handful after a drink or two.)

You must also adhere to the strict regulations associated with running a bar and plan every aspect of your business carefully, as competition is fierce.

In fact, the bar industry is so competitive that the choice of concept is extremely important. It should not only match your own desires and professional ambitions, but also allow you to stand out from your direct competitors.

To help you find the right bar concept, we have reviewed below 18 types of bar concepts:

Types of Bar Concepts in this guide:

Beer Bar
Wine bar
Rum bar
Whiskey bar
Vodka bar
Tequila bar
Gin bar
Champagne bar
Cocktail bar
Hookah bar
Salad bar
Tapas bar
Pasta bar
Oyster bar
Juice bar
Game bar
Ice bar

Bars with an emphasis on one type of alcohol
Bar concept №1: open a craft beer bar
In 2018 alone, the British consumed 506 million pints of craft beer, so the craft beer market is fast becoming lucrative.

Although the market is booming, this alone cannot guarantee success for entrepreneurs who want to enter the world of craft beer. Indeed, opening a craft beer bar requires an in-depth knowledge of, you guessed it, craft beer.

Curious customers will expect you to advise them on their beer choices, so you need to make sure that you and your staff are trained in what makes each individual beer special.

Bar concept #2: open a wine bar
Do you like the cool and comfortable atmosphere of a wine bar? If so, why not open your own?

Wine bars have been popular in the UK for quite some time, but consumption is falling – a 2018 report by Wine Intelligence found that the number of Brits enjoying wine regularly fell from 29.5 million in 2015 to 22 million in 2018.

Bar concept #3: Open a rum bar
The thirst for spirits has been steadily increasing over the last 30 years and rum is one of the top 5 most consumed alcoholic beverages in the world.

The great thing about opening a rum bar is that this concept targets a very specific clientele from the start, making it easy to stand out from competing bars that offer a wider selection of drinks.

Bar concept #4: Open a whiskey bar
After gin, whisky is the most consumed alcohol in the UK, so it’s no wonder why opening a whisky bar is a tempting idea for entrepreneurs looking to disrupt the alcohol market.

Even though the market is booming, you still have to keep your wits about you. Even though the British seem to be crazy about whiskey, it is important to know that almost 80% of alcoholic drinks are consumed from the comfort of your own home. Because prices in bars are much higher, they account for only 5% of total consumption.

Bar concept #5: Open a vodka bar
Vodka is an extremely popular alcohol, so if you are planning to open a vodka bar, you will have to come up with an innovative concept to attract vodka drinkers (who may be loyal to the brand they buy in supermarkets) to your bar.

Bar concept #6: Open a tequila bar
Do you appreciate Mexican culture and love to party? Then opening a tequila bar might be the perfect idea for you.

There are a number of ways to attract visitors to your tequila bar: from offering two-for-one margaritas to organizing weekly parties.

Bar concept #7: Open a gin bar
Do you like gin? If yes, you can open your own gin bar to share your passion with others.

Although some may say that gin is a bit of an acquired taste, the gin market is booming – it now holds the top spot as the most popular spirits in the UK.

Bar concept #8: Open a champagne bar
Before you open a champagne bar, you want to make sure you have a good understanding of what luxury service means. Champagne bars attract a special clientele that wants to be truly pampered and feel special.

The average age of champagne drinkers in the UK is 50 years old, with younger people less likely to drink champagne due to limited budgets. It is important to keep these statistics in mind as you will probably need to invest to make your bar upmarket and appealing to older, sophisticated drinkers.