How Post-Mix Drinks Can Help Pubs and Bars Improve Margins
Every penny matters when you’re running a pub, club, bar, café or restaurant. Drinks need to be good quality and customers expect quick service. However, operators also need to keep a close eye on costs and waste. That’s where a well-managed post-mix drinks system can make a difference. Instead of storing large quantities of individual bottles and cans, post-mix combines concentrated syrup with water at the point of dispense. As a result, venues can serve popular soft drinks efficiently from behind the bar. There are several ways this can help a hospitality business manage costs and protect its margins. 1. Understand Your Cost Per Serve Knowing how much each drink costs to serve is essential when setting prices. Post-mix syrup is supplied in concentrated form and mixed as the drink is dispensed. Therefore, one bag of syrup can produce multiple servings according to its specified mixing ratio. This makes it easier to calculate an approximate cost per serving and compare it with the selling price. Of course, syrup isn’t the only cost involved. CO₂, water, energy, ice, staffing and other overheads also need to be considered. Nevertheless, understanding the product cost is a useful starting point when reviewing margins. 2. Reduce Reliance on Bottles and Cans Individual bottles and cans can take up a surprising amount of storage space. A post-mix system concentrates much of your soft drink supply into bag-in-box syrups. Consequently, venues can reduce the amount of packaged stock required for popular draught soft drinks. This can be particularly useful where storage space behind the bar or in the cellar is limited. There is another practical benefit. Fewer individual bottles and cans can mean less packaging to handle and dispose of during service. 3. Keep Busy Bar Service Moving Speed of service matters, especially on a busy Friday or Saturday night. With post-mix, staff can dispense a soft drink or mixer directly at the point of sale. There’s no need to repeatedly retrieve, open and dispose of individual bottles for every order. That can make straightforward orders quicker to prepare. Furthermore, the same system can provide drinks for several purposes. Soft drinks can be served on their own, alongside spirits or used as mixers for cocktails. A faster system doesn’t automatically guarantee higher profits. However, efficient service can help staff deal with busy periods more effectively. 4. Improve Consistency Customers expect their favourite drink to taste right every time they order it. A correctly installed and maintained post-mix system mixes syrup and water at the required ratio. Consequently, staff don’t need to manually prepare each soft drink. Consistency is particularly important when a venue has several people working behind the bar. However, dispensing equipment needs to be properly maintained. That’s why reliable servicing is an important part of running a post-mix system. At CS Drinks, servicing and maintenance are handled in-house by our own team. 5. Make More of Your Drinks Range A post-mix system isn’t limited to glasses of cola and lemonade. Popular flavours can also be served as mixers alongside spirits. Furthermore, they can form part of cocktail and mocktail menus. This gives venues opportunities to use the same products in several ways. For example, cola can be served alone or alongside rum, whisky and vodka. Lemonade can work as a soft drink, mixer or cocktail ingredient. Therefore, a carefully chosen post-mix range can support several areas of the drinks menu without requiring a completely separate stockholding for each serve. 6. Reduce the Upfront Cost of Equipment Installing new drinks dispensing equipment can represent a significant investment for a hospitality business. CS Drinks takes a different approach. For suitable customers, we can install a complete post-mix dispensing system with no set-up charge, with the cost offset through syrup purchases. If a venue doesn’t have sufficient sales volume to support this arrangement, a small rental charge may apply. We can discuss this with you before anything is agreed. There are no lengthy contracts, and you simply order syrup as you need it. 7. Look Beyond the Price of Syrup When comparing drinks suppliers, it’s tempting to look only at the price of the product. However, there is more to running a reliable post-mix system than syrup alone. Installation, equipment reliability, maintenance, delivery and support all matter. After all, a cheap drink isn’t much use if you can’t dispense it when customers are waiting. CS Drinks delivers its post-mix syrups directly rather than relying on delivery companies. In addition, our equipment servicing is handled in-house. That means our customers deal directly with the people supplying and maintaining their system. Could Post-Mix Work for Your Business? Every hospitality venue is different. Therefore, the right drinks dispensing system depends on your available space, expected sales and the type of drinks you serve. At CS Drinks, we’ve been working with the drinks trade for over 35 years. We supply post-mix soft drinks and dispensing equipment to pubs, clubs, bars, bistros, cafés, restaurants and other hospitality venues. Moreover, we’ll help you determine the most suitable arrangement for your business. Speak to Steve, Dianne or Matthew on 01539 559033 to discuss your requirements and find out whether post-mix could work for your venue.
Party Cocktails for Christmas and New Year
Christmas and New Year are some of the busiest times of the year for pubs, clubs, bars, bistros and restaurants. With Christmas parties, festive get-togethers and New Year celebrations filling the calendar, it is also a great opportunity to add something different to your drinks menu. Cocktails can certainly help create that festive feeling. However, when the bar is busy, drinks also need to be quick to prepare, consistent and profitable. That is where a well-planned cocktail menu, supported by reliable post-mix soft drinks and mixers, can make a real difference. Festive Cocktails for a Busy Bar Christmas cocktails often combine familiar favourites with seasonal flavours. Warming spices, cranberry, citrus, ginger and winter fruits can all bring a festive feel to a drinks menu without making things unnecessarily complicated behind the bar. Traditional choices such as Mulled Wine and Hot Toddies remain popular during colder weather. Meanwhile, cocktails using cola, lemonade, tonic, ginger flavours and fruit mixers can be prepared quickly while still giving customers something a little different. For example, a classic spirit and mixer can be given a seasonal twist with fresh fruit, herbs or a festive garnish. Likewise, cranberry, orange and mixed fruit flavours work particularly well when creating colourful Christmas serves. Most importantly, keeping recipes straightforward can help bar staff serve customers efficiently during busy Christmas parties and events. Cocktails for New Year Celebrations As Christmas gives way to New Year, sparkling and celebratory drinks usually take centre stage. Champagne and sparkling wine cocktails remain popular choices. The French 75 combines gin, lemon and sparkling wine, while a Kir Royale uses crème de cassis and sparkling wine for a simple but distinctive serve. However, your New Year cocktail menu does not need to rely entirely on sparkling wine. Long drinks combining spirits with post-mix lemonade, cola, tonic or fruit flavours can provide an excellent alternative. Furthermore, they are easy to reproduce consistently when several customers order at once. For venues expecting a busy New Year’s Eve, a smaller menu of carefully selected cocktails can often work better than an extensive list. As a result, staff can become familiar with each recipe while customers still have plenty of choice. Don’t Forget the Mocktails Alcohol-free choices have become an increasingly important part of a good drinks menu. Therefore, it is worth including a few properly considered mocktails rather than simply offering customers a standard soft drink. Post-mix soft drinks are particularly useful here because they can provide the foundation for quick and consistent alcohol-free serves. Lemonade can be combined with fruit juices, fresh citrus and herbs, while tonic and fruit flavours can create more grown-up alternatives. A Virgin Mojito, for example, can combine lime, mint and lemonade for a refreshing drink that is easy to prepare. Consequently, customers who are driving, avoiding alcohol or simply choosing something different can still enjoy a drink that feels part of the occasion. Keep Festive Drinks Simple and Consistent Presentation certainly matters, especially at Christmas and New Year. Fresh fruit, sugared rims, herbs and seasonal garnishes can transform a straightforward drink into something that looks special. Nevertheless, a busy bar also needs speed and consistency. A reliable post-mix drinks dispensing system allows staff to dispense soft drinks and mixers quickly at the point of sale. In addition, using consistent measures and recipes can help control costs while ensuring customers receive the same drink each time they order. That can be particularly valuable during the festive season when bars are busy and staff need to keep queues moving. Post-Mix Drinks for Pubs, Bars and Hospitality Venues At CS Drinks, we have been supplying post-mix soft drinks, dispensing equipment and servicing to the hospitality trade for over 35 years. Our post-mix range includes popular flavours suitable for serving on their own, alongside spirits and as part of cocktail and mocktail menus. Furthermore, we supply and install the dispensing equipment needed to serve drinks efficiently at the bar. We work with pubs, clubs, bars, bistros, cafés, restaurants and other hospitality venues across the North West. Because deliveries and servicing are handled directly by our own team, you’ll deal with people who understand both the equipment and the drinks you serve. If you’re considering a post-mix system for your venue, or you want to discuss your requirements before the busy festive season, speak to Steve or Dianne on 01539 559033 or email sales@csdrinks.co.uk. From everyone at CS Drinks, we wish our customers a very Merry Christmas, a Happy New Year and a successful festive season.