How Pop-Up Bars Maximize Your Business’ Profit Potential

These days, pop-up bars are the trendiest way for young adults to imbibe on a Friday night, and the hype around them poses an obvious benefit to beverage businesses: If you build a pop-up bar, thirsty guests will come. 

Below, we dive into what makes a bar a pop-up, and the benefits of setting one up! 

What Is A Pop-Up Bar, Exactly?

Depending on your experience with pop-up bars, you could be picturing any number of spaces right now. And it’s probably because there’s a variety of ways that a pop-up bar can be executed:

• Event Space Buildout: This type of pop-up bar is sort of like a trial business. Westbound & Down Brewing Co. just opened one of these in the Free Market at the Dairy Block in Denver. The brewery has had success at their two locations outside of Denver, and this pop-up is a great test site to ensure they’ll do the same with the downtown market! 
• Venue Takeover: Venue takeovers are all about the folks shaking the shakers and pulling the taps. Renowned bartenders get invited to an existing bar to bring their cocktail crafting skills and recipes to serve a brand new audience. 
• Full Transformation: Typically built around a theme of some sort—holiday, film fandom, etc.—transformation pop-up bars take an existing space and add an exceptional amount of pizazzy decor to, yes, transform the place!
• Collaboration: Say a new art gallery is hosting a grand opening event on the same block as your distillery. They may ask you to host a pop-up bar at the gallery so their guests can sip on something delicious while they look at something beautiful!
• A Station Among Many: Beer festivals are essentially a sea of brewery pop-up bars, and any additional bar added to, say, the outdoor area of a brewery is considered a pop-up bar, too. The most humble of pop-up bars also makes this the most doable and versatile for any given event! 

Here’s an example of a full transformation: Miracle on 30th transformed Polite Provisions for the holidays in San Diego. Erick Castro—famed bartender, operator, and all-around industry guru—and his bar teams have a best in business reputation for going all out on pop-bar decor. 

Despite the differences among the variety of types, all pop-up bars have the following in common:

All pop-up bars are experimenting. Whether it’s testing a new market of guests, new menu items, or the effectiveness of audacious creativity—we’re looking at you, Miracle on 30th—all pop-up bars are an experiment of some sort. 

All pop-up bars are short-term. From day-long pop-up bars, like holding a tent at a festival, to the months-long pop-up bar Westbound & Down now has in Denver, all pop-up bars have a finite period of time that they’re open. 

All pop-up bars are sustainable. Repurposing existing spaces or setting up a canopy in a field doesn’t require hammer to nail. Reusing existing materials is inherently sustainable, which is well-respected in the industry, especially these days. 

All pop-up bars are good for business. Yep. Many aspects of pop-up bars make them effective revenue drivers, market expanders, and staff and guest delighters. Keep reading if your ears are perked!

Why Pop-Up Bars Are Good For Business

There are 5 reasons pop-up bars are good for beverage businesses. Check ‘em out:

1. Pop-up bars drive traffic

Because all pop-up bars are limited edition, they inherently create buzz around a business and therefore drive traffic. After all, FOMO is real, and if guests only have 3 weeks to visit an exclusive pop-up bar, they will make it a priority to go. 

2. Pop-up bars provide exceptional guest experiences

The exciting, unique nature of pop-up bars lead to unforgettable guest experiences, too. Providing a fun space for guests to gather with friends and take one-of-a-kind pictures is good for a positive brand reputation and for widespread brand awareness—hopefully those photos end up all over social media! 

Logistically, pop-up bars present an opportunity for superb customer service as well. When taprooms or tasting rooms set up a pop-up bar as an additional service point on-premise, it reduces wait times and lines. Plus, a smaller scale pop-up allows for more intimate staff-guest interactions, which can lead to product education and upselling opportunities. Both of which, as you know, are great for business!

3. Pop-up bars expand your market

The portable aspect of pop-up bars make them great tools in your beverage business’s market expansion. Your staff being able to take product, your mobile POS system, a Coldbreak jockey box, and travel to whatever festival or event they please helps your business cast a wider net of prospective customers. 

Venue buildouts, takovers, and transformations present the same advantages: Serving in an existing business’s space gets their regulars talking, and gives your staff and products a chance to shine in front of a whole new audience!

4. Pop-up bars boost bottom lines

Driving traffic, wowing guests, and expanding your market result in one thing: Your bottom line just got bigger, baby. All of these pop-up bar pros lead to more people enjoying your products which is good news for your wallet. 

Plus, pop-up bars present a cost-effective way to experiment with new menu items or concepts. In that exploratory setting, your business has the creative freedom and encouragement to try something completely new and see how it performs. You never know if you don’t try!

5. Pop-up bars are good for staff morale

Lastly, pop-up bars are good for keeping staff members engaged, challenged, and working together. While putting on a pop-up can be a lot of work, they are exciting projects to be a part of, and your staff will no doubt enjoy tackling it together. Generous tips from the satisfied guests in attendance never hurt, either. 

There you have it! Check your calendar and get a pop-up bar on the books—your revenue goals will surely reap the rewards. Looking for a robust beverage-centric POS system that can support all of your pop-up bar needs? Check out What Is The Best POS System For A Pop-Up Bar?