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Preparing for Thanksgiving Eve - The Busiest Bar Night of the Year

Nov 9th 2018 - J. Vigotsky Blog, 

Preparing for Thanksgiving Eve - The Busiest Bar Night of the Year

Thanksgiving always takes place on the fourth Thursday of November. It’s a day of family, food, and football. But the party really starts the night before. Also known as Blackout Wednesday, Thanksgiving Eve is the busiest bar night of the year—outclassing holidays like New Year’s Eve and St. Patrick’s Day. College students return home from school and reunite with friends, while workers enjoy a night out before their day off on Thanksgiving. As a result all this foot traffic, bars and pubs need to be on their A-game for Thanksgiving Eve. This post offers 5 tips that will help you get the most out of the night.

Use Plastic Beverageware Instead of Glass

broken glass

If you usually use glass beverageware to serve drinks, consider switching to plastic for Thanksgiving Eve. When bars and pubs get overcrowded, the chance of accidental collisions between patrons increases. Add in the fact that people will be in an especially celebratory mood, and the chances of glass shattering on the ground are unusually high. The last thing you want in your bar is broken glass. Not only can customers cut themselves, but it’ll be difficult to clean since the bar will be so crowded. Proactively nip the issue in the bud by using plastic beverageware.

Hire Some Extra Muscle

bar bouncer

There’s a reason Thanksgiving Eve is also referred to as Blackout Wednesday. And while nearly all patrons will be able to maintain control of themselves, there’s an increased chance that an issue will arise. Hiring a bouncer is a great way to prevent unwanted problems. If there’s a fight or even a threat of a fight, a bouncer can help quell the situation before it gets out of hand. The extra business that comes from Thanksgiving Eve is great. But the last thing you want is to end up on the local news as the site of a big bar brawl.

Know When Enough is Enough

know when enough is enough

If you sense a patron is getting too rowdy, it’s your responsibility to cut them off—even if they’re trying to buy a round of shots for the entire bar. You might lose out on a little bit of money. But you’ll be ensuring a safe environment for the rest of the night.

Re-Up on Beverages

full bar

You don’t want to be the bar that runs out of someone’s favorite drink. Maybe the customer will opt for something else, and you won’t lose any business in the moment. But that patron will likely remember the instance and next time choose to go somewhere else. So make sure your bar or pub is fully stocked with all kinds of beers, liquors, and wines.

Have Cleaning Supplies On Hand

cleaning supplies

Where there are large groups, there are often large messes. Drinks that are spilled on the floor lead to wet surfaces that are potential safety risks. And if your patrons are fleet of foot enough to avoid slipping, those wet surfaces soon turn extremely sticky. Customers will labor just trying to separate their shoe from the floor, and your bar will soon be known as dirty. Luckily, there are steps you can take to prevent such a fate. Always keep a couple mops and towels on stand-by. If there’s a spill, you’ll be ready to clean it up before it has a chance to offend anyone.

When it comes to Thanksgiving Eve, everyone needs to up their focus. The large crowds put extra stress on staff, so it falls on the owner to make sure everyone is ready. Start preparing early so by the time Blackout Wednesday arrives, you’ll be ready to handle the busiest bar night of the year.

busy bar