Cheers is dedicated to delivering hospitality professionals the information, insights and data necessary to drive their beverage business by covering trends and innovations in operations, merchandising, service and training.
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/524520
www.cheersonline.com 45 June 2015 • MARKETING MATTERS of details to attend to—more than I imagined." Graffi ti holds sessions in the afternoon and evening on the weekend, evenings Wednesday through Friday and a Mimosa Morning session one day a week. Lagana charges $35 to $45 for admission, which includes paint, brushes, canvas, easel and apron. The location hosts public events, as well as pri- vate bookings for birthdays, bachelorette parties and other occasions. Since Graffi ti has a wine and beer license, it offers a variety of both beverages. Lagana also teamed up with a local business, Moonlight Meadery, to promote the Londonderry, NH-based company's mead in exchange for recom- mending her paint bar to customers. Prices for drinks range from $3.50 for a domestic to $7 for non-house wines; appetizers are also avail- able. Lagana offers about a dozen different wines and 10 different malt beverages. Alcohol sales rep- resented about 20% of Graffi ti's revenue in the fi rst six months. "The process of getting a permit for alcohol ser- vice was quite easy in New Hampshire," she says. "But we are required to serve hot food in order to have a wine and beer license, so that added signifi - cantly to our start-up costs." PAINTING PARTNER Paint Nite, founded in 2012 in Boston by Sean McGrail and Dan Hermann, doesn't even own a studio; it partners with local bars and restaurants to host events featuring a Paint Nite with an affi liated artist. "We were both regulars of bar-room trivia, and that was certainly a seed that would later become an outline of a business model for Paint Nite," McGrail says. "The two of us divided the labor; Dan took on the task of creating a robust website that would schedule events, and I was re- sponsible for marketing to bars and generating ticket sales." On average, the company charges $45 for admis- sion ($65 in New York) for a two-hour session. The fee includes all the supplies for painting and a 16"×20" can- vas. Attendance averages from 25 to 45 people per event, McGrail says. There are no food or beverage service requirements for the bars and restaurants hosting the events, he says. But Paint Nite does encourage them to offer a specialty cock- tail just for event customers. Paint Nite doesn't charge the bars for anything, he notes. "They make money from drinks and food purchased by attendees, on what is typically a slow night of the week." ARTISTIC CHALLENGES Holding an artistic event is not for every operation, howev- er. If you're look to open a paint-and-sip spot or add such an event to your bar or restaurant, there are a few things to keep in mind. One is proper light- ing so that the budding artists can see the sub- ject and what they're doing, says Lagana. You also need to think about proper table positioning "and acoustics so customers can see and hear the instructor," she says. Then there is the mess. "Knowing what happens in my studio, I'd be very concerned about paint getting some- where it shouldn't," Lagana says. Paint Nite looks to partner local hot spots that don't have carpeting, which makes clean up easier. Bars also need good light, McGrail says, and they must be able to seat at least 50 people. Promotion is another aspect of paint bars or events. Paint Misbehavin' in Hudson, MA, found that creating awareness and "letting people know we're here" was the most diffi cult aspect of launching the business, according to co-owner Diane Rosolko. The studio uses Facebook, Yelp and enewsletter, as well as printed fl yers posted in businesses around the area to promote events, she says. Brush It Off relies heavily on social media to promote the studio and its events. "Holding strong as the word was slowly getting out was one of the biggest challenges," Morgan says. "We're not in a big city like Boston, where we have foot traffi c and large visibility. But now that word has gotten out, we've been accepted very well within the community." Don't be discouraged if you only have a handful of people the fi rst time, Morgan notes, because it will grow. "Doing it on a slow day where sales are typically low, it will increase your bar and food for that day." It's a win-win for the artist or company running the event, she adds, "and for the restaurant hosting, which is getting the additional revenue." Paint bars such as The Painted Lyon and Brush It Off often rely heavily on social media for promotion.