Many entrepreneurs want to open a wine bar, but they don’t know where to start. Running any small business in the United States takes hard work, start-up capital, and skill. Opening a wine bar is no exception.
There are start-up and operating costs to consider, as well as real estate and marketing costs. Costs for specialty bars depend on the type of wine and where the establishment is located. A successful bar must be in the right place, and the owner must acquire a liquor license. Although all of this may seem overwhelming, it is entirely possible to manage all of these demands.
Wine bars are one of the many types of specialty bars out there. Entrepreneurs who appreciate the many different wines on the market and know how to develop a detailed business plan should consider becoming wine bar owners. Read ahead for all there is to know about how to open a wine bar. Here are some tips on starting a wine bar business.
The concept
First of all, you need to clearly define your project, by defining a concept around which your bar will flourish. It is a question of finding out how your business will be different from the others: you must play on the differentiation since you will have to distinguish yourself from the direct competitors that are the other drinking establishments, and from the indirect competitors, i.e. the consumption at home.
Another way to differentiate yourself would be to play on the originality of the atmosphere of your bar by proposing activities such as tastings, initiations to oenology.
You must arouse the curiosity of customers and then seduce them with the originality of your business. The project is the first concrete step towards your wine bar.
The ideal location for your wine bar
Next, you must choose the commercial premises in which you will set up your wine bar. This step is important because it is decisive. So we suggest some selection criteria to help you choose a relevant location:
– Choose places with a lot of traffic, such as the city Centre for example. Places are more expensive, but this will allow your business to be known and frequented.
–The geographical context: you must find a place that is representative of your project: the bar must be in harmony with the area in which it will be located.
– Beware of the neighborhood! Avoid residential areas as the noise may disturb the neighbors, especially if you have a terrace.
– The size of the premises: you must take into account the storage space for the wines as well as the surface area for receiving customers. You should therefore consider a fairly large space.
– The competition: you have the choice to put yourself close to competing bars to distinguish yourself from them or on the contrary to propose a place at a distance from the other bars, to avoid too much proximity with the competition.
– Catering: you should also consider a kitchen in your premises if you intend to accompany the tasting of wines with tapas or dishes.
Procedures and regulations
Then comes the more technical and sometimes more complicated part: it is the time of the administrative management. Several steps are involved in opening a bar. First of all, you must choose the legal status of your business and obtain the necessary licenses to sell drinks.
Either it is a partnership like a sole proprietorship. In this case, the company is subject to income tax and has no legal person, i.e. the entrepreneur is responsible for the company’s debts on his personal assets.
Financing your wine bar
This is one of the main requirements for opening your wine bar. Before financing your business, you need to consider the investments required to open a wine bar. These include
-the fitting out of the premises: the bar counter, the wine storage space
-the furniture and crockery
– The wine stock
-the license
– The communication and mediation of the wine bar, in particular the installation of the bar counter which can be quite expensive, and the wine storage space which may require a system to control temperature and humidity levels.
