Fresh off a visit to New York City and its overwhelming amount of truly terrific bars, I started thinking about what goes into creating a really great bar. This past weekend, I decided to try one of Manchester’s newest venues, The Gaslamp. The bar is quite unassuming, with only a small, easily-missed sign outside to give any indication that there’s a bar there. No noise, no flashing lights, none of the sparkle. Instead, what you get is a basement bar with an understated interior that immediately reminded me of some of the great bars of the Big Apple. The chipped brickwork and exposed steel beams of this hole-in-the-wall (ha!) bar whisper charm and add to its character. Its minimalism only serves to emphasise that this is a bar that exists solely to promote quality of service and product. Get those right, and everything else will fall into place.
So what goes into making a good bar? That depends on how you define a good bar and everyone has their own definition, but here’s my view:
Location, Location, Location: Open a good bar in an area that’s more accessible than alternatives. It goes without saying, an area that lacks a good bar could always do with one, but think about the experience and how people’s plans will be developed. Manchester has plenty of good bars, but most of them are in the Northern Quarter. Gaslamp, on the other hand, is located on Bridge Street just north of Deansgate, significantly shortening the distance to a good bar for many people.
Opening Hours: Near a venue open from 8PM-4AM? Open your doors 6PM-2AM. Remember the experience: people will probably plan to head to your venue earlier and move on to the next after you close and vice-versa. Gaslamp is open from noon and closes at 2am. When we left, people talked about going to Mojo (open till 4), but I convinced them Corridor was the smarter choice (also open till 4). Another great example: see Callooh Callay (open till 1) and Night Jar (open till 4) in London. Night Jar is my choice for a night cap.
Design: Totally depends on the people you’re trying to attract. Personally, I like something low-light, intimate, and with a touch
of class. Some bars are really simple and understated, which suits them just fine.
Gaslamp looks like they have seriously cut corners on the decorations…and that’s absolutely the look they’re going for. Minimalist and functional, this place eschews the pretentious attitude of Deansgate in favour of a much more comfortable and relaxed atmosphere.
Price: People will pay a premium price for quality. People will also pay a ludicrously-high price for crap. Some people want bang for the buck and would drink anything put in front of them if it’s cheap and gets them drunk. Think about the customers you want to attract and price the product for them. A good bar for me has good product at a good price. Gaslamp has a good range of beers at around £3-4.
Quality Product:
Of course, this measure of quality will be heavily influenced by my own personal preferences, but I’ll do my best to be objective. If its beers, the wider selection you have, the better. Unique and interesting beers from small breweries in far-flung corners of the world will do nicely. Microbreweries, craft breweries, and especially hometown local breweries are favoured. If it’s cocktails, start with fresh ingredients. Then simply delicious spirits. Then a range of interesting spirits. Better to do 5 amazing drinks than 50 average ones. Put it all in a nice glass.
Gaslamp doesn’t yet do cocktails, but they’ve got some nice bottles behind the bar and I have been assured they’ll keep it simple and strong.
Quality of Service:
Focus on the customer. Just be friendly and make your bar a comfortable place for people to pass the time. Treat your customers with love and respect and they’ll keep coming back. In fact, treat them like guests, not customers. A short wait is fine, 15 minutes for a beer isn’t. Can’t have a long chat? I get it, you’re busy…but don’t ignore me completely.
I spent 2 hours at Gaslamp by myself and had a great time chatting with the lovely bartenders. Service with an absolute smile.
That’s about it for now, but expect that this will be updated from time to time as my criteria evolves. And maybe someday this will be the criteria I use for setting up my own shop.
All these factors lead up to Gaslamp being a really good bar, but when asked why customers will want to return, the ladies of Gaslamp had only this to say:
“Because it’s awesome!”
“Because it’s great!”
Simple and to the point, just like Gaslamp.