R. BENJAMIN WILLIAMS
  Restaurateur | Restaurant Consultant

 

    
  PO Box  3  Kearsarge, New Hamshire 03847

 
 

Who Pays The Piano Player?

 

Who provides the stage? The pub, inn and tavern owners do. It’s been that way since the first barrel was brewed. Busking on the street or playing in the bars, that’s where musicians have always earned their living. Our customers still perceive music and live performance as a part of who we are as an industry. Some of us offer music, some don’t. But I sometimes wonder, do we have a cultural obligation to our communities to provide the stage - and pay the piano player as well? Entertainment is an investment in our business. Oh, really? Let’s look at a “before and after” entertainment scenario in a typical independent restaurant, inn or tavern.

 

We’ve got a great looking room, friendly bartenders and cold beer. Last Saturday night the ring was $500. With good liquor controls, reasonable labor cost and a decent lease, we might look to see $100 come to the bottom line for the night. But hey, what if we bring in karaoke, a folk singer, DJ or maybe even a full band. Surely, that will bring the total up?

 

Assume we find the right band, promote the appearance (that means pay for some more advertising), and fill the room. The Saturday night ring is now $1,500. Factor in the same percentage costs of product and labor. Maintain the fixed costs. Then, add the new or increased expenses such as advertising, insurance, ASCAP rates, sound, lights and hospitality for the band. If it doesn’t snow that night, the band actually shows up, and people stick around for the second set, our profit should now be around $400. But, we still have to pay the band. Planning on an average of $150 per man, DJ’s and single performers usually cost more, bands less, we soon begin to wonder if maybe we were better off last week, keeping a bigger piece of a smaller number. In general, if you’re not grossing at least three and half to four times the cost of the entertainment, you’re wasting your time, your money or both.

 

Unless our operation is strictly nightclub, which is not very likely in New Hampshire, or we have a separate performance area, live performances will always have an affect on our dining room business, one way or the other. A lively, music filled room could be a fun place while waiting to be seated for dinner. However, sound contamination by relentless percussion and bass will ruin a quiet night out for the anniversary couple in the corner of the dining room. Then there’s the “draw”, the new customers that our entertainment program will attract. After all, isn’t that what we trying to do? Get new customers in the room. Develop a greater pool of customers who will visit us more often.In the dining room, if we provide good food and service at a fair value, we develop a repeat customer. With a little recognition and nurturing, we earn a loyal regular. Then they tell a friend and they tell a friend. That’s how it works with food; there’s a loyalty. Unfortunately, it doesn’t often work that way with the music crowd. If the music fan thinks the new band down the street might be better, they’re gone. Face it: if the refrigeration is working this weekend, we’re all pouring the same beer. The food customer is loyal. The music customer is fickle..

These are a few, of the bazillion, reasons why most of us no longer bother with entertainment. With such an overwhelming unbalance of risk vs. reward, it’s a wonder any of us still take the chance. In real life, here at Horsefeathers, we have chosen to take the risk and we feel with good reason. In almost all our operations over the years, we’ve incorporated some type of live music into the concept. We still do. We view our commitment to an entertainment program as a promise to our customers to provide a total experience when they come to visit. Combining the dining and music, for those who want it, means our place is a “good night out”. There’s no reason to go anywhere else. By assuring the dining and entertainment experiences compliment each other, cross marketing also occurs. Diners stick around for a drink after dinner, while the bar goers begin to sample appetizers. We believe entertainment is an effective recruiting tool for younger customers. While the 21-25 year olds aren’t part of our largest dining demographic, they soon will be. Music programs introduce us to our future food customers. Once comfortable and familiar with our staff and operation, we have an advantage over the unfamiliar restaurants as this group develops their lifelong dining out preferences. In addition, we’ve had success with afternoon performances. These performances attract and recruite a more mature, higher spending audience; the potential for long term customers. The marketing geeks tell us to talk about our “points of difference”. Or, what makes our place special. One of those points for us is live music

 

As the number of live music venues dwindles, the potential of this “point of difference” continues to grow. Do we have an obligation to our communities to provide the live music? Yes, particularly those of us operating in rural areas. If not us, who? If the operation can support live performance, it should. Entertainment is a crucial ingredient of hospitality. Music is a vital part of where we live, of who we are. We all know the real reason there’s live music in our rooms. We do it because we can. It’s there because we love the music. Probably not very businesslike, but being businesslike is not why we got into this business in the first place.

 

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