Starting a tiny Brewpub/Craft Beer Bar

Just to be clear do people understand how small this bar he is proposing is? A standard parking space is 18x9, or 162 sq ft, this bar would take up 1.5 parking spaces. The other "small" bars that have been posted in this thread are significantly larger.

You said you can make the numbers break even at $4 per beer and 50 beers a night, 8 nights a month or $1600 per month gross.

Paragraph 5 I would have to sell 100 pints a night at $4 to reach the numbers you speak of during the 8 nights. I'm projecting 50 now to be safe. I think I can go higher on pint price $5? and drop to 75 to hit that number. But I appreciate these numbers you have to give me some parameters.

from your other post $400/night x 8 nights would make your rent 11% of your total sales making it 22% of your projected numbers.

What do you expect to pay per sixtel? $63 per sixtel is $1 per 10oz pour, assuming no waste (realistically you should plan for as much as 10% waste). That would be 25% of your net sales.

You are already down to $848/month, and haven't bought cleaning supplies, replacement glasses, paid for electricity, or water. Never mind fees, taxes, emergency funds, and actually paying down a capital investment on the tap equipment, bar, stools, etc.

You said earlier you could lose 5k if you had to, but can you afford to put 25k or 50k on the line? it will probably take that to see this up and running.

 

looks like I edited while you posted, basically $1-$2 per pour

 

Man, I dunno. My favorite tap house is around 1,000 sq/ft and it's cozy.

 

Spend as little as possible getting the place ready. Nothing worse than opening up and finding out you are behind the 8 ball.

 

I general I expect to pay $4,75 or so for a craft beer here, if it's really a special brew more, I've paid up to $8 a pour, depends on what it is.

The post above really makes you think, a bar that is the size of 1 1 /2 parking paces, how in the world do you stuff in 25 people comfortably. Social is one thing , asshole to belly button is another.

 

I really think he needs to lease the other 250 sq ft, from the beginning!

 

Wade,
On the expense side I would worry a lot more about insurance. One incident and suddenly someone else owns the rental properties. That would take your break even hobby to a life ruining proposition. I don't know what bar insurance costs, but I would have to suspect it is steep and likely more than your net per month. Just sayin.

 

The fire marshal will be the final decision on how many people you can have in there. It will not be 25!! It goes by Net Floor Area. This means you have to deduct the amount of space that the bar and whatever kitchen area away from your total 250 square ft. General rule is about 10 square ft per person. Place is way too small. I wouldn't go because I don't like to be cramped!!

 

Sounds ambitious but also a pretty rad idea. Best of luck to you OP, I would get a beer at your place if I lived near you.

 

an idealized, hypothetical 1/6 bbl keg containing 5.16 gallons, would yield 41 pints. But doing projections, I'd figure 33-35 (in addition to foaming and tasters, you'll lose some cleaning lines as well. Clean lines are an absolute necessity.)

now 12 oz pours, for higher abv and specialty beers, the hypothetical number is 66, but a more real number might be 53-55.

At some of the places I hang, 8oz and 10 oz servings are pretty frequent but I'm not sure how $7 for an 8 oz pour might play in your neck of the woods--but an 8 oz pour from the 5.16 gallon sixtel gives an "ideal" or hypothetical total of 82 glasses, my expectation would be "real" yield of 68-70...

These numbers might be a tad low--when the owner is doing the pouring, you waste a lot less, it's amazing what having a stake in the joint does to the care with which you pour a pint, but they come from experience...another factor is the length of the line, my experience was with a fairly long draw, so again you might expect to do much better than this because I'm sensing your longest draw will be 4-5 feet.

 

will i even fit, bro?

 

Hey, I'm just being critical, not trying to be an asshole. I think you really need to consider if you can fit 25 people in the space comfortably. Cheers.

 

There's a bar about that size in Charleston, SC called the Oak Barrel Tavern (never measured it, but it's damn small.) Seems to be doing quite well. They also have done art shows and packed the place. You might want to contact those people and pick their brains.

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Oak-Barrel-Tavern/180497458655728

 

From the pictures on that website that bar iand back bar area is probably 180 sq feet plus on its own. Plus they have that back wall presumably with a bathroom. The total area is easily larger than 500 sq ft, probably 750+

 

I'm trying, but for the life of me I can't see being in a bar that small. I think it would be uncomfortable unless it was wall to wall with pretty girls.

 

Visited a week or so ago. They also brew out back on what is essentially a homebrew system. Seemed like a very cool place, but I'd wager it's way bigger than 250 sq. ft. Could be wrong, though!

 

This place near me is pretty tiny: https://www.facebook.com/MaggiesPubFerndale/photos_stream . This photo shows pretty much the whole place: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?...879743.-2207520000.1380160294.&type=3&theater